Freestone County, Texas
Cemeteries



Edwards/Troy/Sand Town Cemetery

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Submitted by: Eric Bonner Wood

Status: Extemely old cemetery for the county.  Abandoned about 1856.

Coordinates:  31 degrees - 47 minutes - 30.71 seconds N; 
              95 degrees - 59 minutes - 22.16 seconds W

Background:  This cemetery is said by different sources to be for the ghost
towns of Troy or Sand Town.

Location: Situated on private property near the Trinity River.  East-NE of
Fairfield on Hugh Bonner land, near Trinity River.  The cemetery is overgrown
with timber.  Warning - there are old unmarked and uncovered wells and cisterns
that one could easily stumple down in the area.

Directions #1: Proceed out FM 2570 to junction with county road that connects
to FM 1364,  Turn left at this junction and go .4 mile to double gate; enter
through right gate entrance and travel .6 miles to where road joins pipe line
right-of-way for 1.1 miles then turn right along a jeep road for .4 mile to
cemetery.

Directions #2: Go past I. G. C. plant toward Cook's Lake, come to locked gate
with sign "Wildlife Preserve".  Turn right and from there on, someone will have
to take you to the cemetery.  

Oldest Marked Grave: Mar 17, 1853  William Adams

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Adams, William L.              05/04/1815-03/17/1853  
  [See #130 in 1850 Limestone Co. census]
  [was Troy's first postmaster, serving from Nov. 4, 1850 to Dec. 8, 1852.]
  [Original petitioner of the Pine Bluff Masonic Lodge #85.]
  [his wife (Letitia Ann Goodman) and daughter are buried at Fairfield Cemetery]
  
Edwards, B[enjamin] F[ranklin]       1803-04/16/1855
[Vol II, Edwards Cemetery list this grave as I did.  Vol II, Troy Cemetery lists
this as "Edwards, B. F. and wife  ?-4/16/1855"] [See #108 in 1850 Limestone 
County census.  See H of FC, Vol I, #289. Brother of Haden Edwards.  Benjamin 
and Haden were leaders of the Fredonian Rebellion at Nacogdoches in 1826.]


Edwards, W. C.                 01/22/1853-01/12/1855


-------------------------------
UNMARKED GRAVES (According to research):

[Source: Sylvia Childs in p. 316 Freestone County History Bk., Vol I:
 
Nancy (Sellers) Child  ??/??/1824 - 12/25/1867  (w/o Edward Washington Childs )
Frances Child          06/11/1850-12/15/1867 (d/o Edward and Nancy) (twin of Jane)
Jane Child             06/11/1850-12/15/1867 (d/o Edward and Nancy) (twin of Frances)

   The family came to Freestone County, Texas in 1865 settling in Sandtown, a 
small community near Cooks Ferry on the Trinity River.  His wife, Nancy, and 
twin daughters died December 25, 1867, of malaria fever.  They are buried in a 
cemetery near Sandtown.  The family again moved to the Antioch Community, and 
here he resided until his death at the age of 86.

[Possible grave:
Texas State Gazette; published in Austin, Texas; May 12, 1855 edition; Page: 292:

 We learn from the Leon Pioneer that Waco Edwards, an old Texan, a citizen of 
Freestone county, was killed a short time since by a young man, by the named of
Horn.  It seems that Edwards had made some remarks derogatory to the honesty of
Horn, which coming to his ears, he rode up to Edward's home, called him out and
asked him if he said so and so, on Edwards answering in the affirmative he shot
him down in his tracks with a double barreled shot gun.  This is rumor - we do
not vouch or its correctness.  Report says that Horn has been arrested."]

[Possible grave:
Wilson, Leonidas F. (died 1852) (member of the Pine Bluff Masonic Lodge #85).]