FIRST Known Marked Grave in Forest Academy Cemetery - Como, TX
N 33° 04.658 W 095° 29.821
15S E 266912 N 3662666
A Texas Historical Marker at the gate to Forest Academy Cemetery indicates that the grave of Martha McCorkle is the first known marked grave in the cemetery, dating to 1858.
Waymark Code: WMQC0Y
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 02/01/2016
Views: 1
Martha's grave is marked by a modern, gray granite headstone, whose inscription is flanked by flowers:
Mother
Martha, Wife of
L.H. McCorkle
1830-1858
The 1984 historical marker provides the background:
This cemetery was not formally set aside until 1858, but the land probably was used as a burial ground prior to that time. Settlement of the area began in 1847 when Thomas Madison and Elizabeth (Fanning) Ticer brought their family here. Thomas Ticer died one year later, but there is no record of his burial in the county. His wife was interred in this graveyard in 1879.
The first known marked grave in Forest Academy Cemetery is that of Martha McCorkle, who died in 1858. In the same year, Winship S. Petty (1804-1881) bought 865½ acres of land in Hopkins County. Since this burial ground was a part of that acreage, he donated it to the Forest Academy community and increased the area of the cemetery to six acres. Petty later supplied the lumber from his sawmill in Angelina County to build the first community church and school building. Petty is interred here in an unmarked site.
By 1910 the families who lived in this area had moved, leaving only the Methodist church building and this cemetery as reminders of this early agricultural settlement. The burial ground was vandalized in 1971, which destroyed many of the old grave markers. It continues to stand, however, as an important element in the region's heritage.
FIRST - Classification Variable: Person or Group
Date of FIRST: 01/01/1858
More Information - Web URL: [Web Link]
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