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Cottonwood Cemetery Henderson
County Texas
UND OCCURRED
IN 1871, WHEN LANDOWNER SHADRACH GREEN BURIED HIS SON-IN-LAW,
JOSEPH A. P. SMITH, HERE. TEN YEARS LATER, GREEN SOLD HIS LAND
TO ANOTHER SON-IN-LAW, WILLIAM HUGH GRAHAM. A STATE
REPRESENTATIVE IN THE 25TH AND 26TH TEXAS LEGISLATURES,
GRAHAM USED MOST OF THE PROPERTY FOR HIS HOME PLACE AND
FARM, BUT HE CONTINUED TO OFFER THE AREA NEAR SMITH'S GRAVE
AS A BURIAL PLACE FOR THE COMMUNITY, AND IT WAS REFERRED TO
DURING THIS PERIOD OF TIME AS THE GRAHAM CEMETERY. AFTER
GRAHAM'S DEATH IN 1919, HIS WIDOW, LYDIA CANDACE (GREEN), AND
THEIR CHILDREN DONATED THREE ACRES OF HIS LAND TO THE PEOPLE
OF THE COTTONWOOD COMMUNITY FOR USE AS A BURIAL GROUND.
THE COTTONWOOD CEMETERY IS A REFLECTION OF THE HERITAGE OF
THIS PART OF HENDERSON COUNTY. VETERANS OF ARMED CONFLICTS
FROM THE CIVIL WAR TO VIETNAM ARE BURIED HERE, AS ARE EARLY
SETTLERS AND LANDOWNERS, INCLUDING MEMBERS OF THE BENGE,
BREWER, FRAZIER, FOSTER, GREGG, GARRETT, MORTON, ROBERSON,
WILLMON, HENDLEY, ALLISON AND OTHERS.
DESCENDANTS OF THOSE INTERRED HAVE GATHERED ANNUALLY SINCE
THE 1930s FOR A REUNION AND CEMETERY CLEANING, AND IN 1998 THEY
FORMED THE COTTONWOOD CEMETERY ASSOCIATION. IN 1999 THE
TEXAS HISTORICAL COMMISSION DESIGNATED THE GRAVEYARD A HISTORIC TEXAS CEMETERY.
ON JUNE 2, 2001 A TEXAS HISTORICAL MARKER WAS DEDICATED,
MAKING THIS ONE OF A FEW CEMETERIES WITH BOTH DESIGNATIONS.
I HAVE GRANDPARENTS, GREAT GRANDPARENTS AND GREAT GREAT
GRANDPARENTS, UNCLES, AUNTS, GREAT UNCLES AND AUNTS AND
COUSINS IN THIS CEMETERY
AS MANY OTHERS DO IN THE COMMUNITY.Wanda Graham Sheram did the cemetery history.
E mail Lee Roberson
Zlbr02@highstream.net for look ups in the Cemetery.
