Beck's Chapel Cemetery
Athens, Henderson County, Texas
Marker Inscription
As the final resting place for many of the area’s nineteenth century pioneers, the Beck’s Chapel Cemetery was established near Beck’s Chapel and Beck’s Chapel School, deeded from Stonewall Riddlesperger in 1901. The first recorded burial in the cemetery is that of Nancy Jane (Sherwood) Ward (1848-1900), the first wife of pioneer James “John Henry” Ward (1847-1941). Many of John Henry’s descendants are also buried here. The first son of 1850s pioneer William H. Beck, Robert Lee Beck (1867-1925), and his wife, Josephine (Anding) Beck (1865-1935), are buried here. Robert Beck and the Beck family were farmers in the area and supported the Beck’s Chapel for the community as well as education. A frame schoolhouse existed on the property until 1946. Robert went on to serve as justice of the peace for five terms between 1909 and 1924 and was involved in education as a school trustee. Another pioneer family buried here is the Anding family. Bud David “Buddie” Anding (1887-1946), a school trustee and school board member, and his wife, Lillie (Mills) Anding (1883-1956), are buried here along with family. In addition to pioneer families and civic leaders, there are also veteran burials and woodmen of the world burials and markers. The Beck’s Chapel Cemetery Association formed in 1997 to care for the Cemetery. Situated among the crepe myrtle trees and a large magnolia tree, this historic cemetery is a reminder of the pioneer families of Henderson County and their descendants, citizens dedicated to their families and community. Historic Texas Cemetery – 2016
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Deeded from Stonewall Riddlesperger in 1901, Beck's Chapel Cemetery became the resting place of many of Henderson County's 19th-century pioneers, its earliest recorded burial dating to 1900. Interred here are members of the founding Ward, Beck and Anding families—farmers, justices of the peace and school trustees who supported the neighboring chapel and schoolhouse. A cemetery association formed in 1997 to care for the grounds, shaded by crepe myrtles and a great magnolia.
Why it matters
The cemetery preserves the memory of the pioneer families and civic leaders who built and sustained a rural East Texas community.
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Related people
- · Robert Lee Beck
- · John Henry Ward
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
Willow Springs Cemetery
Athens, TX
Probably named for a nearby spring, this cemetery has served southern Henderson County since 1870, when John and Mary Hand conveyed land that also held Willow Springs Church and a school. Its earliest known grave belongs to Amanda Pace, who died in 1873, and among those interred are community leaders, officials, farmers, and veterans reaching back to the Civil War. Curbing, Woodmen of the World monuments, and many unmarked graves dot the grounds.
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Around 1860 David Thompson settled this stretch of Henderson County and put Wildcat Creek to work, running a grist mill and cotton gin that anchored a small community sometimes called Thompson's Mill. His sons later gave land for a Union Church and school, and by 1885 neighbors were burying their dead on the adjoining ground. The church, school and post office faded near the turn of the century, but the cemetery endured, kept up by a local association long after the mill community itself disappeared.
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