Teague Cemetery

Duane's take

Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'll pass it along just as faithful as I can. Out here in Wise County, there's a piece of ground that carries a man's name, and that man, John Teague, earned it the long way. He came up through the War with Mexico, 1846 to 1848, and when that was done, he didn't exactly settle into quiet living.

He packed up his family in Missouri, and in 1858, they made their way out to this land and put down roots. Then the Civil War came along, and Teague found himself serving on the frontier all over again. The man had a talent for showing up when history was in a difficult mood.

Now, who was the first soul laid to rest in this cemetery? Well, the marker hedges just a little; it says it was possibly Teague's mother, or possibly a son. The ground kept that secret.

What the ground did not keep secret is the earliest gravestone that still carries an inscription, and that one belongs to the Reverend Jacob Moffett. Reverend Moffett was killed by Indians on September the fifth, 1865. That's a hard fact carved in stone, and it deserves a moment of quiet before we move on.

The cemetery grew in the years that followed: about thirty graves in all, though only twelve of them have inscribed tombstones. The rest stand unnamed, or unmarked, or both. Thirty souls, twelve voices left to speak.

Then in 1885, John Teague himself pulled up stakes and moved on to Foard County. And with him gone, the cemetery went quiet in a different way; other burial plots had opened up in the area, and this one was no longer used. A veteran of two conflicts, a settler of hard land, and a cemetery that still carries his name long after he left it behind.

Some legacies you build. Some you just leave in the ground.

What the marker says

Named for John Teague, a veteran of the War with Mexico (1846-48), who came from Missouri with his family in 1858 and settled this land. Teague also served on the frontier during the Civil War. Teague’s mother, or a son, was possibly the first burial here. The earliest gravestone is that of the Rev. Jacob Moffett, who was killed by Indians on Sept. 5, 1865. The cemetery contains about 30 graves, of which only 12 have inscribed tombstones. In 1885, Teague moved to Foard County, and the cemetery was no longer used, as other burial plots were opened in the area. (1974)