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Early RepublicCivil War

Hunt Cemetery

Henderson vicinity, Rusk County, Texas

Marker Inscription

Thomas Hunt, Sr. (c. 1787-c.1856), his wife, Louvisa (Lucy) and their family came to Rusk County from Blount County, Tennessee, in 1851. They set aside land for this family cemetery, although the first burial is not recorded. The oldest marked grave dates from 1856, as noted on the tombstone of Mary Finley Hunt, first wife of Thomas Hunt, Jr. The cemetery contains a number of unmarked graves as well as burials marked only with rocks. Veterans of armed conflicts, including the Civil War, World War I and World War II, are also buried in the Hunt Cemetery, which was formally set aside in county deed records in 1915. (2001)

Erected by Texas Historical Commission

The Story

Thomas Hunt, Sr., his wife Louvisa, and their family came from Blount County, Tennessee, to Rusk County in 1851 and set aside ground for a family burial place; the oldest marked grave, from 1856, belongs to a daughter-in-law, Mary Finley Hunt. Alongside marked stones are graves noted only by rocks and many that are unmarked. Formally recorded in county deeds in 1915, the cemetery holds veterans of the Civil War and both World Wars.

Why it matters

Family cemeteries trace the westward chain of migration that populated East Texas and quietly record the wars its sons went off to fight.

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Related people

  • · Thomas Hunt, Sr.
  • · Louvisa Hunt

Themes & tags

Military & WartimeWestward ExpansionFrontier HistoryLandmark

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