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EASTLAND CITY
CEMETERY
P.O. Box 749
Eastland, Texas 76448
Dean Vernon,
Cemetery Consultant (254) 631-2844
Eastland City Hall (254) 629-8321
Cemetery News
There is currently
a 'no watering' restriction on the cemetery. Also, after the
recent rains, new graves are settling, but the city will refill them as
soon as the ground dries sufficiently. |
The Eastland City Cemetery is more
than just the final resting place of
loved ones who have gone on before and
their memory which is evident by the
daily visits of family and friends. The
cemetery is also a place of historic
resources. The cemetery is a reminder of
early settlement pattern, religion,
lifestyles and genealogy. The cemetery
has many war veterans, early settlers,
politicians, officers of the law, and
even those who went against the law.
Names on grave markers serve as a
directory to these early residents and
even reflect the ethnic diversity and
uniqueness of the population.
Grave marker
designs and cemetery decoration
represent a variety of cultural
influences that helped shape the history
of Texas.
The following
are just a few of those who helped
settle Texas and Eastland and are
residents of the Eastland City Cemetery.
CHARLES ULRICH
CONNELLEE,
born
1851, died 1930. Founder of Eastland.
Mr. Connellee, along with partners J.B.
Ammerman and J.S. Daugherty, laid out
the court house and city streets and had
the county seat moved from Merriman to
Eastland, as the city was named for the
county.
JOSIAH G. "DOC"
SCURLOCK,
born
January 11, 1850, died July 25, 1929.
Rode with BILLY THE KID during the
Lincoln County Wars in New Mexico.
Josiah was born in Alabama and studied
medicine, earning him the nickname
"Doc". He later moved to New Mexico and
hired on as a cow hand with an English
nobleman cattle rancher named John
Tunstall. Another of the more famous cow
hands was Mr. William H. Bonney, better
known as "Billy the Kid". Mr. Tunstall
was murdered and thus started the
Lincoln County War of New Mexico. After
the end of the Lincoln County War, all
involved were given a pardon by the
governor, except for "the Kid". "Doc"
gave away his guns, except for a
squirrel gun, sold a gold mine for
$500.00 (later sold for $75,000.00) and
moved his family to Tuscola in the Texas
panhandle. Later, he and family moved to
Eastland, Texas where "Doc" lived until
his death in 1929. "Doc" didn't speak
much of his "outlaw" days due to the
many who still wanted him dead. He
worked for the highway department in
Eastland and wrote book reports and book
reviews for students at the University
of Texas.
W.P. "WILLIAM
PIKE" TINDALL,
born
March 4, 1818, died November 25, 1901.
He came to Texas in January of 1836 at
17 years of age and turned 18 shortly
after arriving from New Orleans. He
joined with Sam Houston and fought at
the battle of San Jacinto. He was part
of the MIER MEXICO expedition and the
BLACK BEAN drawing that saw Captain
William Eastland, who the city and
county of Eastland is named for, die.
Tindall spent two years in a Mexican
prison after the Black Bean drawing. He
moved back to Alabama and served for 6
months in the Civil War with the C.S.A.
He held county offices in Alabama before
returning to Texas and settling in
Eastland, Texas.
H.S. "HENRY"
SCHMICK,
NO
DATES. First Sheriff of Eastland County
and served with Co E. Arkansas Inf. of
the C.S.A. He and his two brothers
helped to map out the streets of the
city of Eastland in its beginnings.
JESSE W. HARBIN,
born
March 3, 1820, died October 30, 1904. He
was in the 1st Alabama Infantry during
the Mexican War and was in the Co 1,
23rd Reg Ga. Inf C.S.A. during the Civil
War. He has both military stones, one at
his head and one at his feet.
GEORGE M. REYNOLDS,
born
May 28, 1846, died March 2, 1937, was a
member of the UNION FORCES during the
CIVIL WAR, with Co G, 3rd Ark Cav. He
was probably part of the "MOUNTAIN
TROOPS" from Arkansas that did not want
to be part of the Confederacy and hid in
the Arkansas mountains and later joined
the Union Forces.
OTHER CIVIL WAR
VETERANS
SAMUEL W.
ARMSTRONG;
NO DATES; CO. A TEXAS INF, C.S.A.
S.M. CARTER;
NO DATES; CO. F ALABAMA CAV, C.S.A.
THOMAS J.
DRAKE; NO
DATES; CO. B, PHILLIPS GEORGIA, C.S.A.
HORACE H.
GRAY; NO
DATES; 37th TEXAS CAV, C.S.A.
HENRY HALLUM;
NO DATES; CO. K, TENNESSEE INF, C.S.A.
WILLIAM B.
SAMFORD;
born NOV 7, 1846 died MAR 5, 1926, CO.
E, 10th VIRGINIA CAV, C.S.A.
JAMES K. SCHMICK;
NO DATES; CO. K, ARKANSAS CAV, C.S.A.
DANIEL N.
SCURLOCK;
NO DATES; CO. A, 63rd ALABAMA INF,
C.S.A.
F.M. SMITH;
born JAN 13, 1828 died DEC 6, 1902, 15th
ALABAMA INF, C.S.A.
JOHN L. TINDALL;
NO DATES; 11th MISSISSIPPI CAV, CO. G,
C.S.A.
SGT. WILLIAM P. TRULY;
NO DATES; 1st ARKANSAS INF, CO. B,
C.S.A.
SPANISH AMERICAN
WAR
-
SGT. OLIVER T.
PEGUES;
born NOV 12, 1874 died SEP 19, 1936,
CO. K, 4th TEXAS INF.
- WILLIAM
MARCELLUS ARMSTRONG
born June 9 1871 died Dec. 1947
Mexican War
-
Jame
Rutherford Reeves CoC, 12
U.S. Inf. , born Feb. 23, 1826 died
Nov 30, 1920
OTHER NOTABLES
-
"AUNT" JANE
BOWLES,
born March 22, 1862 died
December 18, 1961. She came to
Eastland as a small child and was
the first Black to live in Eastland.
At the time of her death, 99 years
of age, she was still active. She is
buried in the BOWLES-CARTER plot in
the Old Section of the Eastland
Cemetery.
-
KITTIE STUART,
born April 3, 1840 died
August 18, 1877. First person buried
in Eastland Cemetery.
-
EBEN SWEATT,
born May 9, 1807 died
February 16, 1878. First man buried
in the Eastland Cemetery and has the
oldest BIRTH date.
-
WENDELL T.
SIEBERT,
born November 27, 1916
died July 30, 1974. Served as
Superintendent of Eastland Schools
and the present Eastland elementary
school is named for Mr. Siebert.
-
OMAR H.
BURKETT,
born September 24, 1883
died July 2, 1964. Writer of the
Texas 40 HOUR WORK WEEK LAW. He and
his brother Joe planted the first
"Burkett" pecan tree near Putnam,
Texas .
-
JUNE KIMBLE,
Captain C.S.A. born April
1, 1842 died April 4, 1911. The
first elected Mayor of Eastland.
-
ELMO HILL,
born October 13, 1893
died May 13, 1943. Train conductor
of the EASTLAND, WICHITA FALLS &
GULF RAILROAD, also known as the
Ringling Railroad. The great circus
team of the Ringling Brothers built
this railroad in Eastland to
transport water from Breckenridge to
Eastland in 1919. Elmo Hill was the
only conductor and the railroad shut
down shortly after he died in 1943.
-
MARENE
JOHNSON-JOHNSON,
born February 5, 1899
died November 6, 1978. The creator
of the Stamp Mural in the Eastland
Post Office and she is one of two
buried NORTH-SOUTH in the Cemetery.
The stamp mural took seven years of
hard work in her "spare time" and
$15,000.00 of her own money.
-
VICTOR
CORNELIUS,
born July 15, 1904 died
May 1, 1991. Owner/Operator of VC
MENUS, known all over the world.
-
ED T. COX, JR.,
born July 31, 1906 died
December 10, 1947. One of the
greatest athletes to be at Eastland
High School. A 200 pound fullback
who was as fast as a sprinter. He
could run, pass and kick. Probably
his best game was in 1925 against
the powerful Ranger Bulldogs. The
Eastland Mavericks were to be no
challenger to the Bulldogs, but COX
scored 3 touchdowns, threw for one
TD and rushed for 249 yards in an
Eastland Maverick win of 25 to 0
over the Ranger Bulldogs.
-
JUDGE CLYDE
GRISSOM,
born February 24, 1897
died August 1, 1983. Appointed to
the 11th Court of Appeals as
Associate Justice by then-Governor
Allred. Judge Grissom served for 35
years, all but 10 years as Chief
Justice.
-
JUDGE TRUMAN
CONNER,
born 1849 died 1933.
Served as District Judge at
Eastland, Texas from 1887 to 1898
and later served as Chief Justice,
Court of Civil Appeals at Fort
Worth.
- T. A.
"Tom" Jones born 1874
died 1929 The jailer shot by the
"Santa Claus" bank robber.
Ernest E.
Wood Grandfather of
"Old Rip" . Placed his son Will's
pet horned toad in courthouse corner
stone.
Taken out 28 years later
known as "Old Rip".
There are over 4000 people buried in
the Eastland Cemetery and another 500
plus buried here with only a rock
marking their burial.
There are many more interesting facts
about the City of Eastland and the
Eastland City Cemetery that can be
learned by contacting Eastland City
Cemetery.
A CEMETERY DIRECTORY IS ALSO
AVAILABLE, cost of $25.00 , postage
included.
INTERESTING
INSCRIPTIONS
JIMMY DOOL
"BEHOLD MY FRIEND
AS YOU PASS BY
YOU ARE NOW,
SO ONCE WAS I;
AS I
AM NOW,
SO YOU WILL BE,
PREPARE
FOR DEATH AND FOLLOW ME"
RILEY HAGUE
"Brave man shot in the back by a Coward"
William Dean
"Born a Scotsman, Died a Texan"
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