Freestone County, Texas Cemeteries Varnell Cemetery ----------------------------------------------------------------- USGS Map: Dew Quadrangle (eastern edge of map) GPS Coordinates: 31.31.41 N; 096.07.41 W The old Varnell cemetery is no more. It was located on land owned by the coal mining company and they have mined the area where the cemetery use to be. Location: South of Dew. East of Donie. On the hill slopes east of Spring Branch. Just west of 45 between halfway between Dew and Buffalo. West of #694. North of #691. East of #681. Get to it by #694 and take dirt road circle west. It off the dirt road in the woods off a pipeline. Near the border with Leon County. Historical Marker: Varnell Cemetery In November and December 2001, the remains of 20 individuals were removed from the Varnell Cemetery and reburied here. The Varnell Cemetery was approximately five miles northest of this site and contained only two marked graves, those of Mary A. E. Radford and her aunt's mother-in-law, Sarah Williamson. Archeological excavation identified an additional 18 unmarked graves. The identities of the individuals in these 18 graves may never be known with certainity, but historical records suggest that they belonged to several related families, including the Radfords, Williamsons, Varnells, Terrys, and Foremans. The core of this extended family moved to Freestone County from Alabama in the 1850s, and the Varnell Cemetery probably was used as the family burial ground in the 1860s and 1870s. The remains were reburied here because Old Zion Cemetery is the final resting place of Mary Radford's mother, Amanda, and three of her brothers, Elbert, George, and William. A more detailed account of the Varnell Cemetery location and excavation is on file at the Texas Historical Commission in Austin. Oldest Marked Grave: Radford, Mary E. 06/18/1854-11/25/1860 ----------------------------------------------------------------- Radford, Mary E. 06/18/1854-11/25/1860 d/o W.T.& A.E. Radford; marker has image of a lamb under a cypress tree; white headstone Williamson, Sarah 03/27/1808-11/17?/1886 plain white headstone 18 unknown, unmarked graves --------------------------------------------------- [Ransom P. Varnell and his children at buried at the Buffalo City Cemetery.] ============================================== NOTES: Mary A. E. RADFORD was born 18 Jun 1854 in Perry County, AL. She died 25 Nov 1860. She was originally buried at Varnell Cemetery in Freestone Co, but was recently (abt 2001) relocated to near the Old Zion Cemetery in Freestone Co, TX. ==============================================