Nettles Cemetery
Livingston, Polk County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Malachi Theophilus Nettles and his wife Harriett brought their family from Alabama to Texas in 1844 and settled near what became Livingston. Malachi T. Nettles was appointed first county treasurer when Polk County was created in 1845, and later held other elected offices. The Nettles’ son, Stephen Joseph, became the family patriarch upon Malachi’s death. This cemetery was established on family land at Stephen Joseph’s request; he was the first to be interred here under a beloved blackhaw tree in 1900. The family began cemetery workings in 1936 and incorporated the cemetery in 1995. Of the 38 graves it contains, all are those of Nettles descendants except a newborn baby and a 16-year-old girl whose brother married into the family. The burial ground continues to serve the Nettles family. (2000)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Malachi Theophilus Nettles brought his family from Alabama to Texas in 1844 and settled near Livingston, and when Polk County was organized in 1845 he became its first county treasurer. This cemetery began on family land at the request of his son Stephen Joseph, who was the first laid to rest here beneath a beloved blackhaw tree in 1900. Of its thirty-eight graves, nearly all belong to Nettles descendants, and the family still tends the ground it incorporated in 1995.
Why it matters
The little family burial ground marks the arrival of one of Polk County's founding families and the intimate, kin-centered cemeteries that dot the rural South.
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Related people
- · Malachi Theophilus Nettles
- · Stephen Joseph Nettles
Related events
- · Creation of Polk County (1845)
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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Polk County
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Polk County was carved from Liberty County and organized in July 1846, with Livingston as its seat, in the first months after Texas joined the Union. It was named for President James K. Polk, whose administration championed the annexation of Texas. Early settlements clustered at river landings like Drew's Landing and Swartout, and on land granted by the state in 1854 the descendants of the Alabama Indians still make their home.