Libby Community Cemetery

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker says about Libby Community Cemetery in Nacogdoches County. Now settle in, because this little patch of East Texas ground has been keepin' secrets since before it even had a proper name. The community goes back to the early 19th century, when it was known as Miller's Mill.

That name held for a good long while. Then, in 1898, a post office arrived, and with it came a new name: Libby. Chosen for the postmaster's daughter.

Just like that, a place gets a new identity, tied to a young girl whose father happened to be the one stamping the mail. The same year that post office opened, 1898, the cemetery received its first burial. An infant named Bessie Patterson.

That is not a triumphant beginning. That is the kind of loss that reminds you how hard the early days truly were. The first marked grave came two years later, in 1900, and from there the record grew, one stone at a time.

Among those resting here is a man whose story covers a remarkable amount of ground. Thomas Farrell was born in Ireland in 1845. He made his way to America and was enlisted in the Vermont Infantry of the Union Army, serving from 1862 to 1863.

Then, years later, this Union Army veteran from Ireland packed up and headed south, arriving in Texas in 1877. That same year he married Elizabeth Mary Lewis. They would go on to have eleven children together.

Elizabeth and five of those children are also buried here, making this ground something close to a family chapter in its own right. Around 1918, the families of those interred here began organized maintenance of the cemetery, tending to their people across the generations. The marker calls it a record of Libby pioneers, and that's exactly right.

From Miller's Mill to Libby, from an infant's grave in 1898 to a soldier born in Ireland and laid to rest in East Texas, this cemetery holds the whole story. All you have to do is know where to look.

What the marker says

Once named Miller's Mill, the community served by this cemetery was settled in the early 19th century. When a post office was established in 1898, the name Libby was chosen for the postmaster's daughter. The first burial on this site is believed to have taken place in 1898 when infant Bessie Patterson died. The first marked grave is dated 1900. Also buried here is Civil War veteran Thomas Farrell. Born in Ireland in 1845, Farrell was enlisted in the Vermont Infantry of the Union Army from 1862-1863. He moved to Texas in 1877, marrying Elizabeth Mary Lewis in that year. Elizabeth and five of their eleven children also are interred here. Families of those buried on this site began organized maintenance in about 1918. The cemetery remains a record of Libby pioneers. (1999)