EARLIEST Marked Grave in Moorehead-Melton Cemetery - Eustace, TX
N 32° 19.670 W 095° 59.187
15S E 218867 N 3580695
A 2004 Texas Historical Marker at Moorehead-Melton Cemetery, Eustace, TX, notes that the earliest marked grave in the cemetery is that of James Weakes, who was buried here in 1870.
Waymark Code: WMZETA
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 10/30/2018
Views: 0
Mr. Weakes is buried in a family plot enclosed by an iron fence, and he shares a headstone with his wife, Millia. Made of white marble, with the family name,"Weakes", on the plinth, it reads:
Millia
Weakes
May 16, 1827
Jan. 12, 1921
James Weakes
May 25, 1827
Feb. 2, 1870
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The historical marker is in front of the cemetery tabernacle, and it provides some background:
Located in the Elizabeth Washburn Survey on land owned by Andrew and Nancy Moorehead, this site first served as a burial ground for members of their extended family. Natives of South Carolina, the Mooreheads migrated west and settled in Alabama before moving to Texas by the 1850s.
In 1884, Tennessee native Elias Melton and his first wife, Anna (Capps), bought the surrounding farmland. In 1920, Elias and son Charles D. formally set aside land for the community cemetery.
Gravesites here predate the founding of nearby Eustace by decades. The earliest marked grave is that of James Weakes, who died in 1870. Others buried here include pioneer area settlers and veterans of military service dating to the Civil War. There are also many early unmarked graves.
In 1979, Melton family descendants gave another donation of land, and the site became known as the Moorehead-Melton Cemetery. Maintained by an association, the graveyard is the site of an annual memorial services and business meeting, where are residents, family members and others gather in honor of their common heritage.
FIRST - Classification Variable: Person or Group
Date of FIRST: 02/05/1870
More Information - Web URL: [Web Link]
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