DUANE
The story
A native of North Carolina, John Hendrix (1798-1893) came to Texas in 1846 with his wife, Ruth (Strader) (1804-1882), their children, and seven other families. Their first camp in the area is marked by a large boulder in this cemetery. Hendrix ran successful farming and nursery operations and became a prominent and influential citizen of Grayson County.
Shortly after his arrival, Hendrix established this cemetery. Located on land he acquired after his settlement here, the one-acre burial ground eventually was deeded to Grayson County. The first known burial, that of the infant son of M. and D.
Perdue, took place in 1848. John and Ruth Hendrix are buried here, as is their son Josiah Tompkins and daughter Nancy Hendricks Jennings. There are approximately forty-five marked graves in the Hendrix Cemetery.
Many date from the last half of the nineteenth century and some display illegible inscriptions. An unmarked section in the northwest corner of the graveyard was reserved for slave burials. Used for more than one hundred years by Hendrix family relatives and descendants, close friends, and associates, the cemetery is a significant reminder of early Grayson County history.