OLDEST Graves in Melissa Cemetery - Melissa, TX
N 33° 17.231 W 096° 35.143
14S E 724825 N 3685726
A 1989 Texas Historical Marker at Melissa Cemetery indicates that the oldest graves in the cemetery belong to three members of the pioneer Sherley/Shirley family, dating to 1856, 1867, and 1879.
Waymark Code: WM13VGR
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 02/22/2021
Views: 0
While you will find members of the family throughout the cemetery, the two plots with these burials are near the back of the cemetery. William M. Sherley has the oldest grave, but his final resting place in the family plot (which has a granite anchor with the family name, "Shirley") is marked by a modern -- 1920s or 1930s, maybe -- gray granite headstone with the family name, "Sherley" at the top. The inscription on the front reads:
Wm. M. Sherley
Born
Jan. 26, 1826,
Died
Feb. 12, 1856.
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Next to him is the second oldest grave in the cemetery, belonging to Lewis Shirley, whose footstone simply provides his name and his dates, 1785-1867. Finally, over in the adjacent plot is Albert Shirley, who rests in peace with his wife, Rebecca, and their son, Meredith William. Their resting places are marked by a monument with an urn and the family initial, "S", on the cap. The family name, "Shirley", is on the plinth, and the inscriptions read:
Albert Shirley
June 28, 1829,
July 11, 1879.
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M.W. Shirley
Jan. 5, 1866,
Nov. 1, 1894.
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Rebecca Shirley
Feb. 22, 1837,
Apr. 24, 1905.
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The historical marker elaborates:
This cemetery has been the primary burial ground for members of the Melissa community for generations. Its origin can be traced to the pioneer Sherley/Shirley family, although the specific date of its founding is unknown.
The oldest graves in the cemetery are those of William M. Sherley (1856), Lewis Sherley (1867), and Albert Shirley (1879). They may have originally been buried in a family cemetery on the nearby farm of Lewis Sherley and relocated to this site when the Melissa Cemetery was formally established in 1889. Also buried in the Sherley Family Cemetery were a number of family slaves, and that site became the nearby St. Paul Cemetery.
A number of Melissa residents were interred here prior to the official designation of the cemetery as a public burial ground in 1889. According to local tradition a railroad worker who died in 1872 is buried here in an unmarked grave.
Many pioneer residents of Melissa are interred in this cemetery, including Confederate Captain Thomas M. Scott and veterans of the Mexican War, Civil War, World War I, and World War II. The Melissa Cemetery Association cares for the historic graveyard.
FIRST - Classification Variable: Person or Group
Date of FIRST: 02/12/1856
More Information - Web URL: Not listed
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