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Shiloh Cemetery est. 1850 on Banks of Bowles Creek
By Deborah Burkett
"Behold this Stone Shall Be a Witness unto Us"
Time for family reunions, dinner-on-the-ground and cemetery association meetings. Recently I attended the annual gathering at Shiloh which was a combination of all three. Young and old alike set up lawn chairs and began to catch up while Harrison Black presided over the business meeting. All followed by lots of home cooking and a walk through this historic cemetery.
Shiloh is located about three miles northwest of Alto, Texas, on FM 752. Soon after the first families arrived and settled on the banks of Bowles Creek in 1845, these Methodists held brush arbor meetings. The first church building was a log structure. Shiloh, a Biblical name, is a favorite among rural churches. In the Old Testament it's referred to as the resting place for the Ark of the Covenant.
On February 8, 1850, James W. Rozelle, child of F.M. and F. A. Rozelle died on the plot of land bought by Edwin and Martha Harry. They allowed the child to be buried there making this the oldest marked grave. All of the original trustees are buried in the cemetery as well as one of the earliest preachers: Samuel Lynch for whom Lynches Chapel is named.
Learning history by reading tombstones is more interesting than any text book. Stones evoke the past, visible reminders of early pioneers.
David Henderson's ancestor, James Wilson Henderson was born in 1786, fought in the War of 1812 and is buried at Shiloh. Walking through the cemetery, David elaborated on his family history as he talked with a group composed of myself, Harrison H Black, Stacy Black, Linda Henderson and Cheryl Black.
At the conclusion of my day, I stopped at the entrance of the cemetery grounds to take one final photograph of the stone craved with the epithah, "Behold This Stone Shall Be a Witness unto Us" and honors the founders and original trustees: Jessie Hill, David Byrd, Edwin Harry, Daniel Henderson, and Thomas Singletary.
I left touched by how deeply their descendants are preserving this hallowed ground in Cherokee County, Texas.
•David Henderson points to his ancestor's grave who fought in War of 1812.
•Deborah Burkett at Mary Gaston's marker.
•First Burial in 1850.
•Stone marker at entrance.
•James Wilson Henderson, B. 1786, fought in War of 1812.
•Virginia Singletary at Thomas Singletary's grave.