EASTLAND CITY CEMETERY

P.O. Box 749
Eastland, Texas 76448
Dean Vernon, Cemetery Consultant (254) 631-2844
Eastland City Hall (254) 629-8321

E-Mail eastland@eastland.net

The Eastland City Cemetery is more than just the final resting place of loved ones who have gone on before and their memory which is evident by the daily visits of family and friends. The cemetery is also a place of historic resources. The cemetery is a reminder of early settlement pattern, religion, lifestyles and genealogy. The cemetery has many war veterans, early settlers, politicians, officers of the law, and even those who went against the law. Names on grave markers serve as a directory to these early residents and even reflect the ethnic diversity and uniqueness of the population.

Grave marker designs and cemetery decoration represent a variety of cultural influences that helped shape the history of Texas.

The following are just a few of those who helped settle Texas and Eastland and are residents of the Eastland City Cemetery.

CHARLES ULRICH CONNELLEE, born 1851, died 1930. Founder of Eastland. Mr. Connellee, along with partners J.B. Ammerman and J.S. Daugherty, laid out the court house and city streets and had the county seat moved from Merriman to Eastland, as the city was named for the county.

JOSIAH G. "DOC" SCURLOCK, born January 11, 1850, died July 25, 1929. Rode with BILLY THE KID during the Lincoln County Wars in New Mexico. Josiah was born in Alabama and studied medicine, earning him the nickname "Doc". He later moved to New Mexico and hired on as a cow hand with an English nobleman cattle rancher named John Tunstall. Another of the more famous cow hands was Mr. William H. Bonney, better known as "Billy the Kid". Mr. Tunstall was murdered and thus started the Lincoln County War of New Mexico. After the end of the Lincoln County War, all involved were given a pardon by the governor, except for "the Kid". "Doc" gave away his guns, except for a squirrel gun, sold a gold mine for $500.00 (later sold for $75,000.00) and moved his family to Tuscola in the Texas panhandle. Later, he and family moved to Eastland, Texas where "Doc" lived until his death in 1929. "Doc" didn't speak much of his "outlaw" days due to the many who still wanted him dead. He worked for the highway department in Eastland and wrote book reports and book reviews for students at the University of Texas.

W.P. "WILLIAM PIKE" TINDALL, born March 4, 1818, died November 25, 1901. He came to Texas in January of 1836 at 17 years of age and turned 18 shortly after arriving from New Orleans. He joined with Sam Houston and fought at the battle of San Jacinto. He was part of the MIER MEXICO expedition and the BLACK BEAN drawing that saw Captain William Eastland, who the city and county of Eastland is named for, die. Tindall spent two years in a Mexican prison after the Black Bean drawing. He moved back to Alabama and served for 6 months in the Civil War with the C.S.A. He held county offices in Alabama before returning to Texas and settling in Eastland, Texas.

H.S. "HENRY" SCHMICK, NO DATES. First Sheriff of Eastland County and served with Co E. Arkansas Inf. of the C.S.A. He and his two brothers helped to map out the streets of the city of Eastland in its beginnings.

JESSE W. HARBIN, born March 3, 1820, died October 30, 1904. He was in the 1st Alabama Infantry during the Mexican War and was in the Co 1, 23rd Reg Ga. Inf C.S.A. during the Civil War. He has both military stones, one at his head and one at his feet.

GEORGE M. REYNOLDS, born May 28, 1846, died March 2, 1937, was a member of the UNION FORCES during the CIVIL WAR, with Co G, 3rd Ark Cav. He was probably part of the "MOUNTAIN TROOPS" from Arkansas that did not want to be part of the Confederacy and hid in the Arkansas mountains and later joined the Union Forces.

OTHER CIVIL WAR VETERANS

SAMUEL W. ARMSTRONG; NO DATES; CO. A TEXAS INF, C.S.A.
S.M. CARTER; NO DATES; CO. F ALABAMA CAV, C.S.A.
THOMAS J. DRAKE; NO DATES; CO. B, PHILLIPS GEORGIA, C.S.A.
HORACE H. GRAY; NO DATES; 37th TEXAS CAV, C.S.A.
HENRY HALLUM; NO DATES; CO. K, TENNESSEE INF, C.S.A.
WILLIAM B. SAMFORD; born NOV 7, 1846 died MAR 5, 1926, CO. E, 10th VIRGINIA CAV, C.S.A.
JAMES K. SCHMICK; NO DATES; CO. K, ARKANSAS CAV, C.S.A.
DANIEL N. SCURLOCK; NO DATES; CO. A, 63rd ALABAMA INF, C.S.A.
F.M. SMITH; born JAN 13, 1828 died DEC 6, 1902, 15th ALABAMA INF, C.S.A.
JOHN L. TINDALL; NO DATES; 11th MISSISSIPPI CAV, CO. G, C.S.A.
SGT. WILLIAM P. TRULY; NO DATES; 1st ARKANSAS INF, CO. B, C.S.A.

SPANISH AMERICAN WAR

SGT. OLIVER T. PEGUES; born NOV 12, 1874 died SEP 19, 1936, CO. K, 4th TEXAS INF.

WILLIAM MARCELLUS ARMSTRONG born June 9 1871 died Dec. 1947

Mexican War

Jame Rutherford Reeves CoC, 12 U.S. Inf. , born Feb. 23, 1826 died Nov 30, 1920

OTHER NOTABLES

"AUNT" JANE BOWLES, born March 22, 1862 died December 18, 1961. She came to Eastland as a small child and was the first Black to live in Eastland. At the time of her death, 99 years of age, she was still active. She is buried in the BOWLES-CARTER plot in the Old Section of the Eastland Cemetery.
KITTIE STUART, born April 3, 1840 died August 18, 1877. First person buried in Eastland Cemetery.
EBEN SWEATT, born May 9, 1807 died February 16, 1878. First man buried in the Eastland Cemetery and has the oldest BIRTH date.
WENDELL T. SIEBERT, born November 27, 1916 died July 30, 1974. Served as Superintendent of Eastland Schools and the present Eastland elementary school is named for Mr. Siebert.
OMAR H. BURKETT, born September 24, 1883 died July 2, 1964. Writer of the Texas 40 HOUR WORK WEEK LAW. He and his brother Joe planted the first "Burkett" pecan tree near Putnam, Texas .
JUNE KIMBLE, Captain C.S.A. born April 1, 1842 died April 4, 1911. The first elected Mayor of Eastland.
ELMO HILL, born October 13, 1893 died May 13, 1943. Train conductor of the EASTLAND, WICHITA FALLS & GULF RAILROAD, also known as the Ringling Railroad. The great circus team of the Ringling Brothers built this railroad in Eastland to transport water from Breckenridge to Eastland in 1919. Elmo Hill was the only conductor and the railroad shut down shortly after he died in 1943.
MARENE JOHNSON-JOHNSON, born February 5, 1899 died November 6, 1978. The creator of the Stamp Mural in the Eastland Post Office and she is one of two buried NORTH-SOUTH in the Cemetery. The stamp mural took seven years of hard work in her "spare time" and $15,000.00 of her own money.
VICTOR CORNELIUS, born July 15, 1904 died May 1, 1991. Owner/Operator of VC MENUS, known all over the world.
ED T. COX, JR., born July 31, 1906 died December 10, 1947. One of the greatest athletes to be at Eastland High School. A 200 pound fullback who was as fast as a sprinter. He could run, pass and kick. Probably his best game was in 1925 against the powerful Ranger Bulldogs. The Eastland Mavericks were to be no challenger to the Bulldogs, but COX scored 3 touchdowns, threw for one TD and rushed for 249 yards in an Eastland Maverick win of 25 to 0 over the Ranger Bulldogs.
JUDGE CLYDE GRISSOM, born February 24, 1897 died August 1, 1983. Appointed to the 11th Court of Appeals as Associate Justice by then-Governor Allred. Judge Grissom served for 35 years, all but 10 years as Chief Justice.
JUDGE TRUMAN CONNER, born 1849 died 1933. Served as District Judge at Eastland, Texas from 1887 to 1898 and later served as Chief Justice, Court of Civil Appeals at Fort Worth.
T. A. "Tom" Jones born 1874 died 1929 The jailer shot by the "Santa Claus" bank robber.
Ernest E. Wood Grandfather of "Old Rip" . Placed his son Will's pet horned toad in courthouse corner stone.
Taken out 28 years later known as "Old Rip".

There are over 4000 people buried in the Eastland Cemetery and another 500 plus buried here with only a rock marking their burial.

There are many more interesting facts about the City of Eastland and the Eastland City Cemetery that can be learned by contacting Eastland City Cemetery.

A CEMETERY DIRECTORY IS ALSO AVAILABLE, cost of $25.00 , postage included.

INTERESTING INSCRIPTIONS

JIMMY DOOL

"BEHOLD MY FRIEND
AS YOU PASS BY
YOU ARE NOW,
SO ONCE WAS I;
AS I AM NOW,
SO YOU WILL BE,
PREPARE FOR DEATH AND FOLLOW ME"

RILEY HAGUE

"Brave man shot in the back by a Coward"

William Dean

"Born a Scotsman, Died a Texan"

Eastland Cemetery Interment Listing

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