Swift Cemetery
Bleakwood, Newton County, Texas
Marker Inscription
The trading village of Salem was founded in 1835 by Seth Swift. A Quaker and whaling merchant, Swift had moved to this area from Massachusetts with his wife, Lydia, and six children. When Lydia died about 1852, Swift set aside an acre of land for a cemetery. Upon his death in 1869, Swift was buried beside his wife in a pink marble casket he had brought from Massachusetts. Several other members of the community are believed to be interred in the cemetery, as well. Lost to forest overgrowth for many years, the graveyard has been restored.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
The trading village of Salem was founded in 1835 by Seth Swift, a Quaker and former whaling merchant who moved his family from Massachusetts to the East Texas woods. When his wife Lydia died around 1852, Swift set aside an acre for a cemetery, and upon his own death in 1869 he was buried beside her in a pink marble casket he had shipped from New England. Lost for years to forest overgrowth, the graveyard has since been restored.
Why it matters
The Swift family's journey from a New England whaling port to a Texas trading village captures the restless internal migration that carried Americans westward in the early republic.
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Related people
- · Seth Swift
- · Lydia Swift
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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