Mason Cemetery

Duane's take

The way I heard it told, this comes straight from the official marker for Mason Cemetery in Smith County, Texas. Now let me tell it proper. Out in the rolling land that would one day be Smith County, a burial ground took root in 1855.

They called it the Mason graveyard back then, and it sat at the heart of a rural community known as Canton. That community would go through a couple of name changes over the years, first to Omen and then to Arp, but the cemetery, it held its ground. Two of the early pioneers who shaped this place were Andrew Mason, born in 1807, and Phillip Wesley Horton, born in 1829.

Both men had settled into the Canton area in the late 1840s, planting families and futures in that red East Texas soil. Now the first soul to be laid to rest there as an adult was John Williams, born in 1811, who died in 1855. That's a notable detail, because John Williams was the father of Nancy Williams, born in 1835.

And Nancy would go on to marry Andrew Mason's son, Owen Mason, born in 1840, in the year 1857. Owen himself would pass in 1884. Nancy, though, she lived on until 1919, and family lore says she had a generous spirit to match her long years.

According to those family stories, Nancy would often offer the burial ground to people who passed away while traveling through the area. No headstones mark those interments, but the gesture itself has been carried down through the telling. Phillip Wesley Horton's story winds right alongside the Masons'.

He was the son of Jefferson Horton, born in 1803, who died in 1884. Phillip himself settled near the Mason family in 1849, and in 1850 he married Andrew Mason's daughter Nancy, born in 1833, who would live until 1902. Their daughter, Malissa Ann Horton, born in 1854, died in 1855, and holds the somber distinction of being the first documented burial of a child at the cemetery.

Phillip went on to become a member of Canton Lodge number 98, served as a Civil War veteran, and earned the distinction of Royal Arch Mason. The Civil War left its mark on this ground in more ways than one. Many veterans from that conflict are buried at Mason Cemetery, and the marker makes a point of saying those burials signify something real: pride and community.

You can also find tombstones reflecting membership in the Woodmen of the World, the Masons, and the Order of the Eastern Star, those fraternal bonds that held rural Texas towns together when not much else did. Among the other notable names resting here: Hugh Anderson, born in 1912 and died in 1980, who served as County Commissioner. Moses Pace, born in 1828 and died in 1913, who was a five-time County Surveyor, which tells you something about the kind of trust a man can build over a lifetime.

And Texas Ranger Robert M. Arnold, known as Red, born in 1915, died in 1979. As early as 1896, cemetery trustees contracted with Andrew J.

Mason to maintain the grounds. That decision set the tone for everything that followed, a commitment to preserve the heritage of the early area settlers, farmers, business owners, educators, and citizens buried there. Many Mason descendants, family and friends rest in this ground.

Many Horton descendants and family members too. Generation after generation, going back to 1855, when a graveyard at the edge of a little community called Canton first opened its gates and said: this place is for keeping.

What the marker says

This historic burial ground was established in 1855 and was first known as the Mason graveyard, part of the rural community know as Canton (later called Omen and then Arp). Two of the early pioneers were Andrew Mason (1807-1862) and Phillip Wesley Horton (1829-1914) who both settled in the Canton area in the late 1840s. Andrew's son, Owen Mason (1840-1884), married Nancy Williams (1835-1919) in 1857. Nancy's father, John Williams (1811-1855), was the first adult to be buried in Mason Cemetery. According to family lore, Nancy would often offer the burial ground for people who passed away while traveling through the area, although no headstones mark such interments. Many Mason descendants, family and friends are buried here. Phillip Horton, son of Jefferson Horton (1803-1884), settled near the Mason family in 1849. He married Andrew Mason's daughter Nancy (1833-1902), in 1850. Their daughter, Malissa Ann Horton (1854-1855), was the first documented burial of a child at the cemetery. Phillip was a member of Canton Lodge #98, a Civil War veteran and a Royal Arch Mason. Many Horton descendants and family members are buried here. Other notable burials include County Commissioner Hugh Anderson (1912-1980), five-time County Surveyor Moses Pace (1828-1913) and Texas Ranger Robert M. "Red" Arnold (1915-1979). Many veterans dating from the Civil War are buried at Mason Cemetery, signifying the importance of pride and community. Similarly, there are several tombstones reflecting associations with the Woodman of the World, Masons, and Order of the Eastern Star. As early as 1896, cemetery trustees contracted with Andrew J. Mason to maintain the grounds and preserve the heritage of early area settlers, farmers, business owners, educators, and citizens. Historic Texas Cemetery - 2019