John May Cemetery

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about the John May Cemetery out in Shelby County. Now, there are places in Texas where the ground holds more history than the eye can see. Places where the stories got buried right along with the people.

The John May Cemetery — also known, depending on when you ask, as the May-Hooper Cemetery — is exactly that kind of place. Let's start at the beginning. Pioneers began settling Shelby County around 1836, and among those early arrivals was the John May family.

John himself was born in 1797, and in 1836 he immigrated to Texas, bringing his wife and two sons with him. He put down roots on 605 acres of land near the flat fork branch of the Tenaha Bayou. That is a man who knew where he wanted to be.

And John May was no ordinary settler. He carried the weight of a veteran — a veteran of the War of 1812 — and he had also ridden as a Texas Ranger. When a man like that stakes 605 acres along a bayou and calls it home, you get the sense the land knew better than to argue with him.

He lived out his days there and died around 1870, and he was buried near his first two wives in that family cemetery he'd established on his own land. Now, not far from John May in that same ground rests another remarkable figure: Richard Hooper. Richard was born in 1783 in Virginia.

He immigrated to Texas with his wife and family, and in 1836 he served in the army of the Republic of Texas. But that was only the beginning of what Richard Hooper was going to mean to this part of the world. He went on to represent the county in the very first congress of the Republic of Texas.

He was paid as a surveyor for establishing the line between Shelby County and Panola County. He was elected county surveyor — not once, but twice. Richard Hooper died in 1855 and was laid to rest right here, in the same ground as the May family.

The May House still stands near the cemetery to this day. It's called the Haight House now, but it's still there — still standing watch. And then comes the part of this story that sits heavy.

Between 1960 and 1980, the cemetery was repeatedly vandalized. Tombstones were taken. In 1970, the land was sold to the International Paper Company — without any mention of the cemetery.

Trees grew up inside what had once been a fenced area, and the cemetery slid further and further into disrepair. The graves of a War of 1812 veteran, a Texas Ranger, a Republic of Texas congressman — all of it, slowly disappearing under neglect and overgrowth. For decades, it seemed like the ground might just swallow the whole story whole.

But in 2001, concerned individuals began to step up and preserve what was left. And in 2004, the Hooper-May Preservation Association was formally established to clean up and protect the cemetery. Because the land is the original John May land, it is now called the John May Cemetery — named for the man who first put down roots on those 605 acres along the Tenaha Bayou.

It was designated a Historic Texas Cemetery in 2010. Some stories refuse to stay buried. This cemetery held on just long enough for people to remember why it mattered — and it matters because these are the graves of the settlers who were here in the early days of the Republic of Texas, before Texas was Texas the way we know it.

The next time you pass through Shelby County, know that the ground there has been keeping some very old company.

What the marker says

JOHN MAY CEMETERY John May Cemetery, also known as the May-Hooper Cemetery, holds the graves of the May and Hooper families dating back to the 1850s. Pioneers began to settle Shelby County around 1836, including the John May family. Born in 1797, John immigrated to Texas in 1836 with his wife and two sons. He settled on 605 acres of land near the flat fork branch of the Tenaha Bayou. John May died around 1870 and was buried near his first two wives in their family cemetery. He was a veteran of the War of 1812 and a Texas Ranger. The May House is still standing near the cemetery and is now called the "Haight House." The Richard Hooper family is also buried in this cemetery. Richard was born in 1783 in Virginia and immigrated to Texas with his wife and family. In 1836, he served in the army of the Republic of Texas, then represented the county in the first congress of the republic. Hooper was paid as a surveyor for establishing the line between Shelby county and Panola county and was elected county surveyor twice. He died in 1855 and was buried here. Between 1960 and 1980, the cemetery was repeatedly vandalized and tombstones were taken. The land was then sold to the international paper company in 1970 without mention of the cemetery. Trees grew inside the originally fenced area and the cemetery slid into disrepair until 2001 when concerned individuals began to preserve it. In 2004, the Hooper-May Preservation Association was established to clean up and preserve the cemetery. Since it is on the original John May land, it is now called the John May Cemetery. The cemetery is an important early pioneer site, holding the graves of settlers from the early days of the Republic of Texas. HISTORIC TEXAS CEMETERY - 2010