Jarratt Cemetery
Jacksonville, Cherokee County, Texas
Marker Inscription
In 1850 Devereux and Polly Ann Jarratt of Virginia settled in this area. In 1858 their sons Henry Morris Jarratt and Wade Jarratt set aside the original cemetery plot for family and public burial. The first burial was a transient worker, Mr. Watts, in 1858. Additional land was acquired later from contributions of many. An association was formed in 1961 and a permanent foundation fund incorporated in 1963. Original members of both boards: Dave Cole, Troy D. Haws, Gordon Sharp, J. J. Cole, Bruce Bounds, Dave Josey, John Ousley, Fred Thompson, A. C. Jenkins, Buck Fling, Earl Morton, and M. D. Arrington. Descendants, friends, neighbors and the public have joined to make this a hallowed resting place for loved ones.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
When Devereux and Polly Ann Jarratt came from Virginia to settle this East Texas ground in 1850, their sons set aside a burial plot in 1858 — its first grave that of a nameless transient worker known only as Mr. Watts. Added to by many hands over the following century, the cemetery became a shared resting place formally organized by descendants and neighbors in the 1960s.
Why it matters
A community cemetery like this preserves the ordinary settlers, family and stranger alike, whose lives filled in the map of frontier Texas.
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Related people
- · Devereux Jarratt
- · Polly Ann Jarratt
- · Henry Morris Jarratt
- · Wade Jarratt
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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