Democrat Cemetery
Goldthwaite vicinity, Mills County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Although settlement of this area dates to 1878, this graveyard was not established until the turn of the 20th century. The earliest documented grave is that of one-year-old Lee Ella Deen, daughter of W. F. and M. L. Deen, who died in November 1904. In February 1905, J. L. Chancellor deeded the surrounding three acres of land to the citizens of the Democrat and Rock Springs communities for use as a public burial ground. Among the early graves in the cemetery are those of a number of infants and children, victims of the influenza epidemic that raged worldwide in the early 20th century, and veterans of the Civil War, World War I and World War II. A reflection of area history, the cemetery remained in use at the turn of the 21st century. (2000)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Though families settled this Mills County area in 1878, the Democrat community's graveyard began only at the turn of the 20th century, its earliest documented grave a one-year-old girl who died in 1904. In 1905 J. L. Chancellor deeded three acres to the Democrat and Rock Springs communities for a public burial ground. Among its graves are children lost to the worldwide influenza epidemic and veterans of the Civil War, World War I, and World War II.
Why it matters
A quiet country cemetery becomes a chronicle of rural life — settlement, epidemic loss, and generations of military service — still in use a century on.
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Related events
- · 1918 influenza epidemic
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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