Freestone County, Texas Cemeteries Chancellor Union Cemetery (a.k.a. Union Church Cemetery) (a.k.a. Bowers Cemetery) (a.k.a. Hardshell Cemetery) near Fairfield, Freestone Co., TX Submitted by Sharon Pierce and Judy Greenway ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [UPDATE - EBW 7/24/2014] The black cemetery adjacent is named Gordon Cemetery. [UPDATE - EBW 12/28/2015] Union Church was part of the Big Creek Association in 1903. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- USGS Map: Young Quadrangle GPS Coordinates: Latitude: 31.7686, Longitude: -96.0728 Latitude: 31.768N, Longitude: -96.072W This cemetery is located outside of Fairfield. From Fairfield go NE on FM 2570 (a.k.a. Ranch Rd #1124) 2.4 miles (towards Young) to FM 3285 on the right, go 3.2 miles, cemetery is on left, in front of Fairfield Lake State Park entry gate. Chancellor Cemetery and Gordon Cemetery are located inside the Fairfield Lake State Park. The cemetery is kept up by the Chancellor Family Association. They meet in April and September at the cemetery for clean-up. The Chancellor Family reunion is the first weekend in October at the cemetery. Caretakers are Jerry and Jody Chancellor Nolen. Read by Judy Greenway and Logan Varner March 11, 2000 Historical Marker: Chancellor Union Cemetery Reuben and Mary Chancellor moved to Texas from Wilcox County, Alabama in the 1850’s with their ten children and eleven slaves. They settled on 576 acres in the rural community known as Brown’s Creek. The Chancellor family donated four and one-half acres of land for church, education and burial purposes. The regular Predestinarian Primitive Baptist Church was organized in 1854. The church structure also served as a school and a community center, and was the site of many gatherings for area residents. The Chancellor Union Cemetery was established here. The earliest marked grave is that Of an infant child of J B and Sarah Chancellor Lee in 1857. A separate section of the cemetery was dedicated to the former slaves. The earliest marked grace in that Section is that of John E Ingram in 1915. Among the 90 marked and unmarked graves are four generations of Chancellor’s, pioneer settlers to the area, many infant burials and veterans of the Civil War and World War II. The Chancellor Union Cemetery continues to serve the vicinity as it has for more than 140 years and is maintained by an active association of descendants of people that are buried here. (1996) In front of the cemetery is a “Ring of Honor” with headstones honoring those who served in the Civil War ----some of these men do not have headstones in the cemetery. From left to right: PVT Thomas J Chancellor Co F Wauls Legion Tx PVT Jackson Chancellor Co B 12 Tx CAV 1815-1870 Corp Daniel J Chancellor Co E Inf Miss Reg T CSA Oct 4 1837 Oct 31 1913 Corp King Chancellor Co I 12 Tx Inf CSA Feb 11 1830 Nov 24 1912 PVT George Chancellor Co I 12 Tx Inf CSA PVT William T Talley Co F 14 Tx Inf CSA 2d SERG William B Harper 19 Brig Tx CSA 1815-1895 PVT David D Chancellor Co B 12 Tx Cav CSA 1844-1864 Killed in battle PVT Thomas Y Logan Co E 55 ALA Vols CSA Oldest Marked Grave: 25 June 1857 ============================================================================ Partial list of funerals performed by Brother H. L. McKissack (a traveling pastor) where cemetery is listed as "Hardshell": Little Marjorie Levita Phails on Aug. 18, 1925, Bud Ivy on Nov. 17, 1931, Mrs. E. C. Gilden on Dec. 3, 1934, Rhetha Mae Chancellor on Mar. 3, 1935, and L. D. Ivy on June 22, 1936 ============================================================================ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- INVENTORY OF GRAVES ARMSTRONG, L. G. - NO DATE ARMSTRONG, WILL V. 04-02-1880 / 06-13-1919 BARKER, ELLIS WAYNARD 01-17-1925 / 07-04-1983 WWII (H/O RUBY CHANCELLOR) BOWERS, A. E.(AMANDA ELIZABETH CHANCELLOR)1849 / 5-18-20 (D/O REUBEN & MARY, W/O I.W. BOWERS) BOWERS, I. W. 06-14-1849 / 01-26-1925 (H/O AMANDA) (his death certificate says he was buried at "Union Church" cemetery) (was a farmer that also was a preacher) BROWN, INFANT NO DATES CARTER, INFANT NO DATES CHANCELLOR, ALICE EMMA 02-17-1901 / 03-14-1983 (W/O THOMAS YOUNG) CHANCELLOR, ANNIE 1886 / 1891(D/O JACK & ELLEN) CHANCELLOR, DAN 1891 / 1914 (S/O JACK & ELLEN) CHANCELLOR, DANIEL JACKSON 1837 / 1913 CSA CO E 35 MISS REGT. (S/O REUBEN & MARY, B/O KING RUEBEN, H/O ELLEN & SALLY) CHANCELLOR, [ELIZA] ELLEN [BRINKLEY] 1852 / 1894 (W/O DANIEL JACKSON) CHANCELLOR, GEORGE ELLIOTT 10-21-1890 / 05-04-1979 (S/O JACK & ELLEN, H/O ONIE) CHANCELLOR, GEORGE JACKSON 01-27-1921/10-07-1982 WWII (S/O GEORGE & ONIE, H/O GERTIE) CHANCELLOR, GERTIE LEE 10-13-1927 / 10- 1993 (W/O JACK) CHANCELLOR, JACKSON 1875 / 1876 (S/O JACK & ELLEN) CHANCELLOR, JACKSON 1815 / 1870 CHANCELLOR, JAMES 1873 / 1874 (S/O JACK & ELLEN) CHANCELLOR, JOHN THOMAS(J.T.) 06-23-1920 / 10-02-1987 WWII (S/O TOM & ALICE) CHANCELLOR, KING "KWG" 1872 / 1893 (S/O JACK & ELLEN, CROSS SHAPE, SURNAME LOOKS LIKE "Hawgell Jr") CHANCELLOR, KR (KING) 02-11-1830 / 11-24-1912 CSA (S/O REUBEN) CHANCELLOR, KING WILLIAM 10-07-1924 / 04-08-1994 WWII (S/O GEORGE E. & ONIE, H/O MARY F.) CHANCELLOR, MARY (DICKSON) 09-11-1808 / 07-28-1873 (W/O RUEBEN) CHANCELLOR, ONIE ORDELLA 06-22-1902 / 09-12-1979 (W/O GEORGE ELLIOTT) CHANCELLOR, RETHA MAE 02-02-1920 /03-02-1935 (D/O GEORGE ELLIOTT & ONIE) CHANCELLOR, RUEBEN 09-29-1802/09-09-1870 (H/O MARY)(OLDEST CHANCELLOR BURIED) CHANCELLOR, THOMAS YOUNG 08-08-1882 / 08-10-1961 (S/O JACK & ELLEN, H/O ALICE) CHANCELLOR, WILLIAM H. 1827 / 07-30-1905 CSA CHANCELLOR, WILLIAM 1876-[05/??/]1893 (S/O JACK & ELLEN) ESTANBLAO, CHAVEZ 11-13-1906 / 06-29-1980 EVANS, EBER 1865 / 1895 FAIL, MARGIE LAUILLA 08-17-1925 INFANT(D/O MINNIE LANE & LT FAILS NIECE TO GEORGE E CHANCELLOR) NO MARKER GILDON, ELLENDER (SELF) Sep. 27, 1850 d. Dec. 2, 1934 d/o Tilmon & Mary Bride (Thorn) Self; h/o Richard Raymond Gildon [Gildon, Richard Raymond Jul. 11, 1845 - Feb. 16, 1909 buried in unmarked grave] GILMORE, MINNIE Aug., 1920 - Jan. 3, 1922 HARPER, BILL 1815 / 1895 CSA HARPER, FRANK - NO DATES Harris, Sgt William B 1815-1895 (2d Serg 19th Brig Texas CSA) IVY, MRS. D. S. 02-16-1878 / 01-26-1918 "Dear Mother, Thou art gone but not forgotten." IVY, L. D. 12-24-1918 / 06-21-1936 IVY, MILBURN I. 09-04-1910 / 11-06-1983 (CK DATES) IVY, W. F. "BUD" 1860 / 11-16-1932 JOHNSON, EMANUEL 1886 / 1905 LATHAM, MR. W. W. 08-24-1863/UNKNOWN LEE, (INFANT) D. 06-25-1857 (S/O JB & SARAH) LEE, BLACKMON 07-08-1872 / 08-14-1882 (CK DATES)(S/O JB & SARAH) LEE, FRANK (FRANCIS)? 08-03-1869 / 3-16-1873 (D/O JB & SARAH) LEE, JACOB B. ? / 06-04-1903 CSA (H/O SARAH)(DONATED LAND) LEE, MARY J. 01-12-1863 / 10-14-1865 (D/O JB & SARAH) LEE, RICHARD 01-11-1861 / 1932 (S/O JB & SARAH) LOGAN, MRS. M[ARY] F. [CHANCELLOR TALLEY] 10-11-1832 / 12-02-1912 (D/O REUBEN & MARY) MOORE, MINNIE LEE 08-1919 / 01-03? NO MARKER MOULDER, CALVIN 1882-1905 RANKIN, ELIZA 1880 / 1905 (CK DATES)(D/O JACK & ELLEN) SMITH, MATT (MATTIE MARTHA) 1839 / 3-14-1916 (D/O REUBEN & MARY, W/O TOM SMITH) SMITH RATCHEL 1881 / 1903 SPEED, INFANTS [of Albert Brown Speed - Source: Judy Nolen and Linda Mullen] MARKER NO DATES Talley, Pvt. William T Co F, 14th Texas Inf, CSA WEAVER, JAMES ARCHIE 10-4-1923/3-16-1992 WEEKS, (THREE INFANT) 1908 ONLY DATE THREE UNMARKED ------------------------------------------- MEANINGS: H/O = HUSBAND OF W/O = WIFE OF S/O = SON OF D/O = DAUGHTER OF B/O = BROTHER OF