Alief Cemetery
Houston, Harris County, Texas
Marker Inscription
The first permanent settlers in this area were Dr. John Magee and his wife, Alief, who came from Ellis County in 1896. The community originally was known as Dairy, but was renamed in 1897 for Mrs. Magee, the town's first postmistress. By 1899, there was a small but growing community here, with most families involved in ranching and farming. In 1900, the need for a cemetery became evident, and this property was deeded for use as a graveyard by Francis I. Meston to Dr. John Magee, Newton Gentry, and Hardy Price. Many of the early settlers are buried here, including Alief Magee (1851-1899) and cotton farmer John D. Cook (`1867-1954). About one-half of the approximately 100 graves are those of babies, pointing to the hardships resulting from childbirth and infant diseases. The 1900 hurricane caused much property damage in Alief, and many families became discouraged and left the community. Most of them later returned to help fight the problem of area flooding, including organization of the first Harris County Flood Control District. Although little evidence of the original community remains, the Alief Cemetery stands as a reminder of its pioneer heritage. The graves are maintained by the Alief Cemetery Historical Association. (1984) Historic Texas Cemetery medallion (2009).
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
The first permanent settlers here were Dr. John Magee and his wife Alief, who arrived in 1896; the community, briefly called Dairy, was renamed in 1897 for Alief Magee, its first postmistress. When the need for a burial ground arose in 1900, this property was deeded for a cemetery, and many of the pioneer settlers — including Alief herself — were laid to rest here. Roughly half the graves are those of infants, a stark record of the hardships of childbirth and disease on the early prairie, while the 1900 hurricane scattered many discouraged families before some returned to fight the area's floods.
Why it matters
Named for a pioneering postmistress, the cemetery preserves the frontier origins of a Texas farming community and, in its many infant graves, the human cost of settling it.
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Related people
- · Alief Magee
- · Dr. John Magee
Themes & tags
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