Tidmore Cemetery

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about Tidmore Cemetery, out in Van Zandt County. Pull over if you can, because this one's got layers. It starts, as so many Texas stories do, with a man arriving before much of anything else was there.

Pioneer L. H. Hobbs came to this area in about 1850, and by the sound of it, he didn't just settle down quietly.

He was instrumental in establishing the whole community. The man owned 320 acres, and this very ground was part of it. Now, the first thing that happened on that land, as far as anyone has documented, wasn't a church raising or a harvest celebration.

It was a burial. The King family lost their two-year-old daughter, and Hobbs allowed them to lay her here. That's how this ground became a burial place.

Quietly, with grief, the way so many things begin that last a long, long time. The oldest documented grave belongs to Robert A. Youngblood, who died in 1863.

Two years later, in 1865, a man named Levin Collins purchased that same 320 acres. And then, the very following year, Collins lost his son-in-law. John Tidmore died from lingering maladies incurred during the Civil War.

That phrase, lingering maladies incurred during the Civil War, carries a weight all its own. The war had a way of following men home. John Tidmore's widow was Martha Elizabeth, daughter of Levin Collins himself.

She gathered up her four children and moved back in with her parents and siblings. And then in 1872, Martha Elizabeth did something that tells you something about her character. She bought the eastern half of her parents' land, the half that included this cemetery, and made it hers.

She died later that same year. And she was interred here, with her family around her. From that point on, the graveyard became known by the Tidmore name.

The three surviving Tidmore children grew up, married, and their families settled on adjoining lands right near the cemetery. George W. Tidmore and his children operated a cotton gin.

Generation after generation, the Tidmore family became well-known members of the community, and in turn, they were buried here. But don't forget L. H.

Hobbs, the man who started it all. He and his descendants remained prominent in the community too. Two miles north of this cemetery, both Hobbs School and Hobbs Missionary Baptist Church stood as examples of that family's lasting influence.

Over time, the land here was formally deeded as a cemetery. And in 1933, a Hobbs descendant sold three more acres to the Tidmore Cemetery Association, for the price of one dollar. Resting here today are twelve veterans of the Army of the Confederacy, and many veterans of World War I and World War II.

Men who came home, and men who didn't, in the ways that matter. The cemetery still serves descendants of those pioneer families, and other members of the community besides. Two names, Hobbs and Tidmore, planted roots in this corner of Van Zandt County around 1850.

And this ground has been holding them ever since. This marker was researched by William K. Tidmore, and it shows.

What the marker says

Pioneer L. H. Hobbs arrived in this area in about 1850 and was instrumental in the establishment of the community. He owned 320 acres of land, including this site. Hobbs allowed the King family to bury their two-year-old daughter here, marking the first known use of the burial ground. The oldest documented grave is that of Robert A. Youngblood (d. 1863). Levin Collins purchased this 320 acres in 1865. The following year his son-in-law, John Tidmore, died from lingering maladies incurred during the Civil War. John Tidmore's widow, Martha Elizabeth (daughter of Levin Collins) and her four children moved in with her parents and siblings, and in 1872 she bought the eastern half of her parents' land, including the cemetery. She died later that year, and was interred here with her family; the graveyard became known by the Tidmore family name. The three surviving Tidmore children and their spouses later lived on adjoining lands near the cemetery. George W. Tidmore and his children operated a cotton gin. Various Tidmore family members became well-known members of the community, and were buried here in turn. L. H. Hobbs and his descendants continued to be prominent in the community, as well. Hobbs school and Hobbs Missionary Baptist Church, both located about two miles north of the cemetery, were examples of their influence. The land on this site eventually was deeded as a cemetery. In 1933 a Hobbs descendant sold three more acres for one dollar to the Tidmore Cemetery Association. There are twelve veterans of the army of the Confederacy interred here, and many veterans of World War I and World War II. The cemetery continues to serve descendants of pioneer families and other community members. (2000) Incise on base: William K. Tidmore, Researcher