The Oakwood Cemetery is a historical

cemetery A cemetery, burial ground, gravesite or graveyard is a place where the remains of dead people are buried or otherwise interred. The word ''cemetery'' (from Greek , "sleeping place") implies that the land is specifically designated as a buri ...

located in

Jefferson Jefferson may refer to: Names * Jefferson (surname) * Jefferson (given name) People * Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826), third president of the United States * Jefferson (footballer, born 1970), full name Jefferson Tomaz de Souza, Brazilian foo ...

, Marion County,

Northeast Texas Northeast Texas is a cultural and geographic region in the northeast corner of the U.S. state of Texas. Geographically centered on two metropolitan areas strung along Interstate 20—Tyler in the west and Longview/Marshall to the east, the areas ...

History

The earliest documentation of Jefferson indicates that burials were made in a public graveyard between Camp, Houston and Cypress streets along the

Big Cypress Bayou Cypress Bayou is the name applied to a series of wetlands at the western edge of Caddo Lake, in and around Jefferson, Texas, making up part of the largest Cypress forest in the world. The bayou is divided into three areas—each part of the wa ...

in the 19th century. The Cemetery Records of Marion County by DeWare and Payne, states, "In 1846, Allen Urquhart, the donor of a public burial tract for Jefferson, substituted a 'larger and more beautiful site' to which prior burials were then moved." It is unknown how many graves at the old site were moved to present-day Oakwood. Burials apparently commenced at the new location; the oldest headstone in the cemetery standing today is that of Rev. Benjamin Foscue who died of

cholera Cholera is an infection of the small intestine by some strains of the bacterium ''Vibrio cholerae''. Symptoms may range from none, to mild, to severe. The classic symptom is large amounts of watery diarrhea that lasts a few days. Vomiting and ...

on January 1, 1850.Angels of Oakwood: Jefferson's Historic Cemetery by Mitchel Whitington In the spring of 1858, the minutes for the City of Jefferson indicate that attention was given to further planning at the cemetery. It is not called Oakwood, and there is no indication as to when that name was given. In 1862, the Mt. Sinai Jewish Cemetery was purchased adjacent to the city cemetery. Today it is encompassed by Oakwood's main fence. By 1872, city records clearly show the city cemetery in the present location of Oakwood. A

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

Section was added in 1880 by city ordinance. Sections were added over the years as needed, and in 1972, a fence was placed around the perimeter of all of the sections, giving the cemetery the definitive look that it has today.

Landmark designation

The

Texas Historical Commission The Texas Historical Commission is an agency dedicated to historic preservation within the state of Texas. It administers the National Register of Historic Places for sites in Texas. The commission also identifies Recorded Texas Historic La ...

recognized Jefferson's Oakwood Cemetery as a Texas Historical Cemetery on November 10, 2004, designating it as cemetery MR-C011.Texas Historical Commission website, http://www.thc.state.tx.us/

Notable interments

* Cullen Montgomery Baker (1835–1869), wild west desperado * David Culberson (1830–1900), Confederate Lt Colonel, Congressman from Texas *

Diamond Bessie Diamond Bessie (1854 - January 21, 1877) was the popular name given to Bessie Moore, née Annie Stone (although other sources give her birth name as Annie Moore), a prostitute whose murder in the woods outside Jefferson, Texas, propelled her to t ...

(1853–1877), murder victim and local legend (aka, Bessie Moore, née Annie Stone) *

Daniel J. Murphy Daniel Joseph Murphy Sr. (March 24, 1922 – September 21, 2001) was a four-star Admiral (United States), admiral in the United States Navy and an official in the Jimmy Carter, Carter and Ronald Reagan, Reagan administrations. Murphy grew up in ...

(1843–1879), Civil War

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor. ...

recipient * William Ochiltree (1811–1867), Representative in the Texas Legislature and Provisional Confederate Congress * Richard Waterhouse (1832–1876), Confederate Brigadier General

References

External links

* * {{Authority control Cemeteries in Texas Jefferson, Texas 1846 establishments in Texas Jewish cemeteries in Texas Roman Catholic cemeteries in the United States Confederate States of America cemeteries