Wimberly Cemetery

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker says about Wimberly Cemetery, out there in Shelby County. Now, every good cemetery has a story, and this one starts before it was even a cemetery. The land around here once answered to not one old community name, but two.

First there was a place called Terrapin Neck. Then, after the Civil War, a man named William A. Paul opened a store near here, and that store gave rise to a community called Paul's Store.

Communities come and go, but what tends to outlast them is the ground where folks are laid to rest. And that's exactly what happened here. The cemetery itself was established upon the death of a woman named Clarinda Wimberly, born a Jones, who was buried at this site in 1870.

Her husband, Watford Wimberly, buried her right there on their homestead. Now think on that for a moment. A man buries his wife on his own land, and in doing so, starts something that will outlast them both.

Watford himself died in 1886 and was buried at the same site. After that, his son sold the property, but held something back. In 1891, he reserved one acre, setting it aside as a community cemetery.

One acre to hold the memory of a community. But it didn't stop there. The Parker and Strickland families each sold additional property to the cemetery over time, and the site now encompasses five point seven acres.

A committee organized in 1973 to oversee the place, and it has kept on serving as a record of the area's early settlers ever since. From Terrapin Neck to Paul's Store to a five-acre testament to the people who put down roots here, it all began with Watford Wimberly honoring his wife on a piece of East Texas ground.

What the marker says

This cemetery originally served the early community of Paul's store. William A. Paul opened a store near here after the Civil War. A previous community was named Terrapin Neck. The cemetery was established upon the death of Clarinda (Jones) Wimberly, who was buried at the site in 1870. Her husband, Watford Wimberly buried her on their homestead; after Watford's 1886 death and burial at the site, his son sold the property in 1891, reserving one acre as a community cemetery. The parker and strickland families each sold additional property to the cemetery and the site now encompasses 5.7 acres. A committee organized in 1973 to oversee the cemetery, which serves as a record of the area's early settlers.