Baker-Lain Cemetery
Cleburne, Johnson County, Texas
Marker Inscription
In the 1850s a little girl, traveling through this area with her family by wagon train, fell ill and died. She is said to be the first person buried here. Records of the New Hope Baptist Church, founded nearby in 1860, suggest that J. L. Baker originally deeded land for this cemetery. Deed records indicate the Lain family later donated additional land. The earliest dated gravestone is that of Hixy Moore (1815-1870). The lives of pioneers, veterans and generations of families from in and around Johnson County are chronicled here; their descendants remain committed to their legacy by caring for the cemetery. Historic Texas Cemetery – 2001
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Tradition holds that a little girl who fell ill and died while traveling by wagon train in the 1850s was the first person buried on this ground. Church records suggest J. L. Baker first deeded land for the cemetery near New Hope Baptist Church, founded nearby in 1860, with the Lain family later adding more; the earliest dated stone belongs to Hixy Moore, who died in 1870. Generations of pioneers, veterans and Johnson County families rest here, tended still by their descendants.
Why it matters
From an anonymous child of the wagon trains to the families who followed, the cemetery chronicles the settlement of frontier Johnson County.
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Related people
- · J. L. Baker
- · Hixy Moore
Themes & tags
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