Moore Cemetery

The marker records a belief that two of the donors' sons, Preston W. and William Moore, were hanged for refusing Confederate service and are buried here. The Handbook of Texas describes the wartime county as a haven for Confederate deserters and criminals, where public order broke down and a vigilante committee led by the sheriff lynched a number of men. It adds that the county's 1860 population of 4,392 included 791 enslaved people. The Moores gave nearly six acres from 320 acres on Mossy Creek, and the earliest recorded burial is Sidney Craddock's, in 1860.

What the plaque says

Moore Cemetery South Carolina native John W. Moore (1810-1898), his wife Rosella Meredith (1811-1878), and their family migrated to East Texas in the 1850s. From their initial 320-acre land grant on Mossy Creek, the Moores donated nearly six acres of land for a community cemetery. The earliest recorded burial was that of Sidney Craddock in 1860. Among the first burials in the Moore Cemetery were those of Preston W. Moore and William Moore. It is believed that these brothers, sons of John and Rosella Moore, were hanged for refusing to become Confederate soldiers in the Civil War, and are buried here. Trinity County citizens were strongly in favor of the Confederate cause, and many of the County's young men had marched off to serve the Confederacy. Many infant burials in this cemetery are the result of disease epidemics occurring in surrounding communities. Although more than 120 graves are recorded here, many unmarked graves also exist. Among the burials are veterans of the Civil War, World War I, World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. Maintained by the Moore Cemetery Association, the graveyard continues to serve Groveton and the surrounding communities. (1996)

Where it stands

More markers nearby

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