Earle's Chapel Cemetery

Duane's take

The way I tell it, I'm drawing straight from the official marker — so let's let the record speak. Now here's a man who knew exactly where he was going. Elijah Earle — born in 1804 — looked out over his land sometime in 1858 and said, this is the place.

Not just for a graveyard, mind you. For his graveyard. He walked right up to a tree and carved his own initials into the bark, staking his claim on eternity before he'd drawn his last breath.

That's a certain kind of confidence you don't see every day. Elijah and his second wife, Mary Elizabeth Jarratt Tatum — born in 1824, and she'd outlive him by a good stretch, passing in 1904 — together they set aside that original four acres in 1858. And when Elijah finally did take his leave from this world, he was buried here on New Year's Day, 1881.

First day of a brand new year. His is the earliest documented grave in the whole cemetery. The man picked his spot, marked his tree, and showed up right on schedule.

But Earle's Chapel Cemetery never was just about one family. Tucked into those grounds is W. J.

Ragsdale, born 1811, died 1884, a veteran of the Texas War for Independence. Alongside him lie veterans of the Civil War, World War I, and World War II — generations of men and women who answered when called. Area pioneers are buried there too, and their descendants, and their descendants' descendants, layers of Cherokee County history pressed into that soil like rings in a live oak.

In 1889 — the same year T. J. Skelton and Robert Tatum raised the Earle's Chapel Methodist Church building — Elijah's son Lon Earle donated two more acres to expand the grounds.

The community was growing, and the cemetery grew with it. Then 1918 arrived, and with it the influenza epidemic. A number of its victims are buried right there.

No drama needed on that point — the plain fact carries all the weight it needs to. Three more acres were added in 1972, bringing the full story of this place right up into living memory. And since 1966, the Earle's Chapel Cemetery Association has been tending it all — maintaining, beautifying, and keeping the promise of the community to its own past and future.

Elijah Earle carved his initials in a tree in 1858. More than a century and a half later, people are still keeping the grounds. Seems like he picked a pretty good spot after all.

What the marker says

Elijah Earle (1804-1880) and his second wife, Mary Elizabeth Jarratt Tatum (1824-1904), set aside land for this graveyard in 1858. Elijah selected his own burial site at the time, marking it by carving his initials on a tree trunk. He was buried here on New Year's Day 1881. His is the earliest documented grave in the cemetery. W. J. Ragsdale (1811-1884), a veteran of the Texas War for Independence, is buried here, as are veterans of the Civil War, World War I and World War II. Other graves include those of area pioneers and several generations of their descendants; T. J. Skelton and Robert Tatum, who built the Earle's Chapel Methodist Church building in 1889; and a number of victims of the 1918 influenza epidemic. The original four-acre plot was enlarged in 1889 when Elijah's son, Lon Earle, donated an additional two acres of land. Three more acres were added in 1972. The Earle's Chapel Cemetery Association, founded in 1966, maintains, beautifies and promotes the cemetery in honor of past, present and future citizens of the community. As part of Cherokee County's cultural heritage, the Earle's Chapel Cemetery stands as a testament to the area's early pioneer heritage.