McDonald Cemetery
New Summerfield, Cherokee County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Located on the original homestead of William and Clarissa Johnson and their family, this community cemetery began in the 1850s. Although there may have been earlier interments (possibly including William Johnson) the earliest documented burials, those of two young daughters of Dr. and Mrs. J. C. Privett, took place in 1856. Dr. Privett died in 1857 and was buried next to his daughters. After Clarissa Johnson married Thomas McDonald in 1858, her homestead became known as the McDonald Farm. By 1870 the small graveyard on Clarissa's farm had become a community burial ground known as McDonald Cemetery, although it was not formally designated as such in deed records until 1930. Among those buried in the McDonald Cemetery are members of the Johnson and McDonald families. There are over 550 documented burials, as well as a number of unmarked graves. The original one-acre plot of land set aside for the graveyard was enlarged in later years by additional land acquisitions. For well over a century, the McDonald Cemetery has served as a reminder of Cherokee County's pioneer heritage. It remains one of the area's important cultural resources.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
This community cemetery grew up on the 1850s homestead of William and Clarissa Johnson, with its earliest documented burials — two young daughters of a local doctor — dating to 1856. After Clarissa remarried in 1858, the land became the McDonald Farm, and by 1870 the small graveyard was serving the whole community as McDonald Cemetery. Today it holds more than 550 documented graves, plus many unmarked, spanning well over a century of Cherokee County life.
Why it matters
A pioneer burial ground like this preserves the names and memory of the ordinary families who first settled and sustained rural East Texas.
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Related people
- · William Johnson
- · Clarissa Johnson
- · Thomas McDonald
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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