The Stoneham Cemetery
Stoneham, Grimes County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Franklin Jarvis Greenwood (1804-1882), who came to Texas in 1829, donated land for this cemetery. It was originally called "High Point" for a nearby settlement. The first known interments were Greenwood's daughters Mary Anne (b. 1840) and Harriet. They died in 1856 of cholera. Graves of yellow fever victims were specially marked to avoid spread of the epidemic. Many burials are descendants of Stephen F. Austin colonists. The name of the cemetery and town changed to "Stoneham" after John H. Stoneham (1829-1894) gave land for the railroad in 1879. (1978)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Franklin Jarvis Greenwood, who came to Texas in 1829, donated the land for this burial ground, first called 'High Point' after a nearby settlement. Its earliest known graves hold two of his daughters, lost to cholera in 1856, and victims of yellow fever were specially marked to guard against the spread of epidemics. Many buried here descend from Stephen F. Austin's original colonists; the cemetery and town took the name 'Stoneham' after John H. Stoneham gave land for the railroad in 1879.
Why it matters
The cemetery is a quiet record of Austin colony families, the deadly epidemics of frontier life, and the railroad's power to reshape a community's very name.
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Related people
- · Franklin Jarvis Greenwood
- · John H. Stoneham
Themes & tags
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