Athens in Henderson County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)
Thomas Boucher Wood Family Cemetery
Photographed by Jeff Leichsenring, September 7, 2026
1. Thomas Boucher Wood Family Cemetery Marker
According to family history, Thomas Boucher Wood (1820-1897) was born in Columbus, Mississippi. He attended the University of Louisville in Kentucky in 1843 and again in 1849, at which time he received his doctoral degree in medicine with a thesis on pneumonia.
Soon thereafter, Dr. Wood came to this area to farm and practice medicine. He and Susan Amanda Pinson (1833-1873) were married in July 1850. Susan's family were among the earlier pioneers of nearby Mound Prairie in Anderson County.
The Wood Family Cemetery is a testament to the harsh conditions of pioneer life. It was established in 1851 when Thomas and Susan's first child, a daughter, was stillborn. Family records indicate that she was buried on the homestead. Thomas and Susan Wood had ten children. Their daughter Mary Josephine (1858-1863) was the next family member to be interred here. The following year the Woods' son, John Felix (1862-1864), died and Susan Amanda Wood miscarried a daughter on the same day. Another unnamed infant girl was stillborn in 1866. Two-year-old Amanda Joe Wood died in 1870. Susan Amanda Wood was buried here in 1873. T. B. Wood and their son, Albert (1853-1879), both succumbed to pneumonia on Albert's twenty-sixth birthday. Another daughter, Tommie Elizabeth Wood Pelham (1856-1884), was buried here next to her four infants. Some of the Wood family slaves are believed to have been buried just outside the family plot.
In the late 1990s, Wood descendants returned to the site and restored the cemetery. It serves as a memorial to the Wood family pioneers of Henderson County.
Erected 1996 by Texas Historical Commission. (Marker Number 12057.)
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Cemeteries & Burial Sites. A significant historical month for this entry is July 1850.
Location. 32° 12.935′ N, 95° 50.611′ W.
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Regionally, this marker is in the American South and in the Piney Woods. Globally, it is in North America, a Gulf of Mexico state, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain, the Republic of Texas, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Richard Columbus Fisher (approx. half a mile away); Site of Blackshear/Fisher School (approx. 0.6 miles away); Mt. Providence Baptist Church (approx. 0.6 miles away); 1925 Henderson County Jail (approx. 0.8 miles away); Jess Sweeten (approx. 0.8 miles away); First United Presbyterian Church of Athens (approx. 0.9 miles away); Faulk-Gauntt Building (approx. one mile away); J.W. Brownlow (approx. one mile away). Touch for a list and map
Photographed by Jeff Leichsenring, September 7, 2026
2. Thomas Boucher Wood Family Cemetery Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on September 12, 2026. It was originally submitted on September 8, 2026, by Jeff Leichsenring of Garland, Texas. This page has been viewed 6 times since then. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on September 8, 2026, by Jeff Leichsenring of Garland, Texas. • James Hulse was the editor who published this page.
