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Family AlbumBy EXA THOMAS Tombstone Inscriptions of Elm Grove Cemetery, Van Zandt County, Texas, Transcribed and Annotated by Mai E Boatwright, recently published Address, P O Box 287, Mabank. TX 75147. $3.00This cemetery started as a family burial plot in July 1883 with the burial of Cecil Hyde, son of Benjamin Pleasant Hyde and Minnie Rebecca Higginbotham Hyde, in a wooded area on the Hyde land A licensed surveyor was employed to plat the cemetery and number the graves, by Mrs J Cullen Gibbs in 1969. Later inscriptions were copied by Mrs Boatwright and finished this year Nearly 1700 have been buried therePrior to the Civil War the community was known as Roddy or Elm Grove and was sparsely settled During the 1850’s a number of families had settled near by, Snider Springs (now Phalba) Four Mile Prairie, High and Jackson It was after the Reconstruction Days that the Roddy-Elm Grove began to be settled, so called for Stephen G Roddy, merchant and cotton ginner, who moved there from Smith Co., where the Roddy and Thompson families had settled before 1850 Many of the earliest settlers of Roddy were former Confederate soldiers from other East Texas counties, such as Panola, Cherokee, Smith, Ander son and Nacogdoches Many had land grants which they had not bothered about before the warOne such newcomer was Anthony Gray Hyde, who, with his parents , had arrived in Texas in 1837, stopping in San Augustine County but later moved to Nacogdoches County, where John H Hyde, Sr., was a tavern keeper by 1840 Some of the Grays came on to Kaufman County, settling nearWil-son's Chapel and Gray s Prairie One member of the Gray family was Mrs. Elizabeth (Gray) Dunham, sister of the wife of John H Hyde, Sr She had received a certificate for 1280 acres of land in 1838, she being a woman of family who had arrived in Texas in 1837 ” 171 acres of this land waslo-cated in San Augustine County in 1839, the remaining 1109 acres were later surveyed and located in Van Zandt County, where the tract became known as Widow’s Prairie.’’ In 1869 Mrs Dunham deeded this land to her ' beloved nephew, Anthony G Hvde’ for one dollar and the love and affection she bore himIt was to Widow's Prairie in Van Zandt County that Anthony G Hyde brought his wife, six sons, and one daughter in the early 1870’s The older daughter, Mary La vonia, had married Edward H Eubank inNae-ogdoches County in 1870, but she and her husband soon followed her par ents to Van Zandt Coun ty, as did Thomas Ruff Pleasant, brother to Mrs A G Hyde, and Elias N EubankFor many years, Mr William B Hyde (1885-1955), son of Beryamin Pleasant Hyde and Minnie R Higginbotham, served as caretaker of the ceme tery, and it is said that during his tenure and lifetime no graves were lost, but unfortunately some of the subsequent caretakers have not been as conscientious Care of the cemetery is financed through donations madeat the June and November memorial services held annually A caretaker is employed on an annual basis and donations are always needed and appreciated The committee is composed of Connie Hyde, Herman Hyde, Ira. C Groom and Arthur L. Athey, all of Mabank, TX 75147
Newspaper Details
Mesquite Daily News
Mesquite, Texas, US
Mon, Aug 05, 1974
Page 3
Full Page
Clipped by
Texas S.
TX, USA 21 Mar 2025
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