Jones Cemetery

Duane's take

The official marker tells it this way, and I'm just along for the ride. Out here in Cherokee County, there's a piece of ground that holds more than soil. It holds a family.

The Jones Cemetery sits on land that once belonged to John R. Jones and his wife Mary, and the story of how it came to be starts a long way from Texas. Back in 1853, John and Mary Jones packed up their lives and their family and came west from Jackson County, Alabama.

That is not a short journey, and it is not a casual one. You don't load up a family and travel that kind of distance unless you mean it. They meant it.

They arrived, they established a farm, and they built a log cabin. They were putting down roots in every sense of the word. But here is where the story turns quiet.

John Jones died in 1857, just a few years after arriving. And he became the first person interred in what would grow into the family cemetery on that very property. Mary carried on.

She lived through whatever those years asked of her, and when she died in 1864, she was buried right next to her husband. Side by side, the way they came. The property stayed in the Jones family after that, passing down through the generations, one set of hands to the next.

And that cemetery kept growing. Farmers were buried there. Ranchers.

Veterans who had served in the Seminole Wars and veterans who had served in the Civil War. Descendants and relatives, all finding their final rest on the same ground John and Mary had staked their lives on. Today that burial ground still stands, described on the marker as a testament to a pioneering family who played a vital role in this area's development.

Some families leave buildings. Some leave records. The Joneses left a piece of Cherokee County earth that has been telling their story since 1857.

What the marker says

This family cemetery is located on property owned by John R. Jones and his wife Mary. The couple came here with family from Jackson County, Alabama in 1853. They established a farm and built a log cabin. John Jones died in 1857 and was the first person interred here. Mary died in 1864 and was buried next to her husband. The property remained in the Jones family and continued to be passed down through the generations. Others interred here were descendants and relatives, including farmers, ranchers, and veterans of the Seminole Wars and the Civil War. Today, the burial ground remains a testament to a pioneering family who played a vital role in this area's development. Historic Texas Cemetery - 2000