Oswald Cemetery
Clifton, Bosque County, Texas
Marker Inscription
This cemetery, located on five acres out of the l. M. Armstrong survey, was already in use as a burial ground when the earliest original marked graves, those of three children of W. B. and E. H. Moore, were dug in the early 1860s. The original owner of the land was Captain Allen S. Anderson, a frontier scout who was interred here in 1864 when the site was known as Clifton Graveyard. His daughter, Flora Kemp, deeded it for use as a graveyard in 1877. M. J. Oswald purchased the land in 1885 and it became known as Oswald Cemetery. Burial in the cemetery has been free to people of all races. Among the pioneers interred here are early settlers of old town Clifton and several Civil War veterans. The Oswald family continues to own the land surrounding the cemetery at the dawn of the 21st century. (2000)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Already a burying ground by the early 1860s, this cemetery took shape around the graves of pioneer children and of Captain Allen Anderson, a frontier scout interred in 1864 when it was known as the Clifton Graveyard. Deeded for public use and later renamed for a landowner, it welcomed burials of all races. Among its pioneers lie early settlers of old Clifton and several Civil War veterans.
Why it matters
It gathers the frontier scouts, settlers, and soldiers who opened and defended Central Texas into a single enduring record.
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Related people
- · Capt. Allen S. Anderson
- · Flora Kemp
- · M. J. Oswald
Themes & tags
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