George White - Plano, TX
N 33° 07.300 W 096° 44.082
14S E 711346 N 3667058
A 10' tall marble obelisk stands in front of the Rowlett Creek Cemetery Memorial Chapel, honoring the memory of George White, the cemetery's benefactor, who is buried nine miles away.
Waymark Code: WM12G60
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 05/21/2020
Views: 3
This is not a grave.
The obelisk had been broken previously, but has been repaired. There is text only on the front. The family name, "White", is on the plinth, and the inscription begins on the obelisk shaft, continuing downward:
In Memory
of
George White
Born
Dec. 10, 1820
in
Heath, Mass.
Came to Texas in 1847
Located this
cemetery in 1860
Donated same to this
community which
organized Rowlett
Creek Cemetery
Association
Dec. 20, 1895
The noble spirit of
George White passed to the Great Beyond
July 9, 1886
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May his name be ever
remembered, not forgotten.
Rowlett Creek
Cemetery Association
1917
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A 1979 Texas Historical Marker in front of the chapel provides some history, noting why there is a memorial here for Mr. White:
In 1836 Dr. Daniel Rowlett (1786-1848), a Kentuckian, came to Texas with his wife and six other families. Rowlett, a physician, lawyer, surveyor, and politician, settled near present Bonham. He located much of his large 1838 land grant in the fertile area along present Rowlett Creek.
After meeting in homes and outdoors, seven charter members organized the Wilson Creek Church of United Baptists in 1848, under leadership of the Rev. David Myers. In 1852 the name became "Rowlett Creek Baptist Church". George White (1820-1886) deeded six acres at this site in 1861 for a meetinghouse. The following year Shadrick J. Jackson (1830-1863) and his wife Sophronia deeded an adjacent four acres. Soon lots were set aside for this cemetery. The earliest marked grave is that of pioneer Alfred Harrington in 1862. The second interment in 1862 was that of Charles Gough, who was on furlough from the Confederate Army. In 1895 the Rowlett Creek Cemetery Association was formed.
Rowlett is believed to be the earliest Baptist church in Collin County. It became inactive in 1935 but had been influential in establishing many early churches, a number of which are still prominent in the North Texas area.
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Mr. White hailed from Massachusetts, and was educated in New York. He came to this area in 1847, became a land owner of some means, and was quite active in the affairs of this county. During the Civil War, he was a private in the Confederate Army and served in the Texas Cavalry. He is buried with his wife and family in historic Pecan Grove Cemetery (which he platted), just a little over nine miles northeast of here in McKinney.