Concord Cemetery

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker at Concord Cemetery has to say, and friends, there's a whole lot of living and dying packed into these Cherokee County acres. It starts the way so many Texas stories start: land and water. In 1845, people pushed into the eastern portion of Texas because the land was inexpensive and water was available.

Simple as that, and powerful as anything. Among those early arrivals was a man named Reverend Richard Martin, an early Concord settler. In 1847, Martin and Reverend W.P.

Henry established the Trinity Presbytery right here in this area. And these weren't men who sat still. Martin and Henry sent ministers on horseback ranging from Mound Prairie near Palestine all the way down below Crockett.

On horseback. Think about the ground those men covered. Now, before there was any proper church building, the early settlers gathered to worship in a brush arbor.

Nothing fancy, just branches and belief, on the banks of Clear Springs Creek, the waterway now known as Camp Ground Creek. Eventually they built something more permanent, a church that doubled as a school, because out here you used what you had and you used it twice. But around 1870, that building was destroyed by fire.

Gone. So the community did what communities like this one do: they built again. The new church went up a mile and a half north, on the present location, right next to what would become Concord Cemetery.

Samuel Johnston donated two acres to the board of school directors to raise a public school on that ground. The community was putting down roots every way it knew how. Then came the cemetery itself.

In 1891, Wesley and Emma Martin donated acreage for the burial ground, though here's the thing: several graves were already there. People had been laid to rest on that land before it was ever formally set aside for that purpose. More land followed.

Taylor and Francis Martin deeded additional acreage in 1933. Elmer D. Martin added more in 1967.

The Martin name runs through this whole story like a thread you can't cut. The oldest burials sit in the middle section, marked with tall vertical stones, standing up like sentinels over the earliest dead. The oldest documented grave belongs to William Moses, who died in 1878.

And then there are the veterans. Many men who served in the Civil War, World War One and Two, Korea, and Vietnam are buried here. The marker calls out a few by name.

Dr. Simeon Kee served in the medical corps in Galveston. Reverend Lewis Holcomb rode with Liken's Texas Cavalry.

Emerson Draper served in Company B of the 1874th English Battalion. Different wars, different generations, same ground. What I find worth sitting with is this: the cemetery is still in use.

These aren't just ancestors behind glass somewhere. Before the annual July meeting, it is a tradition to visit the cemetery on a Saturday, to make sure the graves are clean and in order, and to place flowers on the gravesites. Family members are dedicated to preserving and maintaining the cultural and historical traditions of this place.

That brush arbor on the creek bank is long gone. The first church burned around 1870. But the people who came from the families who built all of that are still showing up every July, still tending the ground, still keeping faith with the ones who came before.

That's not history. That's a living thing.

What the marker says

In 1845, people settled the eastern portion of Texas because of inexpensive land and available water. In 1847, Reverend Richard Martin, an early Concord settler, and Reverend W.P. Henry established the Trinity Presbytery in the area. Both Martin and Henry provided ministers on horseback to Mound Prairie near Palestine to below Crockett. Early settlers worshipped in a brush arbor on the banks of Clear Springs Creek which is now known as Camp Ground Creek. Settlers built a permanent church that also served as a school, but around 1870 the building was destroyed by fire. A new church was built one and one-half miles north on the present location adjacent to the Concord Cemetery. Samuel Johnston donated two acres to the board of school directors to build a public school. in 1891 Wesley and Emma Martin donated acreage for the cemetery, but several graves had already existed. Additional land was deeded in 1933 by Taylor and Francis Martin and in 1967 by Elmer D. Martin. The oldest burials are located in the middle section and marked with tall vertical stones. The oldest documented grave is of William Moses who died in 1878. Many veterans who served in the Civil War, World War I and II, Korea and Vietnam are also buried in the cemetery. Notable veterans include Dr. Simeon Kee, medical corps in Galveston; Reverend Lewis Holcomb, Liken's Texas Cavalry; and Emerson Draper, Company B, 1874th English BN. The cemetery provides a record of the area's pioneer families and is still used by their descendants. Before the annual July meeting, it is a tradition to visit the cemetery onSaturday to make sure the graves are clean and in order, and to place flowers on the gravesites. Family members are dedicated to preserving and maintaining the cultural and historical traditions of the cemetery.