Edwards Cemetery
Longview, Upshur County, Texas
Marker Inscription
This site was used as a graveyard for settlers of this area as early as the mid-1850s. The earliest recorded burial here was that of the infant Josephine Rucker in 1855. The cemetery is named for James William Cartwright Edwards (1836-1913), who with his parents John King and Elizabeth Billings Edwards, moved to Texas from Tennessee about 1850. James acquired 1.6 acres, which included this graveyard, for use as a family cemetery in 1912. His daughter, Margie, fenced a part of the cemetery in 1956 and set up a trust fund for its upkeep before her death in 1962.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Settlers began burying their dead on this ground by the mid-1850s, the earliest recorded being the infant Josephine Rucker in 1855. The cemetery took its name from James William Cartwright Edwards, who came to Texas from Tennessee with his parents around 1850 and set aside 1.6 acres as a family burial ground in 1912. His daughter Margie fenced part of it and endowed a trust for its upkeep before her death in 1962.
Why it matters
The Edwards Cemetery marks the arrival of Tennessee families among the first Anglo settlers of this corner of East Texas.
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Related people
- · James William Cartwright Edwards
- · Josephine Rucker
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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