Bell-Fountain Cemetery
DeBerry, Panola County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Served by the early Kinlock post office, this farming region was settled by pioneer families who shared this community cemetery. The earliest marked grave is that of Beulah P. Hough (1839-1850). Several Confederate veterans are also buried here. Z.T.P. Hill deeded the five-acre burial ground to Bell-Fountain Baptist Church, founded before the Civil War (1861-1865). When the church building burned in 1880, the congregation was disbanded. Descendants of early settlers fenced the plot and erected a tabernacle where the original church stood. (1978) SUPPLEMENTAL PLATE: The earliest identified grave in Bell Fountain Cemetery is that of John P. Hill (April 13, 1845 - August 7, 1865).
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
This East Texas farming community grew up around the early Kinlock post office, its settlers sharing a five-acre burial ground deeded to the Bell-Fountain Baptist Church, founded before the Civil War. The earliest marked grave, a child who died in 1850, and the several Confederate veterans laid to rest here mark the sweep of pioneer life through the war years. After the church burned in 1880 and the congregation dispersed, descendants preserved the site, fencing the plot and raising a tabernacle where the church once stood.
Why it matters
Rural church cemeteries like this one are the enduring record of the pioneer families who settled the antebellum Texas frontier and held their communities together across generations.
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Related people
- · Z.T.P. Hill
Themes & tags
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