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Hood Family Cemetery

Aledo, Parker County, Texas

Marker Inscription

South Carolina native A.J. Hood (b. 1820) migrated to Cherokee County, Texas, about 1846. Ten years later, after representing that area during two terms of the state legislature, he moved his family here. Hood opened a law office in Weatherford (11 miles northwest) and later served as district judge. This family cemetery was first used in 1865 for the burial of Hood's wife Elizabeth (McEwen) (b. 1827). Located on land near their original home, this site was her choice for the construction of a future house. Her grave is marked with a stone from the nearby creek. (1980)

Erected by Texas Historical Commission

The Story

South Carolinian A. J. Hood came to Texas around 1846, settling first in Cherokee County, where he served two terms in the state legislature before moving his family west in 1856. He opened a law office in Weatherford and later served as district judge, a pillar of the young North Texas legal community. The family cemetery began in 1865 with the burial of his wife Elizabeth, laid to rest on the spot she had chosen for a future home, her grave marked by a stone from the nearby creek.

Why it matters

The Hood cemetery preserves the memory of a frontier lawyer-legislator whose family helped bring courts and government to newly settled Parker County.

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Related people

  • Β· A. J. Hood
  • Β· Elizabeth McEwen Hood

Themes & tags

Westward ExpansionFrontier HistoryMemorial

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