Wednesday, April 25, 2007

Confederate Soldier's Grave Honored at Smith Cemetery, Lewisville

Confederate soldier’s grave is marked in ceremony at Smith Cemetery, Lewisville, Denton County

Members of the Lacy Holcombe Pickens Chapter 2615 held a grave marking ceremony, with a new marker at the grave of Capt. Henry Hardin Smith, who served in the Confederacy during the Civil War.

Smith was born Jan. 23, 1817 and died Dec. 1, 1887. He is buried in the Smith Cemetery, which had been so named several years before his death after the family of Thomas Morgan and Elizabeth A. Smith.

The site had been used as a burial ground since 1862 when the Smith’s 20-year-old son, James J. Smith, died was buried on the family farm. His is the earliest marked grave in the Smith Cemetery.

Read full article from the Lewisville Star

Friday, April 13, 2007

1824 Texas Flag On Display at Houston Bank

A piece of Texas history with strong Houston area ties will be in display for the next couple of weeks. The original flag that belonged to Mexican General Santa Anna will be on display at the Sterling Bank’s Memorial Banking Center at 840 Gessner until May 4.

The flag was captured at the Battle of San Jacinto in 1836 and hasn’t been back to the Houston are until now. The flag was actually discovered a few years ago in an Alabama family’s attic.

Read entire article from KHOU TV, Houston

Fannin County Historic Commission to dedicate two Historic Texas Cemeteries

New Salem Cemetery and the Shiloh Cemetery both will have Historic Texas Cemetery Marker dedications on Sunday April 22, 2007. Descendants of those buried in the cemeteries will be recognized.

The earliest burial in the New Salem Cemetery was Phillip Greenleaf Williams in 1848. Many of the early settlers in the immediate area are buried in the cemetery. The cemetery is located about 7 ½ miles north of Honey Grove off FM 100 and then about 1 ½ miles east on County Road 2800.

The first known burial in the Shiloh Cemetery is that of John Gwaltney, whose gravesite dates from the early 1860s. Tradition holds that John M. Gross deeded land for this community cemetery sometime before 1871. Today, Shiloh Cemetery is the final resting place for generations of area residents. The cemetery is located about 7 miles north of Honey Grove off FM 100 and then about 2 miles west on County Road 2730.

Read entire article from North Texas eNews