Glass-Chapman Cemetery - Collin County, TX
N 33° 10.678 W 096° 23.620
14S E 743016 N 3674042
The Glass-Chapman Cemetery is a small family cemetery of over sixty burials on Collin County Rd 610, northwest of Farmersville. While it dates to 1854, it still sees occasional use.
Waymark Code: WM1C8ZV
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 07/05/2025
Views: 2
A Texas Historical Marker was dedicated here on May 3, 2025, also establishing this as a Historic Texas Cemetery. In previous years, this cemetery had seen considerable neglect, with the grounds overgrown, a few headstones targeted by vandals, and the fence around the cemetery in a state of disrepair and near collapse in some sections. There is a new steel fence around the perimeter, and they have provided a pedestrian gate to complement a vehicular gate that's a little farther back. There is no sign other than the Texas Historical Marker, and in the past, the cemetery appeared most commonly as "Chapman Cemetery" in narratives, and even "Chapman-Glass". According to Collin County, the families -- who are related -- don't agree as to the name of the cemetery, and Findagrave refers to it as "Chapman Cemetery." The historical marker provides some history:
Established in December 1854 in the old Rock Quarry community, the Glass-Chapman Cemetery is the final resting place of generations of the Glass and Chapman families. William Pinckney Chapman (1815-1887) and Elisha William Glass (1796-1868) were patriarchs of some of the founding families of Farmersville where they worked as farmers and stock men. The families had several children that intermarried. These families were instrumental in the early settlement and growth of this part of Collin County and helped build churches and schools and promoted commerce. Elisha Glass purchased 90 acres of land in the William B. Williams Survey from R.A. Rike in November 1851 where the cemetery is located.
The first people to be buried in the Glass-Chapman Cemetery were brothers John H. "Jack" and Samuel Manson Glass. Both were killed as innocent bystanders on Christmas Eve 1854 after a brawl broke out at a saloon in Sugar Hill. Their grave is marked with a sandstone brick encasement covered by a large stone slab. Most of the 67 burials are descendants of the Glass and Chapman families. The numerous gravestones representing children speak to the harsh reality the settlers faced. There is one Woodmen Circle symbol present on the grave of Nola Patterson, daughter of Albert Jones Chapman. Six known veterans are buried; four Confederate soldiers and two twentieth-century U.S. Navy servicemen. The Glass-Chapman Cemetery is a reminder of these pioneer families and their legacy in Collin County.
Check the Texas Historical Marker for Sugar Hill for some background as to what earned the Glass brothers the distinction of being the first burials here back in 1854.