Old Shady Grove Cemetery
Kennard, Houston County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Only three years after moving to Texas, John Hallmark (1775-1840), signer of the Houston County Petition of 1837, died. He was buried here by his wife Amy Satterwhite Hallmark on land owned by the State of Texas but inhabited by the Hallmarks. The land would later become part of the Eakins Tract. There are 27 marked burials and 44 presumed burials. Six known confederate veterans are buried here along with Hallmark’s son, George Hallmark, also a signer of the Houston Co. Petition. WWI soldier Shadrack Abraham “Shade” Carlton is buried here, killed in action in France on Aug. 1, 1918. Lost to the public for a time due to its remote and wooded location, the cemetery is now recorded and maintained by descendants and volunteers.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
John Hallmark, a signer of the 1837 petition that called Houston County into being, died just three years after reaching Texas and was buried by his wife on land the family occupied but did not own. His son George, also a signer, lies here too, along with six Confederate veterans and Shadrack 'Shade' Carlton, killed in action in France in August 1918. Long lost to the public in its remote woods, the cemetery is now recorded and cared for by descendants and volunteers.
Why it matters
From a founder of the county to a soldier who fell in the Great War, the graves gather generations of Texans whose service spans the nation's wars, rescued from being forgotten in the forest.
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Related people
- · John Hallmark
- · Amy Satterwhite Hallmark
- · George Hallmark
- · Shadrack Abraham Carlton
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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