Atkinson Cemetery is an old cemetery located on Chadwick-Hogan Rd, just 1.5 miles West of the Hwy 290 and FM-1155 intersection (the main entrance into Chappell Hill). It was named after the 1857 Mayor of Chappell Hill, Jethro Atkinson, who owned a plantation in this area back in 1844.
The cemetery contains several old graves, including that of Robert Wooding Chappell, the grandfather of Mary Hargrove Haller who founded the town of Chappell Hill on 100 acres of land she bought back in 1847 and for whom she named the new town after.
Several other locally famous names can be found in this cemetery, most of which can be attributed to specific historical buildings of interest within the town of Chappell Hill (many of which are now listed in the National Register of Historical Places). These include members of the Matthews, Felder, Browning and Lockhart families - such as:
Matthews, Rev. Jacob (10/11/1808-2/20/1886)
Matthews, William Soule (8/18/1850 - 8/24/1862)
Matthews, James Fiske (10/20/1840 - 12/7/1881)
Matthews, Mattie W. Browning (5/1/1848 - 3/20/1906)
Matthews, James Browning (11/7/1870 - 7/12/1923)
Matthews, William W. (1874 - 1918)
Matthews, Mattie Lynn (8/14/1880 - 8/30/1886)
Matthews, Harvie Rogers (5/25/1900 - 1/26/1980)
Matthews, Anne Calcote Berry (3/11/1899 - 10/3/1989)
Felder, Margaret E. (5/14/1847 - 2/27/1884)
Felder, Rufus King (1840 - 1922)
Felder, MaryC. (10/1879 - 8/2/1883)
Browning, William Westcott (11/21/1808 - 6/28/1871)
Browning, Elizabeth Lewis (7/9/1811 - 1/5/1879)
Browning, Daniel Harvie (1/28/1841 - 11/15/1863)
Lockhart, Joseph Henry (11/30/1877 - 12/31/1878)
Lockhart, Dr. Daniel Harvey (1/3/1866 - 4/2/1891)
There is a plaque near the entrance of the cemetery in honor of Joseph Edmund Wallis (1887-1973). The grandson of W. W. Browning and J. W. Lockhart, Joseph set up a large trust fund that provides for the care of this cemetery.
Also, the cemetery boasts a Texas Historical Marker on its grounds. It states:
"Name honors 1857 mayor of Chappell Hill, Jethro Atkinson, whose plantation was nearby. In 1844, date of earliest marked grave, site was owned by Robert Wooding Chappell, for whom city was named. Formed in 1957, Atkinson Cemetery Association provides perpetual care."
For more information on this cemetery, see:
* Find A Grave website: (
visit link)