Franklin Cemetery
Franklin, Robertson County, Texas
Marker Inscription
The community of Franklin was originally established in 1872, and named Morgan for an official of the International Railway Company. By 1879 the town had 200 residents. When the community applied for its post office, another Texas post office was named Morgan, so residents changed the name to Franklin after the name of the original county seat. A five-acre plot of land for a graveyard was deeded to Robertson County in 1880 as part of an incentive to persuade officials to locate the county courthouse in Franklin. However, six tombstones on this site predate its official designation as a graveyard. The first recorded burial is that of Elizabeth Calvert in 1869. Among the more than 1,300 graves are members of fraternal organizations, and veterans of the Civil War, Spanish American War, World War I, World War II, Korea, and Vietnam. C. N. Brignance, veteran of the War of 1812, also is buried here. Interments also include those of former city and county officials, state legislators, E. A. Decherd and J. L. Goodman, and four local musicians who achieved national fame. The Franklin Cemetery continues to serve the citizens of Franklin and Robertson counties as it has for more than 100 years. (1997)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
The town began in 1872 as Morgan, named for a railway official, but a naming conflict soon led residents to adopt 'Franklin' instead. Robertson County was deeded five acres here in 1880 as an inducement to bring the courthouse to town, though burials had already begun — the earliest recorded is Elizabeth Calvert in 1869. Among more than 1,300 graves rest a War of 1812 veteran, officials, legislators, and soldiers from every American war through Vietnam.
Why it matters
A single cemetery spanning veterans from the War of 1812 to Vietnam is a compact chronicle of the wars ordinary American communities have sent their sons to fight.
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Related people
- · Elizabeth Calvert
- · C. N. Brignance
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
Franklin
Franklin, TX
Founded in 1872 along the International Railway right-of-way, this town was first called Morgan for a railroad official and quickly gained a depot and stores. By 1879 it had drawn the county seat away from Calvert, and when its post-office name conflicted with another Morgan, it was renamed Franklin. A stone courthouse rose in 1882, and hotels, churches, banks, mineral springs, and a Carnegie library soon made it a thriving county town.
Robertson County Courthouse
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This white limestone courthouse, raised in 1882 for $30,000, was the fourth to serve Robertson County — and it stood in a town that owed both its location and its name to the railroad. When the county seat moved to the International & Great Northern line in 1879, the new town of Morgan had to be renamed Franklin to avoid duplicating an existing Texas post office. Architect F. E. Ruffini drew the plans that same era.
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Site of Owensville
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