Magnolia Cemetery
Elkhart, Anderson County, Texas
Marker Inscription
As is often the case with early African American cemeteries because of the status of Africans and African Americans in pioneer and plantation society, documentation of the Magnolia Cemetery's origin is scarce. A strong tradition of oral history provides what information is available. It is believed that the land for the Magnolia Cemetery was given by farmer E. P. Murray and that the oldest marked grave is that of former slave Isham Murray, who was born in 1805 and died in 1880. His wife Laura reportedly was buried with their white slaveowners. At least sixteen other African Americans born between 1813 and 1856, probably all former slaves, are interred here. Others buried here include nine veterans of World War I, as well as veterans of World War II, Korea and Vietnam. (2000)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Like many early African American burial grounds, Magnolia Cemetery left little written record, and its story survives largely through oral tradition. Land was reportedly given by farmer E. P. Murray, and its oldest marked grave belongs to Isham Murray, a former slave born in 1805. At least sixteen other African Americans born in slavery rest here, alongside veterans of World War I, World War II, Korea, and Vietnam.
Why it matters
The cemetery preserves the memory of a formerly enslaved community and the generations of its sons who served in the nation's wars, a heritage too often absent from the written record.
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Related people
- · Isham Murray
- · E. P. Murray
Themes & tags
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