FIRST Burial in Wilson Chapel Cemetery - Freestone County, TX
N 31° 25.871 W 096° 13.771
14R E 763336 N 3480711
A 2011 Texas Historical Marker at Wilson Chapel Cemetery, south of Donie in rural Freestone County, TX, indicates that the first burial in the cemetery was that of Martha Wilson, dating to 1867.
Waymark Code: WM19ZH9
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 05/19/2024
Views: 1
Martha and her parents are buried together in a plot bordered by stones, and they share a headstone which reads:
Wilson
Martha J. -- Betsy J. -- Fred
1843-1867 - 1822-1890 - 1810-1891
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The historical marker provides some background:
Located in the southwest corner of Freestone County, the Wilson Chapel Cemetery is within the Isaac Connelly Survey. Isaac Connelly was given a league and a labor of land by the Republic of Texas in 1838. In 1854, Connelly sold 250 acres to F.E. Wilkinson. In 1866, Wilkinson sold this land to Frederich Wilson (1810-1891). Wilson's son inherited the land and sold a portion to the G.W. Ivy family. Eventually, Ivy descendants, Haskell and Nona Roberts, deeded 1.16 acres to the Wilson Chapel Cemetery Association in 1947 along with two acres that had been set aside as a cemetery in 1891 but never recorded. Additional acreage was donated by the Houston Light and Power Company in 1981.
The first burial is attributed to Frederich Wilson's daughter, Martha, when she died in 1867 and was buried on a knoll. Frederich Wilson is also buried here, along with J.N. Connelly, son of Isaac Connelly, and his wife, Milisa, and an early Texas ranger. Many veterans are buried here from the Mexican War, Civil War, World War I, World War II, Korean War, Vietnam War and the Persian Gulf Conflict. Among the cedars and crepe myrtle trees are limestone, granite and marble tombstones.
Also on the grounds is the Wilson Chapel Church. Originally, the church was a white wooden structure but, in 1958, a new red brick structure was built. A pavilion was added to the site in 2008 for social gatherings. The Wilson Chapel Cemetery Association was formed in 1912 to maintain this historic cemetery. A memorial day was established to decorate grave sites and honor family and friends buried here. Wilson Chapel Church and Cemetery are the last remnants of a once-thriving farming community.
FIRST - Classification Variable: Person or Group
Date of FIRST: 01/01/1867
More Information - Web URL: [Web Link]
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