FIRST Person to be Buried in the Athens Cemetery - Athens, TX
N 32° 11.978 W 095° 51.422
15S E 230675 N 3566143
While a Texas Historical Marker references his 1857 burial here, a granite marker at the final resting place of William J. Brantley "officially" notes that he was the first person to be buried in the Athens Cemetery.
Waymark Code: WMZAVE
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 10/10/2018
Views: 0
Mr. Brantley shares a headstone with relative -- Findagrave has no suggestion as to their relationship -- and his side has this inscription, above the compass and square of the Freemasons:
Wm. J.
Brantley
Born
Mar.
1829,
Died
June 7,
1857
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The complementary marker reads:
First Person to be Buried in the Athens Cemetery
William J. Brantley
1829 - 1857
A native of Georgia, Brantley came to Texas in 1857 and settled near Athens where he became a prominent plantation owner. He served as the first county superintendent of schools and was an organizing member of Masonic Lodge #165 in Athens. When he died, the Worshipful Master of the Athens Lodge donated one acre of land for a Masonic cemetery in which to bury him. Brantley's burial in this one acre was the beginning of the Athens Cemetery.
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The 2002 historical marker provides some cemetery history, referencing Mr. Brantley's burial:
After citizens petitioned for its closure, an unofficial burial ground in this area (Large Lot 13) closed in 1857. That same year, local residents buried prominent planter, Mason and school superintendent William J. Brantley here on one acre donated by Pleasant Tannehill to Masonic Lodge No. 165. Adjoining land was set aside for the interment of a girl, named Ward, who could not be buried in the Masons' Cemetery. The two adjacent burial grounds eventually joined, and further donations of land by Nathaniel Pope Coleman (1823-1888), Joseph Marion La Rue (1825-1887) and Joseph Thomas La Rue (1864-1930) added to what is now known as the pioneer section of this cemetery. An association established in 1922 bought an additional 12 acres from Matthias E. Richardson, Jr. (1850-1919), designating the front portion as a park. A trust initiated in 1959 by Sid Williams Richardson (1891-1959) continues to help fund the site's upkeep. Chronicled here are the generations that forged the rich heritage of the city of Athens, along with veterans of the Indian wars, Civil War, Spanish-American War, World War I, World War II, Korea and Vietnam.
FIRST - Classification Variable: Person or Group
Date of FIRST: 06/07/1857
More Information - Web URL: [Web Link]
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