Pyle Prairie Cemetery
Kemp, Kaufman County, Texas
Marker Inscription
John Pyle, a veteran of the Republic of Texas Army, arrived in this area with his family in the 1850s. According to family tradition, this cemetery was begun in 1854 with the death of Pyle's son-in-law J. P. McFarland. The community which grew up in this area was known as Pyle Prairie, and the family graveyard eventually became a community cemetery as friends and neighbors were interred here. Family names on the tombstones reflect the pioneer heritage of the area. Descendants of those pioneer families maintain the cemetery. (1989)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
John Pyle, a veteran of the Republic of Texas Army, brought his family to this Kaufman County prairie in the 1850s. Family tradition holds that the cemetery began in 1854 with the death of his son-in-law, J. P. McFarland, and as the settlement of Pyle Prairie grew, the family plot became a community burial ground for friends and neighbors. Descendants of those pioneer families still maintain the grounds today.
Why it matters
A veteran of the Texas Republic settling and being buried on the prairie he helped open ties this quiet cemetery directly to Texas's brief life as an independent nation.
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Related people
- · John Pyle
- · J. P. McFarland
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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