Woodville Magnolia Cemetery
Woodville, Tyler County, Texas
Marker Inscription
In 1855 M. Priest deeded one acre of land, containing several graves, for use as a public burial ground. Another acre was donated by Jane Bean in 1859, and additional land was acquired later. Woodville Magnolia Cemetery contains the graves of numerous pioneer settlers and early community leaders. Handmade bricks outline some of the older graves not marked with headstones, such as the graves of five wives of George Van Vleck and several of his children. Van Vleck, who is buried in Houston's Glenwood Cemetery, served as the first district clerk of Tyler County for 16 years and as Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Texas, A. F. & A. M., in 1862. Among the other pioneers buried here are Captain Charles Bullock (1825-1902), who raised a company of soldiers for the Confederate army, and the Rev. Acton Young (1823-1873), early Methodist minister in this region. Also located here is the gravesite of Nancy Shivers (d. 1890), a widow who brought her family to Texas before the Civil War. Allan Shivers, Governor of Texas from 1949 to 1957, is one of her descendants. Veterans of the Civil War, Spanish-American War, World Wars I and II, and the Vietnam Conflict are interred here.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Established from land deeded in 1855 and expanded over the following years, this cemetery gathers the pioneer settlers and leaders of early Tyler County. Handmade bricks still outline unmarked graves, including those of George Van Vleck's family, and among those buried here are a Confederate captain, an early Methodist minister, and an ancestor of Governor Allan Shivers. Veterans from the Civil War through Vietnam lie here.
Why it matters
The cemetery is a layered record of East Texas life, linking frontier founders, wartime service across generations, and the roots of a future governor in one enduring ground.
The story behind this marker
AI contextThe era
Tyler County lies in the Piney Woods of deep East Texas, a land of tall forests, creeks and small farms. In the mid-1800s it was frontier country being settled by families, many of them from the American South, who cleared land, raised crops and founded towns like Woodville.
In 1855 Woodville set aside its first public burial ground on a single acre that already held several graves, a hint that settlers had been laying their loved ones to rest here before anyone made it official. More land followed in 1859 and later, as the town grew and so did its needs.
Those years were the run-up to the Civil War. Texas joined the Confederacy in 1861, and East Texas communities sent many men into the war. Like so many Southern towns, Woodville felt the war's costs for generations.
As the decades passed, the cemetery kept recording the community's history. Veterans of later conflicts, from the Spanish-American War through Vietnam, were buried beside the pioneers, turning this ground into a long timeline of local life.
People & events
The cemetery began with two gifts of land. In 1855 M. Priest deeded one acre, already holding several graves, for a public burial ground. In 1859 Jane Bean donated another acre. Later additions expanded it further.
Some of the most moving graves here have no headstones at all. Handmade bricks outline several of the older burials, including those of five wives of George Van Vleck and several of his children. Van Vleck was a leading figure in early Tyler County: he served as its first district clerk for 16 years and, in 1862, as Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Texas, A. F. & A. M., the state's Masonic organization. He himself is buried in Houston's Glenwood Cemetery. Those brick-lined graves are a quiet reminder of how often frontier families lost wives and children to illness and childbirth.
Other pioneers rest here as well. Captain Charles Bullock (1825-1902) raised a company of soldiers for the Confederate army. The Rev. Acton Young (1823-1873) was an early Methodist minister in this region, part of the generation of preachers who carried religion through the backwoods.
There is also the grave of Nancy Shivers, a widow who died in 1890, who brought her family to Texas before the Civil War. A widow moving her family to the frontier took courage. Among her descendants was Allan Shivers, who served as Governor of Texas from 1949 to 1957.
Its place in the American story
Woodville Magnolia Cemetery shows, in one place, how small-town cemeteries hold American history. Pioneers, preachers, soldiers and the ancestors of a governor lie side by side, and their stories add up to a portrait of how communities across the South and West were built.
The brick-outlined graves speak to a hard truth of nineteenth-century life. Disease, childbirth and the lack of medical care took a terrible toll on families everywhere, and the frontier was harsher still. One man burying five wives, along with several children, is a stark reminder of that reality.
The veterans buried here link this town to more than a century of American wars, from the Civil War to Vietnam. Small communities like Woodville sent their sons into every one of those conflicts, and local cemeteries are where that national story becomes personal.
Nancy Shivers's story also shows how frontier families shaped later public life. The pioneers who took risks to settle places like East Texas left descendants who went on to lead the state.
If you visit
Walk slowly, and look closely at the older sections. The handmade bricks outlining unmarked graves are easy to miss but deeply moving, and the brick-lined graves of the Van Vleck family are among the most poignant spots here.
As you wander, watch for the range of eras on the stones, from pioneer-era burials to the graves of twentieth-century veterans. Reading the dates is like reading the town's history in order.
This is an active cemetery, so please be respectful: stay on paths where they exist, don't touch fragile old markers or bricks, and give space to anyone visiting family.
Woodville is a good base for exploring the Piney Woods of deep East Texas. The cemetery pairs well with other local historic sites and a drive through the surrounding forests, especially in spring, when the countryside is at its greenest.
Written by AI to add context, grounded in the marker’s inscription and the historical record. The inscription above is the original, unaltered text.
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Related people
- · George Van Vleck
- · Charles Bullock
- · Acton Young
- · Allan Shivers
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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