Rock Prairie Cemetery
Madisonville, Madison County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Pioneers William D. and Delina Walker Hollis arrived in Texas in 1837 and purchased land in what became the Hollis community in 1855. Joshua and Martha Terrell Ford bought adjoining land in 1860. Oral history relates that a baby born to slaves was buried on the Hollis Farm prior to the Civil War. The first marked burial on the Hollis land was that of William B. Best in 1861. The Marked grave on the Ford's adjoining property was that of Martha Ford's mother, Isabella Terrell, in 1868. Each family set aside acreage out of their property for a community cemetery. Later owners of the land included J. W. Eaves and J. Milton Jackson, whose heirs later deeded the cemetery land to the Rock Prairie Cemetery Association. (1999)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Pioneers William and Delina Hollis reached Texas in 1837 and settled the land that took their name, joined in 1860 by Joshua and Martha Ford on adjoining property. Oral history holds that an enslaved infant was buried on the Hollis farm before the Civil War, and the first marked graves date to 1861 and 1868. Each family carved out acreage for a shared community cemetery, later formalized under the Rock Prairie Cemetery Association.
Why it matters
The cemetery preserves both the pioneer settlement of Madison County and the often-unmarked presence of enslaved people whose lives are otherwise absent from the written record.
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Related people
- · William D. Hollis
- · Delina Walker Hollis
- · Isabella Terrell
Themes & tags
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