Willingham Cemetery
Salado, Bell County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Willingham family members were original settlers at Salado Springs (Salado) in the early 1850s. They eventually moved a few miles west and established a successful stock farm operation. Patriarch Archibald Willingham (1786-1857), a Georgian by birth and a veteran of the war of 1812, was the first to be buried in the family cemetery on their land. His wife, Ellener (Belcher), and their son, Sterling Andrew Jackson Willingham, are also buried in the cemetery; their graves are the only ones marked of the small number of burials. The cemetery is also known as Three Chimneys after the family home that was nearby. Historic Texas cemetery - 2003
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
The Willinghams were among the first settlers at Salado Springs in the early 1850s before moving a few miles west to build a successful stock farm. The family patriarch, Georgia-born Archibald Willingham, a veteran of the War of 1812, was the first laid to rest in the family cemetery on their land in 1857. His wife Ellener and son Sterling lie beside him at a site also known as Three Chimneys, after the family home that once stood nearby.
Why it matters
A family burial ground like this links the settlement of central Texas back to the generation that had fought in the War of 1812, threading one nation-building era into the next.
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Related people
- · Archibald Willingham
Themes & tags
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