Oak Branch Cemetery
Oak Branch, Ellis County, Texas
Marker Inscription
In 1875 area pioneer William M. Claunch (1815-1888) donated twenty acres of his ranch land for a Methodist Church, church campground, and cemetery. The oldest grave in the burial ground is that of Susaner Bynum, the one-year-old daughter of M.C. and L.E. Bynum, who died in 1881. Many of the gravestones date from the 1880s and bear the family names of Bynum, Hollingsworth, Williams, Gilbreth, Martin, Claunch, and Blakely -- all early settlers in the once-thriving community of Oak (1 mi. N). Since 1927 the historic graveyard has been maintained by the Oak Branch cemetery association.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
In 1875 pioneer rancher William M. Claunch gave twenty acres for a Methodist church, campground, and burial ground, seeding the once-thriving community of Oak. The oldest grave belongs to a one-year-old girl who died in 1881, and the surrounding stones bear the names of the district's founding families. A cemetery association has cared for the grounds since 1927.
Why it matters
This donated churchyard preserves the names and losses of the settler families who built — and eventually left — a vanished Texas farming community.
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Related people
- · William M. Claunch
Themes & tags
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