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Conner Cemetery

Corsicana, Navarro County, Texas

Marker Inscription

Thomas Conner and his family left Illinois and settled in this area in 1856. His son, Edward P., purchased 164 acres here in 1873. Though the first recorded burial was that of Minnie L. Conner in 1882, family tradition indicates the cemetery contains earlier interments. The cemetery was legally set aside by Edward Conner in 1882. It has primarily served the extended Conner family and contains the burials of at least four veterans of the War Between the States. The cemetery continues to serve the community and is maintained by Conner family descendants.

Erected by Texas Historical Commission

The Story

Thomas Conner brought his family from Illinois to this part of Navarro County in 1856, and his son Edward bought 164 acres here in 1873. Family tradition holds that burials predate the first recorded interment of 1882, the year Edward formally set the cemetery aside. It has chiefly served the extended Conner family and holds the graves of at least four Confederate veterans, cared for today by the family's descendants.

Why it matters

A living family burial ground, it records the migration of Midwestern settlers into Texas and the Civil War generation among them.

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Related people

  • · Thomas Conner
  • · Edward P. Conner

Themes & tags

Westward ExpansionCivil WarFrontier HistoryMemorial

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