Poynor Cemetery

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about Poynor Cemetery, out there in Henderson County, Texas. Now settle in, because this one starts before the cemetery even existed, and that's the only way to tell it right. Way out in the southeast corner of Henderson County, there's a valley carved by Caddo Creek.

Poynor sits up on the high ground overlooking that valley, and it grew up along the Texas and New Orleans Railroad starting in 1901. But here's the thing most folks passing through don't know: the town wasn't always called Poynor. Originally, it went by the name David.

Named in honor of one David Marion Dickerson, born 1822, died 1902, a farmer, a veteran, and a city official who moved to this area following the Civil War. David and his wife Martha are buried together in a nearby cemetery, and I'll note that Martha passed before the community cemetery at the center of this story was ever established. That detail matters in a moment.

Now, it's 1906, and David Dickerson's third son, James L. Dickerson, born 1864, enters the story alongside his wife, Ida Eugene Taylor Dickerson, born 1877. Together, James and Ida donated one acre of land for a community cemetery.

That single acre was the beginning of what we now call Poynor Cemetery. Ida herself passed in 1908, and James in 1928, and both are part of the community they helped shape. Here's a quiet kind of foreshadowing the land itself carried: by the time James and Ida made that donation in 1906, three people had already been laid to rest on that very property.

Mrs. E.G. Baskin in 1905.

William H. Raley in 1906. And Carl M.

Huston, also in 1906. The cemetery, in a sense, had already begun before it was officially a cemetery. The ground had already accepted its first neighbors.

Over the years, that one donated acre grew. The second acre was sold to the Poynor Cemetery by the children of J.L. Dickerson in 1954.

The third acre came by donation in 1986. The cemetery expanded the way communities do, through generosity and through time. If you walk through today, you'll pass under a wrought iron arched gateway on the northeast side and move through a natural landscape.

The stone and zinc grave markers tell you who rests there: farmers and politicians, businessmen and teachers, and their families. Veterans of the Civil War, the Spanish-American War, World War I, World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. Generations of service, all gathered in one quiet place overlooking Caddo Creek.

The Poynor Cemetery Association remains active, keeps the grounds, and holds the memory. Because this cemetery isn't just a burial ground. It is the record of the early pioneers who worked hard to make this community what it is today.

And somewhere in a nearby cemetery, old David Marion Dickerson, the man the town was once named for, rests with his wife Martha. He never saw this cemetery. But without his family, there might not have been one.

What the marker says

Poynor overlooks the valley of Caddo Creek in the southeast corner of Henderson County, and was established along the Texas and New Orleans Railroad in 1901. Originally, Poynor was known as “David” in honor of David Marion Dickerson (1822-1902), a farmer, veteran, and city official who moved to this area following the civil war. David and his wife, Martha, who passed before the establishment of the cemetery, are buried in a nearby cemetery. Poynor Cemetery began in 1906 when David M. Dickerson’s third son, James L. Dickerson (1864-1928) and his wife, Ida Eugene (Taylor) Dickerson (1877-1908), donated one acre of land for a community cemetery. Through the years, the cemetery expanded through land purchases and gifts. The second acre was sold to the poynor cemetery by the children of J.L. Dickerson in 1954 and the third acre was donated in 1986. By 1906, three people had already been buried on the property: Mrs. E.G. Baskin in 1905, William H. Raley in 1906, and Carl M. Huston in 1906. Cemetery features include a wrought iron arched gateway on the northeast side and a natural landscape. This cemetery serves as the final resting place for veterans of the Civil War, Spanish-American War, World War I, World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. The stone and zinc grave markers identify the burials of farmers, politicians, businessmen, teachers, and their families. The Poynor Cemetery association remains active in the community and continues to maintain the cemetery that serves as a historical location for many of the early pioneers in the area who worked hard to make the community what it is today.