FIRST Marked Burial in Fulton Cemetery - Walnut Springs, TX
N 32° 01.696 W 097° 46.988
14S E 614907 N 3544216
A 2011 Texas Historical Marker at the front of Fulton Cemetery, southwest of Walnut Springs, TX, indicates that the grave of Martha A. Duke is the first marked burial in the cemetery.
Waymark Code: WM121D6
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 01/31/2020
Views: 1
The family name, "Duke", is on the reverse plinth of this marble monument. On the front, an open book is at the top, with "Thy Will Be Done" above the Gates of Heaven. The inscription reads:
Martha A.
Wife of
James W. Duke
Born Feb. 21, 1829
Died Aug. 22, 1880
Her happy soul has winged its way
To one pure bright eternal day.
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While their meaning is understood, the Texas Historical Commission could have said this better, such as "The earliest dated headstone in the cemetery belongs to Martha A. Duke," and the historical marker reads:
This cemetery was originally known as the Morgan Cemetery due to its location on land owned by Daniel Morgan (1818-1892), a native of Kentucky. Morgan came to Texas from Illinois with his family in 1834. Morgan served in the Civil War in Company F, 1st Regimental Infantry, 3rd Brigade, Texas State Troops. In 1842, Morgan married Sara Caroline Childress (1826-1892) and, by 1878, Morgan relocated to Bosque County and purchased land along the eastern fork of the Bosque River.
The date of the first burial is unknown as many early graves were marked with common field stones. The first marked burial is that of Martha A. Duke from 1880. Only three known Morgans are buried here: Daniel and Caroline passed in 1892 and their grandson, John Henry Morgan, passed in 1964. Other prevalent names include Jackson, Damron, Rhodes, Ownbey, Phillips and Fulton. Oral tradition states that railroad workers and relatives were buried in the Morgan Cemetery due to its close proximity to the rail line.
Most of the graves are of simple pioneers who worked as farmers or ranchers along with numerous veterans and persons associated with fraternal organizations. In 1891, the children of Daniel Morgan deeded land to J.W. Fulton and others as trustees. By 1906, the Morgan family had sold all of their Bosque County holdings and moved from the area. The name of the cemetery was changed to Fulton Cemetery sometime after 1892. Covered in native grasses and flowers and surrounded by trees, this historic cemetery contains the remains of many pioneers who settled this rural area.
FIRST - Classification Variable: Item or Event
Date of FIRST: 08/22/1880
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