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ARTICLE
EARLY BURIALS FOUND ON NECHES
One of Area's Private Cemeteries Uncovered on DuPont Tract
One of the Area's early private burial grounds, apparently forgotten
for decades, was uncovered recently near the banks of the Neches river
in the McFaddin Bend area, on property now owned by the DuPont company
which will be location for a chemical plant.
A crew stumbled across a grave marker, aged and unreadable, while taking
preliminary surveys. Subsequent investigation showed 22 persons had
been buried there, most of them relatives of the T.F. Smith family.
Only one grave marker was found.
Permission Granted
DuPont requested the remains be moved and, after a petition was filed
by Caldwell McFaddin and Perry McFaddin, who sold the property
to DuPont, county court at law issued a judgment granting permission for
the move to Magnolia cemetery.
The petitioners said they had received permission to move the cemetery
from all the next-of-kin they could locate. None of these were husbands,
wives, parents, brothers or sisters of the persons buried in the cemetery.
The cemetery is in the middle of 45.7 acres known as the T.F. Smith
homestead tract in the J.S. Johnson league.
Citation Unanswered
Judge L. B. Hightower assigned the petitioners to remove the
cemetery after no answer was made to a citation appearing in the Jefferson
County Court News.
Caldwell McFaddin said his family had owned the property more
than 25 years and none of the members of his family knew of the existence
of the cemetery.
A T.F. Smith, reportedly buried in Magnolia cemetery, is said
to have died around the turn of the century. However, it is thought
the burial ground antedates this time by many years.
Listed as buried in the plot were Carline Sparks, Edward
Sparks, John L. Sparks, William Sparks, Joseph Sparks,
Susan Sparks Crawford, Phillip Crawford, James C. Sparks,
Luna Sparks Spriggs, James M. Court, Julia A. Court,
James F. Court, Lillian Court Smith, Irvin Smith,
Francis Court Sparks, Viola Court Sparks, Madison Court,
Sarah A. and Edna Court, Beulah Court and a Mrs.
E. Bordenan and child.
Names of those presumabley buried there were obtained from descendant relatives living in the general region.
Pictures:
1961 Record
Garden of Peace
Garden of Peace 2
T.F. Smith Graves
Graves 2
Graves 3
Graves 4
T.F. Smith
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