Near Ranger in Eastland County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)
Merriman Cemetery
Photographed By Duane Hall, September 8, 2016
1. Merriman Cemetery Marker
Inscription.
Merriman Cemetery. . According to local tradition this site was established as a community graveyard about 1873, the year Eastland County was organized and one year prior to the community of Merriman’s selection as county seat. Although there are many unmarked gravestones in the cemetery, the earliest recorded burial is that of Orthosias Scarborough (d. 1879). The first legal record of the Merriman Cemetery occurred in a deed executed by the Taylor Charcoal Company conveying two acres for use as a public burial ground to trustee M.V. Brewer in 1891. , Oil discovered in 1917 on land owned by John H. McCleskey (buried here in 1918) started an oil boom that ultimately threatened the sanctity of the Merriman Cemetery. Oil speculators reportedly offered members of the Merriman Baptist Church a large sum of money to lease the cemetery grounds for drilling. The congregation, although its association with the cemetery is uncertain, turned the offer down. , Josie Fox Duncan (d. 1940) deeded 75 acres to trustees of the cemetery in 1938 to provide an income for its perpetual care. The cemetery contains graves of early settlers, veterans of conflicts from the Civil War to Korea, and victims of a 1916-17 influenza epidemic.
According to local tradition this site was established as a community graveyard about 1873, the year Eastland County was organized and one year prior to the community of Merriman’s selection as county seat. Although there are many unmarked gravestones in the cemetery, the earliest recorded burial is that of Orthosias Scarborough (d. 1879). The first legal record of the Merriman Cemetery occurred in a deed executed by the Taylor Charcoal Company conveying two acres for use as a public burial ground to trustee M.V. Brewer in 1891.
Oil discovered in 1917 on land owned by John H. McCleskey (buried here in 1918) started an oil boom that ultimately threatened the sanctity of the Merriman Cemetery. Oil speculators reportedly offered members of the Merriman Baptist Church a large sum of money to lease the cemetery grounds for drilling. The congregation, although its association with the cemetery is uncertain, turned the offer down.
Josie Fox Duncan (d. 1940) deeded 75 acres to trustees of the cemetery in 1938 to provide an income for its perpetual care. The cemetery contains graves of early settlers, veterans of conflicts from the Civil War to Korea, and victims of a 1916-17 influenza epidemic.
Erected 1993 by Texas Historical Commission. (Marker Number 3347.)
Topics. This historical
Click or scan to see this page online
marker is listed in this topic list: Cemeteries & Burial Sites. A significant historical year for this entry is 1873.
Location. 32° 25.442′ N, 98° 41.861′ W. Marker is near Ranger, Texas, in Eastland County. Marker can be reached from Farm to Market Road 2461, one mile south of Interstate 20, on the left when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Ranger TX 76470, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Credits. This page was last revised on September 13, 2016. It was originally submitted on September 13, 2016, by Duane Hall of Abilene, Texas. This page has been viewed 531 times since then and 45 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on September 13, 2016, by Duane Hall of Abilene, Texas.