Texas Band of Choctaw Indians

Tribal Cemetery Link Page

Sponsored by the Thompson-Choctaw Indian Descendants Association

Asbury Cemetery-Native American (Choctaw, Chickasaw and Cherokee) Located in rural southeast Smith County between the communities of Overton and Wright City. There are a few non-Indians (European Americans) buried in this part of the cemetery. However, most of these have ties by blood or marriage to the Choctaws and Cherokees buried there. Major Native families buried here are Thompson, Fannin-Doak, Harnage, Henson-Green, Jones and Starr.

Asbury Cemetery-African American This is included due to the number of African Americans who were former slaves of Choctaw and Cherokee Indians as well as some possibly being lineal descendants of the band. Cemetery is fenced off and next to the Native American Asbury Cemetery.

Battle of Neches Memorial. Located 12 miles west of Tyler on Van Zandt County Road 4923, is the final resting-place for several hundred Indians (mostly Cherokees) who were killed by the Texas Army in July of 1839. On the spot is a memorial marker to Chief Bowles (Duwali), where he was believed to have been murdered. The area is owned by the American Indian Heritage Center and is not connected to the Thompson-Choctaws or the Texas Band of Choctaw Indians, but its preservation is of keen interest to the band and of all Indians in east Texas.

Jackson-Browning Cemetery-Native American (Choctaw) Northeast quarter of Smith County near Rusk County line. South of County Road 2767, about 1/4 mile on oil road. Very small cemetery with the relatives of Andrew and Elizabeth Thompson-Jackson buried there.

Martin Cemetery (Cherokee) This cemetery is located on Trammel Trace between Tatam and Pine Hill. It is on the Panola/Rusk County line. It was the family cemetery of the early settler Daniel Martin. While there are a number of non-Indians in this cemetery, most are related to the Martins who have ties to the Cherokee community at Pine Hill and are believed to be descendants of Big Mush (Gatunwali). They were not historically a part of the later Mount Tabor Community in part due to family feelings related to the execution of Richard Fields in 1827.

Mayfield Cemetery-Native American (Cherokee) The cemetery is in eastern Rusk County located east of Pirtle, a community that was once also known as Bellview in the 1860’s. The cemetery is currently on private property owned by Mr. Willie George and there are only four graves in the cemetery. The cemetery is the final resting-place of Jesse Mayfield, husband of Sarah "Sally" Walker Starr.

Mount Tabor Indian Cemetery-Native American (Cherokee, Choctaw, Chickasaw and Muscogee) Original community cemetery approximately 6 miles south of Kilgore, Texas in northwest Rusk County and approximately 10 miles northeast of Overton. Oil field workers have destroyed the cemetery and the actual position of the cemetery is now known to only a few to further preservation until a determination for its restoration can be made. The cemetery is predominately Cherokee with few if any non-Indians buried here. Cemetery is located on the old home place of John Bell Jr. a signer of the Treaty of New Echota in 1835. Names of those that are buried there come mainly from the research of George Morrison Bell Sr., Mack Starr, Daisy Starr, Judge Foster T. Bean and J.C. Thompson in the 1970's and 80's. Major Native families buried here are Adair, Bell, Berryhill, Boon, Candy, Christie, Goss, Harnage, Horton, Jones, Mayfield, McNair, Rider, Starr, Thompson, Vann, and Wyche.

Overton City Cemetery (Choctaw, Cherokee, Chickasaw) Predominately non-Indian cemetery which has a large number of Native Americans buried there. This cemetery is in Overton, Texas, in northwestern Rusk County right on the Smith County line. Major Native families buried there are Thompson, Tucker, Jones, Green, Bynum, Christie, Lowry, Walker and Berry.

Salem Memorial Cemetery (Choctaw, Cherokee) Predominately non-Indian cemetery with a few Native Americans of which the majority were Choctaw descendants who married into local non-Indian families. Take Hwy 64 east to Wright City. Turn right on FM 15 toward Troup. Right on County Road 2110. Cemetery is on left. Major Native families buried here are Thompson and Tucker.

Starr-Bird Cemetery also known as Starr-Hawkins (Cherokee) Located on the east side of County Road 381. Go right on Hwy 271 to County Road 382, then right on County Road 381. Go past RR and turn in road; cemetery is on the east side of road. Note: There is a large flat monument on ground with this inscription: "Erected by J A Knowles in 1936 in memory of his grandfather, Wm. Henry Starr, born March 28, 1801, died July 28, 1864. Married first to Mahala Bird, of which union there were born thirteen children which included Sarah B Starr, mother of J A Knowles. After death of Mahala Bird Starr, Wm. Henry Starr married Mrs. Mary Hawkins, of which union three children were born. J.A. Knowles is the same person as James Alva Starr Knowles who is buried in the Thompson Cemetery in Rusk County.

Thompson Cemetery-Native American (Cherokee) Located on the old home place of Benjamin Franklin Thompson in extreme northeast Rusk County, south of Kilgore, Texas in the community of Laird Hill. It is the only tribal cemetery still owned by Thompson descendants. The only non-Indians buried here are those that have married into the Thompson family.

Union Grove Cemetery (Choctaw, Cherokee) Southeast Smith County located east of Troup about 4 miles, off FM 15 to the right. Cemetery is primarily non-Indian, however, a number of known Choctaw and Cherokee families and some believed to be Chickasaws are buried there. Major Native families buried here are Thompson, Cooper, Jones, Stone and Keel.

Throughout Rusk and Smith counties are cemeteries with some Native American people buried in them. Those listed above are distinctly Native American, predominantly Native American or those that have a large portion of Native Americans buried there.

The information provided here is free, as is the information from TXGENWEB links. However, it is not for commercial use. All uses other than personal must have written permission from the county TXGENWEB host and the Board of Directors of the Thompson-Choctaw Indian Descendants Association.

 

© 2001 Thompson-Choctaw Indian Descendants Association, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Texas Band of Choctaw Indians

P.O. Box 562

Overton, Texas 75684