Freestone County, Texas Cemeteries Gordon Cemetery (a.k.a. Spring Bank Cemetery) (Africian American Cemetery) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ [Information from Linda Mullen on Feb 2014 to July 2014] Location: Adjacent to the white Chancellor Union Cemetery 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. Background: The burial ground for the Spring Bank community (a small black community near the Ball Branch). Spring Bank had a Baptist church and a school that was part of the Blount School District (26 black pupils in 1887, 21 in 1893-94). The cemetery is considered by some as the slave cemetery for the Union Chancellor Cemetery. Some mulattos are buried here as some have pre-Civil War ties to the whites. Many of the descendants of those buried here are buried at Hopewell Cemetery or Fairfield Baptist Cemetery. The old bob wire fence that seperated Chancellor Union Cemetery from Gordon Cemetery ran from a large cedar tree just to the left of the Confederate Veterans Ring of Honor all the way across the cemetery running just behind the grave of Bobby Glen Chancellor and in front of the Thornton family graves. Earliest Existing Marked Grave: John Ingram 08/03/1915 Number of Unmarked Graves: Unknown =================================================================== Angrain, Martha 02/14/1846-09/22/1922 "At Rest" [Probably surname is written Ingram] [might be wife of Eli] Daniels, Sol[oman] 1870-08/09/1931 "To My Husband" [Mason] "Resting" *D*, h/o Sarah Daniels; informant: Robert Banks Eingram, John 06/07/1870-08/03/1915 "At Rest" [His name could be John E. Ingram.] [Probably husband to Nicie listed below] [Probably surname is written Ingram] Thornton, Lulie 09/22/1888-11/27/1927 "Asleep in Jesus"; *D* d/o Tom & Harett Thornton; [Note - death certificate says Spring Bank.] [Note - death certificate gives dates as 25 Sep 1886-17 Nov 1926] Thornton, Hairret 07/30/1860-11/29/1920 "Gone but not Forgotten" Thornton, Mary Jane (Strain) 08/10/1886-11/23/1925 "Sleep On Mother" *D* d/o Orange & Mandy Jackson Strain; informant: Charlie Thornton Thornton, Tom 10/14/1854-03/08/1942 "At Rest" *DEATH CERTIFICATE STATES 1924*; *D*; informant: Charlie Thornton Williams, Luella (Thornton) 09/18/1889-01/22/1953 "Gone but not Forgotten" *D* d/o Tom & Harett Thornton (11 ADDITIONAL GRAVES - MARKERS NOT LEGIBLE AND UNMARKED) ------------------------------------------- OTHER BURIED AT GORDON CEMETERY BASED ON DEATH CERTIFICATES Bryant, Emma B. (Thornton) abt 1912-27 May 1935 *D* d/o Charlie Thornton; w/o A. D. Bryant; informant: A.D. Bryant of Young, Texas; Ingram, Nicie ?-11/29/1936 *D* informant: Floyd Ingram; w/o John Ingram; race: white Strain, Bettie abt 1870-15 Feb 1925 d/o Rhubin Gorden?/Gordon?; informant: Tom Strain Thornton, Charlie 23 Nov 1883-06 Jan 1929 *D* s/o Tom & Harett Thornton; WWI Thornton, Reuben 3 Sep 1904*C*-23 Apr 1932 *D* s/o Charlie & May Jane Strain Thornton; h/o Enda? =================================================================== Tom Thornton married Harriet Jones on 20 July 1876 in Freestone Co., TX. 1880 census (Rehobath, Precinct 4) shows Thomas Thornton, wife Harriett, daughter Lou, daughter Martha, son Henry. 1900 census [ED 29 Precinct 1] shows 90/90 Tom Thornton, wife Harriett, daughter Lou, daughter Laney, son Charley, Maud daughter, Lillie daughter, Ella daughter, and William son. 1910 census (Precinct 4) shows 150/150 Thomas Thornton, wife Harriett, daughter Lula, Maud daughter, Lily daughter, Ella daughter, William son, Liney Lee daughter, Alberta Lee, Amie M Lee, and Lula M Lee. 1930 census (Precinct 4) shows 43/43 Maud Thornton Head F 39 Widow; Granddaughter: Emma Thornton 19, Niece: Minnie Thornton F 16, Maggie Thornton F 14, Mattie Thornton F 13, Kattie Thornton F 11, and Nephews: Charley Thornton M 10, W S Thornton M 8, Tom Thornton M 5 1940 census [81-9 Justice Precinct 4, Stewards Mill] shows 70/70 Maud Thornton Negro, age 48, Widow, head with 4 of her nephews: Charley Thornton, W. S. Thornton, Thomas Thornton, and A. D. Bryant. NOTE - Tom and Harriett ============================================================= LEGEND FOR CEMETERY LISTINGS: *O* = Obituary listed elsewhere on this site *D* = Death Certificate listed elsewhere on this site *B* = Biography listed elsewhere on this site *P* = Photo of tombstone on this website *S* = Social Security death index listed elsewhere on this site *C* = Calculated date based on death date - age given in years and months and days. y = year; mo or m = month; d = day(s); h/o = husband of; h1/o = first husband of; h2/o = second husband of w/o = wife of; w1/o = first wife of; w2/o = second wife of m = married to d/o = daughter of; s/o = daughter of ? = unknown birth date or death date (based on position) x2 marker = single marker for two graves, typically married couples TX = Texas; Cav = Cavalry CO = Company; Reg = Regiment; WWI = World War I; WWII = World War II; CSA = soldier in the Confederate States of America f.h. = funeral home marker h&f = husband & father