The images of Somerton General Cemetery were provided by Denis Woolaston whose family is well represented on the inscriptions. Denis writes:
"The cemetery was surveyed on 29 September 1874 and dedicated on 30 July 1875. The entrance is now through a recently constructed gate under a wrought iron banner which reads 'Somerton General Cemetery Est 1877'.
"The earliest headstone relates to Thomas C Woolaston who died on 11 May 1886. It is made of sandstone and will increasingly suffer from weathering. The last burial relates to Evelyn Olive Chaffey, who died on 20 April 1961. There are two unmarked wrought iron headstones present and at least four, if not more, unmarked graves.
"The cemetery is, frankly, in a poor state of repair, although it is now fenced to keep out livestock. Several wooden grave surrounds have been destroyed and the headstones themselves show signs of damage by grazing cattle. At the time of the photographs, in January 2006, it was badly overgrown with weeds."
An early map of the cemetery supplied by Denis (see above) shows that it was laid out in denominational portions of Roman Catholic, Church of England, Wesleyan, Presbyterian, Independent; Jewish and General. Erected in the grounds is a plaque that lists all known burials at this site. This was provided by local author and historian, Thomas McLelland, who has a special interest in documenting and maintaining the smaller cemeteries in the Tamworth district.
In compiling the inscription list, reference was made to the NSW indexes of births, deaths and marriages for further information, The digital images may be viewed and downloaded from the list of inscriptions for this cemetery.
The village of Somerton lies midway between Tamworth and Gunnedah on the Oxley Highway. The cemetery is 1.6 kilometres south of the township and is reached by turning south off the highway at the roadhouse into what was called the Racecourse Road. This unsealed road then heads south for a distance of 1.46 kilometres to a left turn which leads to the cemetery on the south side of the road in the corner of a paddock.