A curious headstone in the Newberry Cemetery belongs to "Aunt Nancy" Strain, who died on February 8, 1882. It is located near the northwest corner of the cemetery, and it mentions that she was "Colored". That it was necessary to indicate this was a sign of the very segregated times, when folks who looked different from others tended to be buried in "like" cemeteries. As it turns out, Miss Strain was a freed slave who took care of the two children of settler, William Porter Strain, after Mr. Strain's wife died. So beloved was she that, upon her death, an agreement was made that, well, it'll be OK to bury her just outside the all-white cemetery. The reference to "Colored" probably explained to the curious as to why a lone headstone was outside the cemetery fence. Today, the cemetery has grown, and there is a newer fence around it that brings Miss Strain into the fold, where she belongs. Note the grave of Billy Dale Glenn, who is buried just next to her: It apparently bothered him that "Aunt Nancy" was all by herself, and he asked to be buried next to her when his time came. His wish was granted, showing that some folks have evolved a little bit since "the old days."
The church meets at 11 AM on the second and fourth Sunday of every month. They have a sign in front of the tabernacle across the way, and it provides a little bit of history (slight edits):
Newberry Cumberland
Presbyterian Church
The Newberrys and Cowans helped organize Goshen TN Presbyterian Church in 1806, the second church to go over to Cumberland Branch in 1810.
In 1859 three Newberry brothers loaded their families in covered wagons in Franklin Co TN and headed for TX in search of land. Robert C, Ross B. and J. Campbell settled in Big Valley on Brazos River.
The Brazos Congregation, later called Grindstone, was organized under Red Oak Presbytery in JB Strain's log cabin on Patrick's Creek near Dennis, the 5th Sabbath of May 1868. The name was officially changed to Newberry Cumberland Presbyterian Church in 1892. Jim D. Newberry gave land for church and cemetery. First recorded session meeting was at the schoolhouse in 1877. From 1871 to 1914 camp meetings with two or more services a day were held under brush arbors until the tabernacle was built in 1901.
In 1871 services were held on Robert Newberry place under an old oak tree. Minsters wore pistols, as Indian raids were common. The Bill Light family, except for one girl hidden in a cane patch, was killed and scalped about ½ mile SE of here in 1868.
-----
The church has a good history on their website, and it notes that the first church building, a log cabin, was built here in 1871. This is the fourth sanctuary, completed in 1955, with others having been constructed in 1877 and 1903. When the 1877 sanctuary was replaced, it was relocated and used as the Newberry School until 1928. The Fellowship Hall on the east side was added in 2004. This history also provides some cemetery background, giving us an explanation as to why "Aunt Nancy" has "Colored" on her headstone.
A 2000 Texas Historical Marker in front of the adjacent cemetery provides some background about the Newberry community, referencing the church:
Robert S. and Nancy Ann Porter settled on the fertile land in this area in 1855. Robert Porter became the first county judge for the newly organized Parker County the following year. Among their early neighbors were the Baker, Cowan, Dick, Dillard, Doss, Hemphill, Hightower, Johnson, Kidwell, Lane, Nevil, Newberry, Peters, Potter, Simpson, Strain and Witherspoon families.
The Brazos congregation of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church was organized on the fifth Sabbath in May 1868, near the town of Dennis. By 1871 many families had moved north to the Grindstone Creek area. Robert C. Newberry and his family hosted a Cumberland Presbyterian Church service in their home on April 23, 1871. The church became known as the Grindstone Congregation of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, meeting in members' homes until Jim D. Newberry gave land for a church and cemetery in 1874. The earliest marked grave in the cemetery is that of sixteen-year-old R.W. Newberry, son of R.C. Newberry, who drowned in the Brazos River in 1879.
A new frame building was erected for a church and school in 1880. The church became known as Newberry Cumberland Presbyterian Church in 1892, and the community took the Newberry name, as well. A tabernacle was built in 1901 and the school was moved to this site in 1903. In 1929 the school was consolidated with the Millsap School District.
At the dawn of the 21st century, there were about 625 identified and 75 to 100 unidentified graves in the cemetery. Church meetings were held once a month. The Newberry church and cemetery remain as chronicles of those who shaped Parker County.