McKenzie Cemetery
Groesbeck, Limestone County, Texas
Marker Inscription
The area surrounding this graveyard was known as McKenzie Prairie, named for Joseph S. McKenzie and his family who settled her in 1853. The oldest grave here is that of Elizabeth Etemon and her infant daughter, who died while traveling through the area in 1865. The McKenzies set aside land for the burial. It was marked with sandstone carved by Elizabeth's husband, who then left and continued his journey. Gradually the one-acre plot became a community burial ground, the final resting place for the McKenzie family, their neighbors, and their descendants. 1995
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
This burial ground lies in what was once McKenzie Prairie, named for Joseph S. McKenzie and his family, who settled here in 1853. Its oldest grave belongs to Elizabeth Etemon and her infant daughter, who died passing through in 1865; the McKenzies gave land for the burial and marked it with a sandstone stone that Elizabeth's grieving husband carved before continuing his journey. From that single act of kindness the one-acre plot grew into a community cemetery for the McKenzies, their neighbors, and their descendants.
Why it matters
The cemetery preserves a poignant human story of frontier travel and generosity, and the roots of a settlement community on the mid-nineteenth-century Texas prairie.
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Related people
- · Joseph S. McKenzie
- · Elizabeth Etemon
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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