Sardis Cemetery
Sardis, Ellis County, Texas
Marker Inscription
The earliest marked grave in the Sardis Cemetery is that of Susan Jane Rachael (Peevey) Kelly, who died in childbirth in 1871. Early settler Robert Mayfield donated land for the graveyard for the use of families in the Sardis Community. The burial site contains the graves of veterans from several wars and of many area pioneers. Over the years, there has been an informal association with the nearby Methodist church. In 1924, the Sardis Cemetery Committee was organized to handle matters concerning this rural Ellis County graveyard.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
The oldest marked grave here belongs to a young woman who died in childbirth in 1871, a stark reminder of frontier life's hazards. Settler Robert Mayfield gave the land so families of the Sardis community would have a burial ground, and over the decades it gathered the graves of area pioneers and veterans of several wars. A cemetery committee formed in 1924 to care for the rural plot, long tied to the neighboring Methodist church.
Why it matters
Rural cemeteries like Sardis are the quiet ledgers of American settlement, recording the pioneers and soldiers who built and defended a community.
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Themes & tags
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