Graves Cemetery
Waxahachie, Ellis County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Robert Russell Graves (1814-1897) came from Alabama to Texas in 1838 with his wife Esther (Hinkle) Graves (1815-1865), their children, and her father Joseph Hinkle (1771-1859). They came to Ellis County in 1857 and settled on 510 acres purchased from Thomas C. Marchbanks. The first marked grave on this site is that of Joseph Hinkle, who was interred here in 1859. Robert and Esther's son C. R. Graves (1857-1938) and his wife Emma Callie Graves (1857-1927) deeded 1.06 acres including Joseph's grave for a family burial ground in 1895. Many early pioneer families of the area near the Rockett community are represented here. Graves Cemetery continues as a chronicle of the pioneer days of Ellis County. (2000)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Robert Russell Graves brought his family from Alabama to Texas in 1838, and by 1857 they had settled 510 acres in Ellis County near the Rockett community. The oldest grave belongs to Robert's father-in-law Joseph Hinkle, buried here in 1859, and in 1895 the Graves children formally deeded just over an acre as a family burial ground. Many early pioneer families of the area lie beside them.
Why it matters
The plot preserves the story of the first Anglo families to break the prairie of Ellis County in the Republic and early-statehood years.
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Related people
- · Robert Russell Graves
- · Esther Hinkle Graves
- · Joseph Hinkle
- · C.R. Graves
Themes & tags
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