Perryman Cemetery
Forestburg, Montague County, Texas
Marker Inscription
The first marked grave in this burial ground is than of an infant who died in 1862. Other burials include those of a Mr. Jones, a well-digger killed by indians in 1863, and Dory Booher and Ben Steadham, former Confederate soldiers who had been captured at Lookout Mountain, Tenn. during the Civil War. In 1883 the cemetery was purchased by Levi Perryman (1839-1921) and deeded to Montague County. A Forestburg community leader, Perryman had been a Confederate soldier, an indian fighter, and sheriff. Still used, this cemetery serves as a reminder of the area's pioneers. (1983)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
The oldest marked grave in this Montague County burial ground belongs to an infant who died in 1862, and its early plots read like a chronicle of frontier hardship: a well-digger killed in an 1863 Indian raid, and two former Confederate soldiers who had been captured at Lookout Mountain. In 1883 Levi Perryman — himself a Confederate veteran, Indian fighter, and sheriff — bought the site and deeded it to the county. Still in use, the cemetery keeps the memory of the district's pioneers.
Why it matters
The graves gather in one place the overlapping struggles of the North Texas frontier — the Civil War, conflict with Native peoples, and the daily dangers of pioneer settlement.
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Related people
- · Levi Perryman
Related events
- · Civil War
Themes & tags
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