Selman-Roark Cemetery
Linwood, Cherokee County, Texas
Marker Inscription
In 1834 surveyor William Roark (1803-1862) and his family came to Texas from Tennessee. Roark's mother Nancy (Chambliss) and brother Napoleon were buried in the one-half-acre graveyard about 1837-38. Joseph, Delila and James H. Durst deeded this cemetery to Roark in 1838. Roark's daughter Elizabeth married Benjamin Franklin Selman in 1855 and the site became known as "Selman-Roark Cemetery". As Linwood community grew, more families used the burial ground. In 1861 a Roark descendant deeded an additional 0.8 acre adjoining the cemetery.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
When surveyor William Roark brought his family from Tennessee to Texas in 1834, the frontier was still raw and burials came early — his mother and brother were laid to rest here around 1837. As the Linwood community grew, the half-acre plot became a shared resting ground, and marriage into the Selman family gave it the name it still carries. Generations of settlers expanded and tended the grounds across the 19th century.
Why it matters
A pioneer family cemetery like this maps the quiet, human cost and continuity of settling early Texas, one household at a time.
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Related people
- · William Roark
- · Benjamin Franklin Selman
Themes & tags
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