McAdams Cemetery

Duane's take

Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'll do my best to do it justice. John McAdams came into this world in 1815, and by the time he was done, he had put a permanent mark on what we now call Walker County, Texas. He was a veteran of the Texas Revolution, which tells you something right there about the kind of man we're dealing with.

Around 1840, he and his wife, Hester, born Hester White, made their way to this part of the country and set down roots. Deep roots. McAdams became a rancher, a planter, and a land speculator, and on top of all that, he owned and operated a family cotton gin and a sawmill.

The community that grew up around his landholdings took on his name. McAdams. Just McAdams.

The land spoke for the man. Now here is where the story takes a turn toward the solemn. The cemetery at this very site was established in 1849, and the first burial here was Hester McAdams herself.

The wife who had made that journey with him around 1840, gone by 1849. The ground that would become this cemetery received her first. The second burial came soon thereafter, and that was Polly McAdams Price, John McAdams' sister.

Two women, close to him in different ways, consecrating this ground before almost anyone else. John McAdams himself would eventually be laid to rest here too, alongside his second wife, Mary Frances, born Bankhead, who passed in 1905. And many friends, relatives, and neighbors of the family found their final place here as well.

There is one more thing the marker makes plain, and it deserves to be said plainly. McAdams set aside a special section of this cemetery for the burial of his slaves. That land holds those lives, and this cemetery holds that history.

When McAdams died in 1892, five acres of his estate were formally reserved for the cemetery. Over time, additional gifts of land brought the total to nearly thirteen acres. Since 1937, the McAdams Cemetery Association has maintained the graves.

Nearly two centuries of Walker County life, resting in thirteen acres of ground. The marker calls it a reminder of the contributions of an early Walker County family, and standing here, it is hard to argue otherwise.

What the marker says

John McAdams (1815-1892), a veteran of the Texas Revolution, came to what is now Walker County with his wife, Hester (White), about 1840. McAdams became a rancher, planter, and land speculator and later owned and operated a family cotton gin and sawmill. The community that grew up around his landholdings was named McAdams. The cemetery at this site was established in 1849 with the burial of Hester McAdams. The second burial, which took place soon thereafter, was that of John McAdams' sister, Polly McAdams Price. Others interred here include John McAdams; his second wife, Mary Frances (Bankhead) (d. 1905); and many friends, relatives, and neighbors of the family. In addition, McAdams set aside a special section for the burial of his slaves. Upon McAdams' death in 1892, five acres of his estate were reserved for the cemetery. Additional gifts of land have increased the acreage to nearly thirteen acres. Since 1937, the graves have been maintained by the McAdams Cemetery Association. This historic cemetery stands as a reminder of the contributions of an early Walker County family.