Foster Cemetery - Anderson County, TX
N 32° 02.249 W 095° 35.903
15S E 254631 N 3547543
Foster Cemetery is a very old cemetery dating at least into the 1850s, but it is still slightly active, with over a hundred burials, many unmarked. It is located off of Anderson County Rd 478, south of Poynor, TX.
Waymark Code: WM107J2
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 03/14/2019
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Foster Cemetery is located on ranch land, and it's likely that you may encounter cattle grazing outside of the cemetery. They tend to be wary of people anyways, but it's best to leave them alone, and be certain to close the cemetery gate: There are signs of damage in the cemetery, and the presence of cow pies indicates that they're getting in there somehow.
Foster Cemetery is notable for having been the first burial location of famous Indian captive, Cynthia Ann Parker. The original grave marker is still here with a Texas Historical Marker, easily located. She was one of five captives taken by the Comanche in the 1836 Fort Parker Massacre near Groesbeck, TX. Over time, four of those captives either escaped or were ransomed back to "white society", but Cynthia Ann ultimately went native. She was a young girl, anywhere from eight to eleven years old when she was abducted, and she was raised by a Comanche couple. At some point, she became the only wife of chief Peta Nocona -- it was common practice for chiefs to have multiple wives, something he eschewed due to his devotion to Cynthia Ann -- and they had three children, the best known of which was Quanah Parker, who has his own story.
Pecos, the second child, was not quite a teenager when he died in 1863, his final resting place unknown, while Topsannah (Prairie Flower) was born in 1858. She was with her mother at the Battle of Pease River, near Crowell, TX, when they were captured by a group of Texas Rangers led by Sul Ross. Some accounts indicate that Peta Nocona was killed in the battle, while others say that he escaped, only to die a few years later of his wounds. Cynthia Ann and Topsannah were repatriated to "white society", where they were discouraged from their "savage ways" by relatives north of here in Van Zandt County. Topsannah caught the influenza and died of pneumonia, leaving her heartbroken mother to finish her last days refusing food and water, unhappy about not being with the only family she'd ever known. Topsannah was buried in Asbury Cemetery near Edom, while her mother was buried here. Some accounts erroneously indicate that Prairie Flower was buried here, too, referring to the cemetery as "Fosterville" and referencing relatives in "Van Zandt" as if it was a city and not a county. Both now rest with the great Quanah Parker at Fort Sill.