East Mount Cemetery -- Greenville TX USA
N 33° 08.064 W 096° 06.046
14S E 770469 N 3669929
Historic East Mount Cemetery on Marshall Street in Greenville, Texas, near the grain elevator
Waymark Code: WM17NPA
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 03/15/2023
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Historic East Mount Cemetery in Greenville Texas is an oasis of pioneer graves, wealth, privilege, and white culture in the predominantly African-American side of town across the railroad tracks.
Historic 19th century cemeteries of this type in Texas almost always have a separate and subtly segregated section for the burial of Black residents, but Blasterz did not seen any signs of anything like this on our visit today.
Therefore, we believe that this to be a historically whites only cemetery, although for the last several decades anyone of any race can be interred here.
Greenville TX was one of Texas' most infamous "Sundown towns" - where black travelers needed to be out of town before the sun went down. There used to be a professionally-made sign proclaiming Greenville's motto: "Blackest Land - Whitest People."
Mama Blaster is old enough to remember that sign, plus another, cruder sign a little further down the I-30 as you headed east into Dallas: "Boy, don't let the sun set on you in Greenville." I remember asking my Mom to explain what it meant, and she wouldn't.
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Nevertheless, East Mount Cemetery is notable as the final resting place of the only War of 1812 veteran in Hunt County, James W Gee (1799-1882). Several of his sons are buried here as well, at least two of whom cost him his War of 1812 pension. In 1871 Congress enacted a law awarding pensions to those men who honorably served during the War of 1812, even if they had accepted the 80 acres of bounty land government awarded them for their service back in the 1820s. This pension was to be paid in cash, every year, until the veteran died.
James Gee applied for his pension in 1872. An aspect of the pension law provided that as part of the pension eligibility review, captured Confederate personnel records could be searched for evidence of the petitioner's disloyalty to the Union. When several of James Gee's sons turned up as enlistees in the Confederate Army, his 1812 pension was denied based on the proof of his sons' Confederate Cavalry service, evidence of family disloyalty the United States.
The day Blasterz visited, we estimated that there are about 9000 people buried in the cemetery. We think there's room for another 9000 in the section of the cemetery that has been prepared for growth, but not yet opened.