DUANE
Duane's take
The official marker for Shady Grove Cemetery in Lamar County — let me tell you what it says. Now, most cemeteries have a story behind the first grave. This one has a name — well, half a name — and a last wish.
The account goes back to 1844, out on Tollet's Prairie. A youth by the surname of Young had fallen into the company of a Captain Beauchamp when illness came for him. He knew it, too.
Knew exactly what was coming. And in that knowledge, he made one request: lay me to rest in the beautiful grove near the crossing at Brushy Creek. He'd seen the place.
The shade of it must have stayed with him, because he asked for it by description — that beautiful grove. That was where he wanted to be. Now, how do we know any of this?
It comes to us through layers of telling. A local historian named Ed H. McCuistion — born 1867, died 1946 — wrote it up in a 1921 column in The Paris News.
And McCuistion was drawing on an account by a Dr. J.E. Fuller, born 1862, died 1940.
So you've got one man's account passed through another man's column, traveling across time to reach us here on the road. That's how old stories survive: somebody writes it down. The grove itself was already something before it became a cemetery.
Traveling preachers used that shaded spot along Brushy Creek for camp meetings — the kind of outdoor gatherings where the congregation was whoever happened to be within earshot. In 1847, according to McCuistion, a couple named Turner B. and Ann Eliza Edmunson deeded the land for that purpose. Turner B.
Edmunson, born 1800, died 1863. Ann Eliza, born 1813, died 1894. Their 1847 donation covered not just the tract where the cemetery sits, but also the grounds of what would become the Shady Grove Methodist Church — a congregation that grew directly out of those early camp meetings along the creek.
Young's grave is out there somewhere, unmarked, the exact spot lost to time. But other early burials have been recorded. Mary Fincher, buried 1852.
Matthew E.R. Hoover — just three years old — buried 1855. Aaron Fincher in 1857.
Sallie V. Jennings, also 1857. Names and dates preserved, even when the ground itself has gone quiet.
And there's one more thing the marker wants you to know. South of Shady Grove Cemetery, right up against it, lies a separate African American cemetery — also known as Shady Grove. Its earliest inscription dates to 1875.
Two cemeteries, one name, side by side. The marker notes them both, and so do I. A youth named Young, a grove by a creek crossing, a last wish honored in 1844.
Sometimes that's how a place begins.
What the marker says
Shady Grove Cemetery According to an account by Dr. J.E. Fuller (1862-1940), as reported by local historian Ed H. McCuistion (1867-1946) in a 1921 column in The Paris News, the first person buried here was a youth with the surname of Young who became ill and died while in the company of a Captain Beauchamp on Tollet's Prairie in 1844. He knew of his impending death and asked to be laid to rest here in the "beautiful grove near the crossing" at Brushy Creek. This shaded area was used for camp meetings by traveling preachers and, according to McCuistion, was deeded for this purpose by Turner B. (1800-1863) and Ann Eliza (1813-1894) Edmunson in 1847. Although Young's grave is unmarked today, other early burials include those of Mary Fincher (1852), three-year-old Matthew E.R. Hoover (1855), Aaron Fincher (1857) and Sallie V. Jennings (1857). The Edmunson's 1847 donation included the tract on which the cemetery is situated, as well as the grounds of the Shady Grove Methodist Church, which grew from the early camp meetings along the creek. South of and adjacent to Shady Grove Cemetery is an African American cemetery, also known as Shady Grove. Its earliest inscription dates to 1875. Historic Texas Cemetery - 2002