Forrester Cemetery
Wellman, Terry County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Longtime residents recall the burial of a woman, probably Mrs. W. C. Lusk, on this site in 1922 or 1923. Other burials occurred here as well, in what was then an open field on J. A. Forrester's farm. Forrester and his wife Nealie sold a two-acre plot, which became known as Forrester Cemetery, to the Union Independent School District in 1925. The first recorded burial was that of Edna Mae Edwards, an infant who was born and died on April 23, 1926. The many unmarked and children's graves reflect the harsh conditions of farm life in the early part of the century. The last recorded burial was that of Melvin Hill in 1961. The cemetery is all that remains of the community. (1998)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
On the flat, wind-swept farmland of Terry County, a woman's burial around 1922 in an open field on J. A. Forrester's farm began a small community cemetery. Deeded to the local school district in 1925, it received its first recorded burial the next year—an infant born and died on the same April day. The many unmarked and children's graves speak plainly to the harshness of early farm life on the South Plains, and the cemetery is now all that remains of the vanished community.
Why it matters
This modest burial ground testifies to the fragile, hard-won existence of the pioneer farm families who settled the arid Texas plains.
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Related people
- · J. A. Forrester
- · Nealie Forrester
- · Edna Mae Edwards
Themes & tags
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