Franklin County Cemeteries

This page includes photos, books, and descriptions of cemeteries in Franklin County. The cemetery descriptions are primarily from Chapter II of Historical Records of Franklin County,Texas by B. F. Hicks and Doris Meek, and are reproduced here with their permission.

For updated cemetery descriptions and GPS coordinates, as well as an alphabetized listing of all-known burials in Franklin County cemeteries, consult the book Rural Cemeteries of Franklin County, Texas, updated in 2014.

These books, as well as other cemetery-related titles, are highlighted in the photo gallery below and also available for purchase.

Click the button below to view a PDF of a recent article in the Mt. Vernon Optic-Herald, published June 13, 2019, listing all of the cemetery associations in Franklin County. This article includes contact information for each cemetery association, including mailing addresses, phone numbers, personal contacts, and regular meeting information.

Please note that the following descriptions are taken from Chapter II of Historical Records of Franklin County,Texas, reproduced here with permission. This book was compiled between 1967 and 1972, with word usage common to that time period. The estimates of number of graves in each cemetery may or may not be correct, depending on whether or not burials were still taking place after its publication. The cemetery descriptions were written by B. F. Hicks. The list below has been alphabetized by the most common name of each cemetery.

Large cemetery located in the southern end of the county. Cemetery contains approximately 300 graves and is in good condition. Burials probably started in the 1880's. The earliest tombstone is that of W.E. Mullinax who was born Nov. 26, 1884 and died Jan 28, 1887.

• Click here to see a full list of those buried in Bethel Cemetery from the Bethel Cemetery Association website.

• Click here to view the Bethel Cemetery list from the Texas Gravestone Photo Project website.

This is a lost family cemetery of the Cannon family. It is on land belonging to Mr. Chucky Frazier about two miles south of Hagansport. No sign of this cemetery remains and it was probably abandoned about 1900.

This is a lost cemetery of the Cherry and Keener families. It is located about one mile northwest of the Daphne Methodist Church. Until 1970 from five to ten marble tombstones and about ten wooden posts marked the graves of members of these related families. Unfortunately, the land has been bulldozed to clear underbrush and only three ancient cedars and some clumps of daffodils remain as signs of this cemetery.

A cemetery of approximately 250 graves located about five miles northeast of Winnsboro. This cemetery is surrounded by a chain link fence and is in excellent condition. Several tombstones in this cemetery date from the 1870's and one dates to the 1860's. Arthur W. Bradley's monument shows the date of his death as July 19, 1866.

An old, poorly kept cemetery located about 1 mile west of highway 37, midway between Hagansport and White Oak Creek. About 80 graves are recognizable today. Burials probably started in the 1870's although the earliest marked graves date only from the 1890's.

• 2018 Update:  Click here to view the Colliers Chapel Cemetery list from the Texas Gravestone Photo Project website.

• 2010 Update:  Colliers Chapel Cemetery is another rural cemetery that once had fallen into a sad state, but no longer so. The beautiful cemetery is on land that was donated by the Elliott family of Hagansport many, many years ago. For the past several years the cemetery has been well kept by mainly the Talley family, descendants of the Elliotts, who organized a board and rallied support for the cemetery. Many of those concerned with the cemetery are descendants of the Elliott families who are buried there. There are now two workdays per year, and an annual meeting and lunch on the last Saturday of September to conduct business. The cemetery is fenced with a wrought iron gate. At the September 2010 meeting, plans were discussed, among other things, for a circular roadway to provide easier access to the entire cemetery. Efforts are on-going to present a well-kept cemetery to honor those buried there. ~Update provided by Sue Bolin, Oct. 2010

Large well-kept cemetery of at least 500 graves located beside the Cypress Baptist Church in the southern end of the county. Cemetery was probably started in the early 1850's. The earliest marked gravesite is that of Mary G. Sparks who was born Feb 4, 1818 and died May 15, 1856.

• Click here to view the Cypress Cemetery list from the Texas Gravestone Photo Project website.

• Click here to see a partially transcribed list of the graves at Cypress Cemetery from the Interment.net website.

The largest and only remaining Negro cemetery in Franklin County and is located behind the Denton Baptist Church about two miles south of Mt.Vernon's business district but within the city limits of Mt. Vernon. There are probably slightly over 200 graves in this large cemetery. Only one tombstone was found which dated in the years before 1900 and that was the tombstone of A.D. Blackburn who died July 17, 1890.

This is an abandoned cemetery about one mile northwest of Hagansport on land belonging to Mr. Monroe Elliott. At one time the cemetery covered a half acre, but today only three wooden stakes mark gravesties. There have been no burials in this cemetery since the turn of the century. Members of the Pike, Duty, Elliott, and Clampitt families are buried in this cemetery.

Well-kept cemetery located in the northwestern corner of Franklin County. It contains around 300 graves. Burials probably started in the 1870's. One of the earliest marked graves is that of Wilson B. Westerman who was born in 1851 and died Dec. 3, 1881.

• Click here to view the Fairview Cemetery list from the Texas Gravestone Photo Project website.

A chain link fence encloses this lost family cemetery on the east side of the south rest area on Interstate Highway 30 about three miles west of Mt. Vernon. No information was found concerning the people who are buried in this small cemetery.

A large well-kept cemetery of some 400 graves. The cemetery was behind the old Friendship Church which was torn down in 1967. The church and cemetery were once the center of the Friendship Community. The cemetery was quite possibly started by the Garmack family who lost two small sons within three days in February 1876. These Garmack children, Charles and Joseph, have the oldest dated tombstones in the cemetery.

• Click here to view the Friendship Cemetery list from the Texas Gravestone Photo Project website.

The Fuquay family cemetery contains approximately 100 graves and is still used today by members of the Fuquay family. The cemetery is located northeast of Hopewell and is in excellent condition. The earliest marked grave is that of Andrew Fuquay who died Oct 13, 1876.

• Click here to view the Fuquay Cemetery list from the Texas Gravestone Photo Project website.

Cemetery of some 300 graves located in the area of the Glade Springs community behind the Glade Springs Baptist Church. The cemetery is fenced and in excellent condition. Burials may have started in the late 1860's, but the earliest marked grave is that of Dan Dupree, born in 1870 and died in April 1880.

• Click here to see a partially transcribed list of the graves at Glade Springs Cemetery from the Interment.net website.

• Click here to view the Glade Springs Cemetery list from the Texas Gravestone Photo Project website.

This is a lost cemetery of the Goode family. The site of the cemetery was the site former Franklin County Judge Neal Duvall selected for his homestead about three miles southeast of Hagansport. There were never tombstones in this small family cemetery and it was probably abandoned by 1900.

This well-kept cemetery of about 250 graves is located on the south side of Cypress Creek beside the Good Hope Baptist Church. This cemetery was probably founded around 1910 with the establishment of the Good Hope Church.

A lost cemetery located on top of a hill about one-half mile north of Newsom's Meat Packing Plant. The only tombstone is to the memory of Richard Graham who was born Sep 3, 1807 and died March 4, 1854. This cemetery is on land belonging to F. J. Joyce. A fence protected the small cemetery until it fell from decay sometime in the 1950's. Since the fence has fallen, cattle have destroyed most of the traces of the 20 or more graves. The graves were covered with row upon row of bricks.

• 2008 Update: Graham Cemetery is a small family plot one-fourth mile northeast of the intersection of CRNE 2100 and CRNE 2010 in a grove of elm, persimmon, and bois d’arc in an open field. It is probably one of the oldest in Franklin County. The cemetery was referred to earlier as the Ury Cemetery, the name of the original surveyor and owner of the surrounding land. There were possibly a few dozen graves covered by bricks that are now covered over and one substantial marker for Richard Graham, born Sept. 3, 1807 and died March 4, 1854. The plot is west of the site of an antebellum home that dominated the hilltop. ~Update provided by Ed Joyce, Aug. 2008

Large old cemetery in what once was the center of the Gray Rock Community. There are at least 350 graves. This cemetery is located about one mile west of Winfield on the south service road of Interstate 30. The earliest burial is that of Lula Smith, daughter of J.C. and M.J. Smith who was born Nov 9, 1871 and died Feb 15, 1872.

• Click here to view the Gray Rock Cemetery list from the Texas Gravestone Photo Project website.

Cemetery of around 250 graves in the Hagansport community. Burials probably started in the 1880's. The people of the community had probably used the Pierces Chapel Cemetery previous to the start of Hagansport Cemetery. The earliest marked grave is that of Laura Terry who was born June 13, 1870 and died Oct 13, 1887.

A very poorly kept cemetery in the Hopewell community. It contains perhaps 500 graves but is in such poor condition it is dangerous to hazard a guess. Slaves were buried in the back part of this cemetery and a Negro section is reserved today. This is one of five cemeteries in Franklin County where tombstones dating to the 1850's still stand -- though no one is acting at Hopewell to preserve these ancient markers. The earliest marked grave is that of Samuel Suggs who died July 26, 1856. Emma Stokes and Ida Joyce were both buried in this cemetery in 1857.

• Click here to see a partially transcribed list of the graves at Hopewell Cemetery from the Interment.net website.

• 2018 Update:  Click here to view the Hopewell Cemetery list from the Texas Gravestone Photo Project website.

• 2008 Update: Hopewell Cemetery is located about 5 miles southeast of Mt. Vernon on SH 21, facing the Hopewell Cumberland Presbyterian Church in the Hopewell community. This site is on the Old Jefferson Road used by many people coming into North Texas. The cemetery is one of the oldest in Franklin County, with markers dating to 1854, and it is believed that as many as 500 graves may exist, even though some of the earliest were poorly marked and have become lost. In 1982, the cemetery effort was revitalized, and the cemetery is now well-maintained and has available space. The families with several members buried here are the Rogers, Laws, Rutledge, Joyce, Harvey, Taylor, Rodgers, Loveless, and Traylor. ~ Update provided by Ed Joyce, Aug. 2008

This small family cemetery located near the old Flora Bluff community about six miles east of Mt. Vernon. William Hughes, who was born in North Carolina in 1790 and died in 1854, is buried in this cemetery as is his wife Eleanor Dyles Hughes. Several of the Hughes children and possibly members of other related families are buried in this cemetery. William Hughes is possibly the only veteran of the War of 1812 buried in Franklin County. He served in Pugh's Company, North Carolina, during 1813 and 1814. From North Carolina Hughes moved into Tennessee where he married and then on to Texas in 1840.

A small family cemetery located south of Mt. Vernon. No tombstones or markers of any kind are left at the site of this cemetery.

Well-kept cemetery located at the cite of the old camp meeting ground near the Purley community. The cemetery contains some 300 graves. The oldest marked grave is that of L.M. Tittle who was born in 1836 and died in 1870.

• Click here to see a transcribed list of the graves at Liberty Cemetery from the Interment.net website.

• Click here to view the Liberty Cemetery list from the Texas Gravestone Photo Project website.

This cemetery is in the Macon Community. Located in the southeastern edge of the County, the cemetery contains around 200 graves. Burials probably started in the late 1880’s. The first marked grave is that of Sue Swayze who was born Sept. 3, 1829 and died March 8, 1890.

• Click here to view the Macon Cemetery list from the Texas Gravestone Photo Project website.

This lost cemetery located about seven miles northeast of Mt. Vernon on the Slaughter Ranch. It is in the middle of a dense thicket and was found only after considerable trouble by Mr. Otis H. Slaughter Jr., my uncle Mr. Charles Hughes, and myself. Only one tombstone could be found, but Mr. Hughes and Mr. Slaughter both report that there were two other tombstones at one time. The tombstones mark the graves of Mexican copper miners, who settled in the area in the 1870's. Several years ago someone dug into the graves, and three sunken areas still remain in the vicinity of the graveyard. The single remaining tombstone stands about five feet high and is about two feet wide and four inches thick. The letters ALM are inscribed on the tombstone.

Cemetery is located northeast of Mt. Vernon across White Oak Creek. It is a well-kept cemetery behind the Midway Church. It was probably started around 1900 since no tombstone was found dating before 1900.

Largest cemetery in Franklin County with well over 2,500 graves. Located on the south side of Highway 67 west just within the city limits of Mt. Vernon. Oldest marked gravesite in the county is that of S. J. Ely in the city cemetery who died in 1852. Harny B. Carr also has one of the oldest marked gravesites in the county -- born June 22, 1805, died Sept. 15, 1853. The oldest marker in Titus County is dated 1843. The oldest in Lamar County is dated 1837. Considering the movement of civilization into Texas from the North and East, it is understandable that tombstones would make their first appearance in Franklin County in 1852.

• Click here to view the Mt. Vernon City Cemetery list from the Texas Gravestone Photo Project website.

This is a small family cemetery of about 25 graves located about two miles east of the Lake Chapel House of Prayer on Highway 37. Most of the graves are for members of the Murphree family although, members of the Goode and Price families are also buried in this cemetery. The tombston of Lillie Mae Murphree, daughter of W.E and L.A. Murphree, is the oldest in the cemetery. Lillie Mae Murphree died in 1904.

A lost cemetery about one-half mile north of the Emerson Dairy Farm. The cemetery would probably be in the center of what was once the Union Community. It is located about ten miles southwest of Mt. Vernon. The cemetery is not fenced and is in very poor condition. No road leads to it today. Some people call it the Carson Cemetery, but I could find no Carson burials in this cemetery. Members of the O’Neal, Canaday, Huffman, and Woosley families are buried in this cemetery. There are other unmarked graves and they probably represent other families. The earliest tombstone is that of the infant daughter of D.M. and Louisa Huffman who died Dec. 5, 1859. The latest burial to take place in this cemetery was probably that of Ann Huffman who died Dec. 5, 1912. Ther are five very interesting unmarked crypts in this cemetery. No one today seems to know who is buried in these crypts. Three members of the Casey family are buried here, who were in-laws of the Carsons.

This is a small, lost cemetery near the old Huckleberry Community about six miles northeast of Mt. Vernon. Mr. and Mrs. Jim Laughton told me of this cemetery and then directed me to it. The cemetery is in the middle of a woods and can only be seen when nearly upon it. It is surrounded by a chain link fence, but it is rapidly deteriorating. There are nine distinguishable graves. The two earliest graves are those of James M. Perrin and his wife Virginia Perrin. James Perrin was born Oct.2, 1813. Virginia was born Jan 6, 1822. They died the same day, Nov. 12, 1866. The last burial in the cemetery was that of Ramon Perrin, son of W. L. and Mary Perrin, who died Jan. 26, 1905.

This is also called the Keith cemetery because of the many members of the Keith family buried in this cemetery. Located about two miles northwest of the Hagansport Community , this cemetery is the oldest in the northern part of the county. This cemetery is uncared for and is in poor condition. Mrs. Immadell Hunt of Hagansport directed me to this and several other cemeteries of the Hagansport area. The oldest grave with a tombstone in this cemetery is that of Mary Walker, the daughter of L.S. and Susan Walker, who was born Oct. 26, 1857 and died Jan 10, 1865.

• 2010 Update: Pierce Chapel is now a beautiful, well-kept, peaceful cemetery with many large trees overlooking a small lake on the neighboring property. There has been great effort put forth, in particular by the Stanley, Keith, and Ringo families, to improve the condition of Pierce Chapel Cemetery. There is a new gateway arch at the entrance, and an annual Spring workday & board meeting with luncheon. In May 2010, the Cemetery board and members who were present agreed to go ahead with plans to have Pioneer Memorials in Sulphur Springs clean markers, repair broken stones, and place small permanent markers at each known grave. The cemetery has been cleared of destructive plants that were detrimental to markers, pushing them over or completely hiding the gravestones. These families are few in number, but they have much love for the resting place of their loved ones and even for people of yesterday, whom they did not even know and whose families are no longer in this area.  They are committed to Pierce Chapel Cemetery being one that honors those who have gone before. ~Update provided by Sue Bolin, Oct. 2010

An excellently preserved cemetery west of the Purley Community. There are at least 400 graves. Captain F. Marion Hastings is buried in this cemetery and a Texas Historical Marker designates his grave. The Pleasant Hill Cemetery is the site of an old camp meeting ground of the Methodist Church and at least four acres surrounding the cemetery still belong to the Methodist Church. Burials probably started in the 1890’s although no tomstones dating before 1900 could be found.

• Click here to view the Pleasant Hill Cemetery list from the Texas Gravestone Photo Project website.

This is a poorly kept cemetery of some 50 graves located in the western edge of the Talco Oil Field. The cemetery is just within the bounds of Franklin County. It is surrounded by a chain link fence. The oldest tombstone and only one dating before 1900 is that of Rufus Nowell who was born Nov. 25, 1859 and died Aug. 19, 1896.

Cemetery of over 1,000 graves located about three miles south of Mt. Vernon. This cemetery is well cared for and is enclosed with a chain link fence. Across the road from it is the Providence Primitive Baptist Church. The first burials in this cemetery probably took place in the 1860's. The earliest tombstone in the cemetery is that of John L. Wilkerson who died Sep. 8, 1870. John L. was the son of J. W. and Fannie Wilkerson. The oldest tombstone of any adult buried in Providence Cemetery is that of Nixon Davis, who was born in April 1826 and died Sept. 28, 1871.

• Click here to view grave listings and lost graves at the Providence Cemetery Association website.

• Click here to view the Providence Cemetery list from the Texas Gravestone Photo Project website.

Cemetery located in the Purley community containing at least 250 graves. This cemetery is in excellent condition. The earliest grave is that of John J. Roberts who was born May 21, 1837 and died Aprril 18, 1889. Burials probably did not start in this cemetery until the Purley Church was built nearby in the 1880’s. Early residents in the Purley community buried their dead in the Liberty or Pleasant Hill Cemeteries.

• Click here to view the Purley Baptist Church Cemetery list from the Texas Gravestone Photo Project website.

Cemetery south of Macon about one mile. This cemetery covers approximately one acre, but only about 100 gravesites can be found today. The cemetery is surrounded by a barbed wire fence and can be reached only by crossing a cattle guard and following a right-of-way through a private pasture. The cemetery is in very poor condition and probably few burials have taken place in the last 40 years. Burials probably started in the late 1870’s. The earliest monument is to the memory of Willie H. Terrell who was born April 4, 1879 and died July 11, 1881.

• View updates on the Rockhill Cemetery Franklin County TX Facebook page.

A small cemetery of some 50 graves located about three miles north of Winnsboro. No tombstones dating before 1900 were found in this small well-kept cemetery. One confederate veteran is buried in this cemetery-Levi Glover of Company F, of the Third Louisiana Cavalry. Members of the Elliott, Henry, Berry, and Payne families are buried in this cemetery.

• Click here to view the Rock Springs Cemetery list from the Texas Gravestone Photo Project website.

This lost cemetery is said to be the cemetery for a group of Seventh Day Adventist Families which moved into the northern end of the county in the 1880’s. It is beside a blacktop road about four miles east of Highway 37 at the Lake Chapel House of Prayer. There are seven recognizable graves marked by large stones or wooden stakes under two ancient cedars.

A lost family cemetery about two miles northeast of Hagansport. Mr. Monroe Elliott of Hagansport directed me to this cemetery. According to Mr. Elliott there were once about ten wooden stakes marking gravesites in this cemetery. There have been no burials for at least 60 years. The cemetery is on land belonging to Mr. Will Singleton and is rented to Billy Bert Newsom.

A lost cemetery in the woods about one fourth mile north of the Murphree Cemetery. Although there may have been other graves, only three are distinguishable today. There is a double tombstone for Noah Smith and his wife Mary E. and a single tombstone for Della May, daughter of W.W. and Mollie Smith. Mary E. Smith who died May 1891 has the earliest marked grave.

This is a small, fenced, abandoned cemetery of the Brannan and Snodgrass families. There are no more than 15 graves, five of which are marked with tombstones. The earliest marked gravesite is that of James Brannan who was born April 28, 1850 and died Feb 17, 1878. The latest burial is probably that of Margaret R. Brannan who died Feb 4, 1932.

Lost Negro cemetery about one mile south of the Hamilton Community, northwest of Mt. Vernon. A Negro community of perhaps ten or twelve families lived in this area through the 1930’s. As late as 1960 several marble tombstones identified the site of this cemetery; however, no trace of these markers can be found today. The markers have either been stolen or fallen down and been covered with debris. The cemetery is called Wakefield because several members of the Russ Wakefield family are said to be buried there. Probably members of the other families in the community are also buried there.

This is a small family cemetery of about 25 graves. Although no road leads to this cemetery today, it is fenced and cared for by members of the Wims family. It is in the northern end of the county about three miles northeast of Hagansport. The oldest tombstone is that of John Wims who was born in 1852 and died April 12, 1865. The latest burial to take place in this cemetery was that of Lena Wims, wife of Richard Wims, who was born Sept. 20,1862 and died Nov. 9, 1936.

A lost cemetery located in a grove of trees atop a hill about three-fourths of a mile northwest of the Big Creek Bridge on Highway 67 west of Mt. Vernon. There were possibly ten graves although only six markers remain today. Two of the six markers are stone and four are wooden stakes. One of the stone markers is a marble tombstone. This marble tombstone is inscribed to the memory of Elizabeth Yates who was born March 23, 1850 and died July 12, 1857.

Note: An earlier version of this page can also be viewed at the Franklin County, Genealogy - TXGenWeb Project website.