FIRST Burial with a Dated Gravestone in Mt. Tabor Cemetery - Sandusky, TX
N 33° 45.701 W 096° 52.286
14S E 697133 N 3737767
A Texas Historical Marker at Mt. Tabor Cemetery, Sandusky, TX, indicates that the first burial with a dated gravestone belongs to I.E. Lindsey, dating to 1868.
Waymark Code: WM162NG
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 04/21/2022
Views: 3
While the historical marker and the grave marker say "I.E. Lindsey", Findagrave gives her first name as "Livonia." She and her husband are buried together in a fenced plot closer to the back of the cemetery, and despite the lichen, the inscriptions (above the family name, "Lindsey") on their vault headstone are still legible:
I.E. Lindsey
Born
May 16, 1825
Died Jan. 24, 1868.
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W.H. Lindsey
Born
Jan. 29, 1825
Died July 30, 1898.
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The historical marker provides some background:
Burrel Scarbrough (1817-1878) and his wife, Harriett (Melton) (1826-1890), both from Alabama, moved to Texas prior to the Civil War. In 1866, the Scarbroughs purchased land north of Whitesboro from the State of Texas for their farm, adding an adjoining 160 acres in 1878. Burrel identified a large hill on the property as a good site for a community cemetery. On March 13, 1878, Burrel formally deeded 8.5 acres of land to cemetery trustees Overton Hodges, C.C. Walker and Robert Wilson. Tradition holds that the cemetery was given the name Mt. Tabor for the site in Israel believed to be the site of the Biblical transfiguration of Jesus Christ.
There are references to several early graves being marked with stones which were later removed. The cemetery's first burial with a dated gravestone is that of I.E. Lindsey in 1868. Burrel Scarbrough died eight months after deeding the property in 1878 and is buried here along with Harriet and much of their family. Other burials include veterans from WWI, WWII, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. Notable features include curbed plots, ornate fencing, and an oval-shaped rock road that surrounds the oldest portion of Mt. Tabor cemetery. Grave markers are mostly made of granite, limestone and marble. The entrance was constructed from the nearby Munger school house after the building burned in the early 1900s.
Mt. Tabor Cemetery has been enlarged through the years by donations of land and money. It has been cared for by the Sandusky community, primarily guided by the Scarbrough family, and has served its community and surrounding areas for more than 140 years.
FIRST - Classification Variable: Person or Group
Date of FIRST: 01/24/1868
More Information - Web URL: [Web Link]
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