Tomerlin Cemetery
Devine, Medina County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Washington Allen Tomerlin set aside this burial ground for his family and neighbors in what was at that time an isolated area of Medina County. The earliest dated gravestone is that of Marth Ivy Esary (1856-1875) but many old stones have initials and no dates. Among those buried here are veterans of the Civil War, World War I, World War II, and Vietnam, as well as three Littleton brothers said to have been Texas Rangers. The southwest corner of this 1.39 acres holds the Brackens Family, freed slaves who settled nearby. This cemetery remains a chronicle of Medina County pioneers and their descendants. Historic Texas Cemetery - 2000
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Washington Allen Tomerlin set aside this ground for family and neighbors when this corner of Medina County was still remote and thinly settled, the earliest marked grave dating to 1875. Beneath its stones rest veterans of four American wars, three brothers said to have ridden as Texas Rangers, and the Brackens family, freed slaves who made their home nearby. Many older markers bear only initials, their stories now half-remembered.
Why it matters
A single country cemetery gathers the pioneers, soldiers, and freed people whose intertwined lives built rural Texas.
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Related people
- · Washington Allen Tomerlin
- · Brackens family
- · Littleton brothers
Themes & tags
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