Fawil Sam Herrin Cemetery
Newton, Newton County, Texas
Marker Inscription
The Fawil Community, which once had three churches, a school, a plywood mill and a store, also includes three family cemeteries along the main road. Sam and Mary (Cochran) Herrin Homesteaded on 106 acres and had 11 children survive to adulthood. They set aside one acre for a family burial ground, where their granddaughter Alice Dougharty (d. 1911) and daughter Inez Lenderman (d. 1912) are the earliest burials. Many veterans are buried here from the Civil War, World War I, World War II, Korea and other military service. The cemetery occupies one-third of the original acre designated for burial purposes. Most of the dozens of burials here are descendants of Sam and Mary Herrin, a pioneer family whose impact can still be seen on the landscape.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Sam and Mary Herrin homesteaded 106 acres in the Fawil community of the East Texas piney woods, raising eleven children to adulthood and setting aside an acre for a family burial ground. The earliest graves, from 1911 and 1912, belong to a granddaughter and a daughter, and most of the dozens interred here descend from that pioneer couple. The surrounding community once supported three churches, a school, a plywood mill, and a store.
Why it matters
This family cemetery preserves the imprint of the homesteading families who built and sustained rural East Texas, and honors their kin who served in wars from the Civil War through Korea.
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Related people
- Β· Sam Herrin
- Β· Mary (Cochran) Herrin
Themes & tags
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