OLDEST Dated Stone in Rockhill Cemetery - Franklin County, TX
N 33° 04.985 W 095° 09.076
15S E 299207 N 3662556
A 1977 Texas Historical Marker at Rockhill Cemeter in rural Franklin County, TX notes that the oldest dated stone in the cemetery belongs to Willie H. Terrell, a young girl who was buried in 1881.
Waymark Code: WMYYP0
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 08/12/2018
Views: 1
Young Willie's short, marble headstone is typical of the late 19th century, with a lamb at the top, and this inscription:
Willie H.
Dau. of
J.C. & M.C.
Terrell
Born
Apr. 4, 1879
Died
July 11, 1881
-----
There is an epitaph, but it is covered by lichen. A photo on her Findagrave page shows it, and it appears to read "Our little girl sleeps sweetly here." The historical marker provides some background:
This burial ground served the farming community of Rockhill, settled after the Civil War (1861-65). The high childhood mortality rate of that era accounts for many graves here. Earliest known burial was Mary Hitchens, who died about 1875 at age 12. Oldest dated stone marks the grave of two-year-old Willie Terrell (d. 1881) Of the 148 known graves, 90 are unmarked. A cemetery committee bought the site in 1919. Like many rural settlements, Rockhill began to decline in the 1930s Depression. The community's churches and school vanished, but the cemetery remains a link to its past.
FIRST - Classification Variable: Person or Group
Date of FIRST: 07/11/1881
More Information - Web URL: [Web Link]
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