Heath in Rockwall County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)

Sterling Rex Barnes

(Gravesite in Heath Cemetery)

January 30, 2026

1. Sterling Rex Barnes Marker

Inscription. Virginia native Sterling Rex Barnes (1799-1866) migrated to this area from Mississippi with his wife Martha Ann (Mitchell) (b.1809) and family in 1846. A pioneer settler in the community of Black Hill, now Heath, he was a charter member of East Trinity Masonic Lodge No. 157 in Rockwall, organized in 1854. Barnes was the local justice of the peace in 1852 and operated a toll bridge at a site on the East Fork of the Trinity River, now under the waters of Lake Ray Hubbard. Five sons and one son-in-law served with the Confederacy during the Civil War.

Erected 1981 by Texas Historical Commission. (Marker Number 6135.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Bridges & Viaducts • Cemeteries & Burial Sites • Fraternal or Sororal Organizations • Industry & Commerce • Settlements & Settlers • War, US Civil • Waterways & Vessels. A significant historical year for this entry is 1846.

Location. 32° 50.386′ N, 96° 28.762′ W. Marker is in Heath, Texas, in Rockwall County. It is at the intersection of Smirl Drive (Farm to Market Road 1140) and Terry Lane, on the left when traveling east on Smirl Drive. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1500 Farm to Market Road 1140, Rockwall TX 75032, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Prairies & Lakes Region

and in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metropolitan Area.

It is also in the American South.

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.

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At least 8 other markers are within 6 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Heath Methodist Church (approx. 0.2 miles away); Glen Hill Cemetery (approx. 3½ miles away); Anderson Family Cemetery (approx. 4.1 miles away); First Presbyterian Church of Rockwall (approx. 4.3 miles away); James and Margaret Loving (approx. 4.8 miles away); Central National Road of the Republic of Texas (approx. 5.4 miles away); Tripp Baptist Church (approx. 5.7 miles away); Chisholm Cemetery (approx. 5.9 miles away).

Sterling Rex Barnes Marker and Heath Cemetery image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Amanda Hartley, June 12, 2010

2. Sterling Rex Barnes Marker and Heath Cemetery

Sterling Rex Barnes Headstone image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Amanda Hartley, June 12, 2010

3. Sterling Rex Barnes Headstone

Photographed by Amanda Hartley, June 12, 2010

4. Sterling Rex Barnes Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on February 1, 2026. It was originally submitted on July 21, 2010, by Amanda Hartley of Tyler, Texas. This page has been viewed 1,820 times since then and 62 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on January 30, 2026. 2, 3, 4. submitted on July 21, 2010, by Amanda Hartley of Tyler, Texas. • Syd Whittle was the editor who published this page.