Thomaston Cemetery
Thomaston, DeWitt County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Thomaston was established as De Witt County's first railroad town in 1872, with much of the land for the townsite donated by John P. and Mary M. Lockhart Wright. Land for this cemetery was given in 1886 by John P. Wright, and his widow (second wife, Margaret Rankin Calliham Wright) donated an additional lot in 1917 to adjoin the cemetery on the north. There are approximately 283 graves located in the cemetery. Early graves were marked with wooden boards, which were replaced by concrete blocks about 1946. The earliest marked grave is that of an infant, George E. McDonald (October 1, 1870 - March 8, 1871). Also buried here are John P. Wright (October 29, 1829 - June 12, 1897), his first wife, Mary Melvina Lockhart Wright (Sept. 21, 1841 - Feb. 16, 1875), and his second wife, Margaret Rankin Calliham Wright (Feb. 5, 1847 - Feb. 15, 1921). Headstones in the cemetery also mark the graves of veterans of the Civil War, World War I, and World War II. The Thomaston Cemetery Association was formed in the 1930s, and is responsible for maintenance of the cemetery. The original fence was replaced in the 1940s with a chain-link fence. The cemetery serves as a reminder of early Thomaston history. Texas Sesquicentennial 1836-1986
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
When Thomaston became DeWitt County's first railroad town in 1872, John P. Wright donated much of the townsite—and, in 1886, land for its cemetery. Some 283 graves lie here, the earliest marked with wooden boards later replaced by concrete blocks, including that of an infant who died in 1871. Wright, his two wives, and veterans of the Civil War and both World Wars rest among them.
Why it matters
A town's cemetery is its most durable archive, and Thomaston's records the founders, families, and soldiers whose lives trace the community from railroad boom to the twentieth century.
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Related people
- · John P. Wright
- · Mary Melvina Lockhart Wright
Themes & tags
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