Freestone County, Texas Cemeteries Adkins/Atkins Family Cemetery by Eric Bonner Wood ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Status: Inactive since 1930s Background: The old Adkins/Atkins cemetery was the family cemetery of William N. Atkins (1813-1873). William moved in about 1855 to Freestone Co., Texas from Arkansas. William and his son David ran a local mill according to the 1860 census. The cemetery probably began as the burial place in the late 1850s before the sale of the land in 1861. During the American Civil War, McAdams operated a tannery in the area making shoes for the CSA at Adkins Mill Pond. In 1873, William got injured in a work accident and then gangrene set in which killed him. Atkins family cemetery is likely located on the 272 acres on the Samuel Defer Preemption Patent which W. H. Atkins and C. Narsissa Atkins sold to Robert T. Johnson on April 13th 1861, Volume H., Bk. 1, page 268, Freestone County Deed Records. This property is located NE of Burleson Hill and borders the south side of Keechi creek. The old Adkins/Atkins cemetery was near Turlington. The cemetery is located south of Mt. Zion Cemetery and south of J. Ben Roberts place and George Solomon place near the Spring Community. Location - Directions - Go east on Highway 84 from Fairfield towards Turlington. Turn right on Rabbit Ridge Road. Cemetery Description: Spilt rail fence around the cemetery. There about 25 graves, mostly marked with rocks. Only one readable headstone is left. The property owner thought that at one time there were two readable tombstones. ============================================================ SURVEY AND TRANSCRIPTION STILL NEEDS TO BE DONE. Graves based on Obits and Tombstone: Graham, Mrs. Minerva [Atkins] 12/01/1859-03/16/1903 *O*; w/o R.G. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Graves based on Death Certificates: Graham, Reuben Garrison 11/23/1849-09/10/1928 *D* [Master of the Sugar Hill Grange at Mt. Zion community in 1887] [Mason at the Butler Masonic Lodge #224a] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Likely Graves (in death order): Atkins, Sophronia W. ??/??/1847-12/04/1861 age 14 Atkins, Julia Ann 09/15/1845-05/20/1862 age 16 Atkins, David R. 11/28/1843-11/??/1862 age 19; CSA 28th Reg TX Cav - Company H, Randal's 1st Lancers Atkins, Mary Jane 11/26/1856-12/23/1868 age 12 Emmons, Susannah C. Atkins 02/25/1842-??/??/1871 age 29 Atkins, Narsisah C. abt 1827-after 1888 Atkins, William N. 1813- 1873 age 60 Graham, Tabitha Ann Atkins 02/25/1854- abt 1887 Atkins, John C. 03/14/1852-after 1880 ==================================================================== Primary Sources: 1) Fairfield Recorder - April 5, 1903 "TURLINGTON - Mrs. Minerva Graham, wife of R.G. Graham of the Spring Community died on March 16th. Her remains were interred in the old Adkins burying ground near her home." 2) Death Certificate: Name: Reuben Garrison Graham Death date: 10 Sep 1928 Death place: Fairfield, Freestone, Texas Age at death: 78 years 10 months 17 days Gender: Male Race: White Marital Status: Widower Birth Date: Nov. 23, 1849 Birth Place: Alabama Occupation: Farmer Cause of Death: Bright disease Cemetery: Adkins Cemetery Undertaker: McIlveen & Steward of Fairfield, Tex. Informant: Mrs. Minnie Roberts of Fairfield, Texas Physician: W. N. Sneed of Fairfield, Tex. ---------------------------------------------------------- Secondary Sources: 3) Fairfield Recorder - March 23, 1888 issue: "MARRIED. At the residence of the bride's mother, 9 miles south-east of Fairfield, on Tuesday, March 29th 1888, Mr. R.G. Graham and Miss Minerva Adkins, R. J. Hatcher, J.P. officiating. The RECORDER tenders its best wishes to friend Doc and his bride, and hopes that a long and happy life awaits them." 4) 1880 US Census - Freestone Co., TX. - page #35, enum district #53, stamped 524 308/308 Graham, J. S. W M 34 laborer Graham, Lora W F 28? wife keeping house 309/309 Atkins, C. N. W F 52 farmer Atkins, John A. W M 28 son works in farm Atkins, Manerva J. W F 19 dau. at home 310/310 Graham, R. G. W M 30 farmer Graham, Ann W F 26 wife keeping house Graham, Minnie W F 6 dau. Graham, Mary W F 3 dau. 5) Minerva Atkins's sister, Harriett, married William Asa Winn on 21 Oct 1875 in Freestone County, TX. 6) Freestone County History Book, Vol II, page 134, article 24 spells the name Atkins. This article states that Minerva was the daughter of William N. Atkins (1813-1873) and Narsisah C. ?. Her father's first wife was Malinda W. ? (1820-1848) died in 1848. 7) 1860 census for Freestone County, Texas 426/433 [William H. Atkins and Narcissi C. (?)] Wm H Atkins 46 Male Miller 1200 359 Alabama ============================================================== Page 62 [Blank], Freestone County, Texas done Sept 6th, 1860 by W. R. Daviss Post Office: Keechi Stamped: [not visible] N C Atkins 33 Female Alabama David R Atkins 16 Male Miller 1200 568 Arkansas *S* Julia S Atkins 13 Female Arkansas *S* S W Atkins 12 Female Arkansas *S* John A Atkins 9 Male Arkansas Tabitha Atkins 7 Female Arkansas Mary Jane Atkins 5 Female Texas Sis Atkins 2 Female Texas A Watkins 23 Male Day Laborer [] [] Arkansas 8) Marriage Book 1 - Andrew Jackson Emmons married Susannah C. Atkins on 26 Apr 1857. 9) Deaths Reported at the Grand Lodge Meeting or Annual Lodge Returns Butler Masonic Lodge #224a: Adkins, W. H. 1874