Oakes Cemetery
Groesbeck, Limestone County, Texas
Marker Inscription
This cemetery began with the burials of Mary C. Justice (d. 1861) and Roland Pair (d. 1865). It is located on land later owned by John Collins Oakes and his wife Winnie (Radford), who migrated here from Perry County, Alabama in the years following the Civil War with their family and prospered as landowners and farmers. John Oakes died in 1876, and in 1891, Winnie formally set aside the graveyard. Since then, Oakes family descendants and others in the community have helped maintain the site, expanding it in 1950 and relocating the former Sanders Creek Church chapel from Fairoaks community to be used for funerals, meetings and other gatherings, including an annual memorial service. A non-profit corporation now provides support for the cemetery's care. Graves include those of the Bond, Justice, Little, Martin, Morton, Oakes, Reed, Turner and other longtime community families. Early funereal customs are evidenced by the use of curbed plots and the presence of obelisks and other vertical tombstones. The hopes, faith and family ties of those interred here are reflected in the inscriptions. Still in use, Oakes Cemetery serves as an important reminder of the area's pioneer heritage. Historic Texas Cemetery - 2004
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Oakes Cemetery began with two burials in the early 1860s and stands on land later owned by John Collins Oakes and his wife Winnie, who migrated from Perry County, Alabama after the Civil War and prospered as farmers and landowners. Winnie formally set aside the graveyard in 1891, and generations of descendants have maintained and expanded it, even relocating the old Sanders Creek Church chapel here for funerals and an annual memorial service. Its curbed plots, obelisks, and inscribed stones reflect the region's pioneer families and their funerary customs.
Why it matters
The cemetery records the postwar migration of Deep South families into Texas and the community-building that turned scattered farmsteads into enduring settlements.
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Related people
- · John Collins Oakes
- · Winnie Oakes
Themes & tags
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