Hemphill Cemetery
Hemphill, Sabine County, Texas
Marker Inscription
The burials in this cemetery reflect the early history of Hemphill as a developing commercial center and seat of government. The oldest marked grave dates from 1867, nine years after the town was founded. The earliest gravestone marks the burial site of pioneer settler Marier C. Morris (1845-1867), the daughter of Jubal H. Ragan, an early area physician. Early records of the cemetery were lost in an 1875 Courthouse fire, but it is believed the original tract of land for the burial ground was donated by Simon Newsome Beckcom and William T. Morris. The site was later enlarged by additional donations of property. The first school in the area, the Sabine Valley Institute, was located in a Masonic Lodge building on adjacent land which was also used for early religious services. Burials here include those of pioneer area settlers, prominent local merchants and businessmen, veterans of several wars, early leaders of the community, and elected officials of the city, county, and district levels of government. Also interred here is Simeon R. Williams, who served this area as a state legislator. Still in use, the historic Hemphill Cemetery serves as a reminder of the area's rich heritage.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Laid out soon after Hemphill was founded in 1858, this cemetery reads like a directory of the young town's builders. Its oldest marked grave, from 1867, belongs to Marier C. Morris, daughter of pioneer physician Jubal H. Ragan, and though an 1875 courthouse fire destroyed the early records, tradition credits Simon Newsome Beckcom and William T. Morris with donating the original ground. Among those buried here are war veterans, merchants, community leaders, and state legislator Simeon R. Williams.
Why it matters
A county-seat cemetery like Hemphill's preserves the whole social fabric of a frontier town — its doctors, merchants, soldiers, and lawmakers — in a way no single building can.
Own a business near here? Add it to the map.
Related people
- · Marier C. Morris
- · Jubal H. Ragan
- · Simeon R. Williams
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
Springhill Cemetery
Hemphill, TX
Springhill Cemetery took shape around the 1837 burial of William Isaac Pace, whose family home stood here and who helped found a Methodist church and school that gave the community its name. Long-lived settlers like Maria Ann Davis Pace, who reached nearly 100, lie among pioneer families such as the Bennetts, Campbells, and Conners. Its graves span an extraordinary sweep of American conflict, from the War of 1812 and the Texas Revolution through Vietnam.
Milam
Milam, TX
Founded in 1828 as Red Mound and renamed in 1835 for Texas Revolution hero Benjamin Rush Milam, this town served as an early seat of justice and a hub of the Republic of Texas, complete with an internal revenue post. During the Civil War it housed the Confederate quartermaster's department for Sabine County. It was the first Texas home of John S. Roberts, a signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence, and of John C. Hale, who died at the Battle of San Jacinto.
John C. Hale
Milam, TX
John C. Hale, born in Virginia in 1806, moved his family to Sabine County by 1835 and joined the fight for Texas independence as a first lieutenant. On April 21, 1836 the 30-year-old was one of nine Texans killed at the Battle of San Jacinto, the decisive clash that won the revolution, and he was buried with fellow casualties at the Texan campground. In recognition of his sacrifice, his heirs received 960 acres and the Legislature named Hale County in West Texas in his honor.
Milam Cemetery
Milam, TX
Milam served as the first county seat of Sabine County, on land where Spanish explorers passed as early as 1539 and where Stephen F. Austin marveled at the rich red soil in 1821. Set on a high hill above the old settlement of Red Mound, the cemetery holds military veterans dating back to the Creek War and prominent pioneer families, and may be the oldest organized burial ground in the county.