Jones Cemetery
Rusk, Cherokee County, Texas
Marker Inscription
This family cemetery is located on property owned by John R. Jones and his wife Mary. The couple came here with family from Jackson County, Alabama in 1853. They established a farm and built a log cabin. John Jones died in 1857 and was the first person interred here. Mary died in 1864 and was buried next to her husband. The property remained in the Jones family and continued to be passed down through the generations. Others interred here were descendants and relatives, including farmers, ranchers, and veterans of the Seminole Wars and the Civil War. Today, the burial ground remains a testament to a pioneering family who played a vital role in this area's development. Historic Texas Cemetery - 2000
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
John R. Jones and his wife Mary came from Jackson County, Alabama in 1853, established a farm, and built a log cabin on land in Cherokee County. When John died in 1857 he became the first person buried in what grew into the family cemetery, joined by Mary in 1864 and by generations of descendants — farmers, ranchers, and veterans of both the Seminole Wars and the Civil War. The ground stayed in Jones hands as a quiet testament to a pioneering family's role in settling the area.
Why it matters
This family burying ground preserves the story of the Southern pioneers who cleared and farmed East Texas, carrying with them the memory of the nation's earlier wars.
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Related people
- · John R. Jones
- · Mary Jones
Themes & tags
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