Liberty Cemetery
Stephenville, Erath County, Texas
Marker Inscription
LIBERTY CEMETERY MARION D. AND HARRIET PRYOR KELLEY SETTLED IN THE LIBERTY COMMUNITY IN THE MID-1880s. IN 1891, THEY DEEDED LAND FOR A CEMETERY AND SCHOOL TO ERATH COUNTY. THE OLDEST GRAVE IS THAT OF THE INFANT SON OF W.H. HANDY AND HATTIE FINNELL HANDY IN 1890. OTHER BURIALS INCLUDE THE FAMILIES OF J.S. DAWDY, JOHN M. DANNER, CIVIL WAR VETERANS JOHN BELL MORING AND A. AMARIAH SWANNER, AND GERMAN IMMIGRANT HENRY HUNT. GRAVESTONE MATERIALS INCLUDE GRANITE, SANDSTONE, MARBLE AND LIMESTONE, AND SOME INDICATE MEMBERS OF THE MASONS, ORDER OF THE EASTERN STAR AND WOODMEN OF THE WORLD. THIS HISTORIC CEMETERY IS A REMINDER OF THE PERSEVERANCE OF EARLY SETTLERS IN ERATH COUNTY. HISTORIC TEXAS CEMETERY – 2010
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Marion D. and Harriet Pryor Kelley settled in the Liberty community in the mid-1880s and, in 1891, deeded land to Erath County for a cemetery and school. The oldest grave, dated 1890, is that of an infant son of the Handy family, and later burials include Civil War veterans John Bell Moring and A. Amariah Swanner and German immigrant Henry Hunt. The varied gravestones—granite, sandstone, marble, and limestone—bear emblems of the Masons, Order of the Eastern Star, and Woodmen of the World.
Why it matters
Liberty Cemetery testifies to the perseverance of the settlers, veterans, and immigrants who built rural Erath County and to the fraternal bonds that shaped their lives.
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Related people
- · Marion D. Kelley
- · Harriet Pryor Kelley
- · John Bell Moring
- · Henry Hunt
Themes & tags
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