WALK£R COUNTY TEXAS CEMETERIES . Volume Ill Comfmi'fl Hu 011/cUJOOti CMMllty Comf/.,z: . (OIJ 011/cflXJOti, 011/cUJOOti Motlsrn, d/Jitila&, 11"'1 M.91& d!Jtiilion&) 8t 8taf'un &. Columb.rium: Prison ClfMl:lril&: C11/J/llin Joi jjyJ (P16kmoooti Hilt) CWI""' 1&nn ~oru ~""" WALKER COUNTY, TEXAS CEMETERIES VOL. 3 Walker County, Texas Cemeteries Volume 3 © 2007 Walker County Genealogy Society Post Office Box 1295 Huntsville, Texas 77342-1295 No part of this book may be used or reproduced, stored in a database or retrieval system, or transmitted by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, digital, or otherwise, without written permission from the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. Making copies of any part of this book for any purpose other than your own personal use is a violation of the United States copyright laws. Although every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this book, the publisher and author assume no responsibility for errors or omissions. 11 WALKER COUNTY, TEXAS CEMETERIES VOL. 3 TABLE OF CONTENTS DEDICATION iv PREFACE/FORWARD v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS vi CEMETERY LOCATION MAPS vii ABBREVIATIONS viii WALKING TOUR OF OAKWOOD CEMETERY ix OAKWOOD CEMETERY 1 ADDICKES ADDITION 63 MAYES ADDITION 111 ST. STEPHEN'S EPISCOPAL CHURCH COLUMBARIUM 119 CAPTAIN JOE BYRD PRISON CEMETERY 121 WYNNE FARM PRISON CEMETERY 151 GOREE WOMEN'S PRISON CEMETERY 155 INDEX 159 ll1 WALKER COUNTY, TEXAS CEMETERIES VOL. 3 Dedication JUANITA BURTON LYNCH has been an active member of the Walker County Genealogical Society for many years, serving in numerous offices, and always loving and encouraging the membership. And who, despite her failing eyesight, made the generous offering of the pen and ink drawing for our front cover. Juanita was born in Sherman, Texas, and before her marriage to Lt. William Ray Lynch Jr., she worked as a fashion artist and copywriter for department stores. As a military wife, she traveled all over the world and was an art instructor in Texas, Kansas, and Virginia, including the College of William and Mary at Norfolk. She also was a teaching assistant in English and Art at the Sam Houston Teacher's College during World War II and the Korean Conflict. She received a BS in 1951 and sponsored the official college yearbook, The Alcade, for two years while working on other special projects. Two children were born to Juanita and William Lynch: a son, William Ray 111, in 1946, and a daughter, Tibbie Elizabeth, in 1948. After 37 years of military service, the Lynches retired and chose Huntsville as their permanent home. We are deeply indebted to this lovely lady for her generous support of the Walker County Genealogical Society and for the many roles she has played in the building process. IV WALKER COUNTY, TEXAS CEMETERIES VOL. 3 Preface/Foreward This is the third volume of four cemetery books published by the Walker County Genealogical Society. Volumes One and Two include the South and North cemeteries respectively in Walker County, the dividing line being Highway 30 (11th Street) which runs approximately through the center of Huntsville from east to west. These two books came about following the 1992 cemetery book compiled by Lucy Alice Bruce Stewart and published by Anthony and Verna Banes which included many Walker County cemeteries. The book, Black Cemeteries of Walker County was copyrighted in 1999 and was the first such book of cemeteries. It was compiled by Ruth Stubblefield who came from her home in Oakland, California, to research black cemeteries because no such book existed. Volume Three is the fourth book in this series and it includes the cemeteries within the city limits of Huntsville that are not listed in the other three volumes. The "main" city cemetery is the Oakwood Cemetery; both the historical portion where Sam Houston is buried and the modern portion are in this volume. In addition are the Addickes Addition acquired in 1925 and the Mayes Addition acquired in 1964. Visit the History of Oakwood Cemetery page in this volume for more information about the formation and upkeep of the Oakwood Cemetery. Volume Three also contains the prison cemeteries located in Walker County: the Captain Joe Byrd Cemetery', which is the main cemetery for the State, the Wynne Unit Cemetery, and the Goree Unit Cemetery. It should be noted that concrete crosses have recently been added to the Black Section of Oakwood. Although individual names are not available, the crosses are meant to designate and honor those buried in that area. It should also be noted that two cemeteries located within the bounds of the Huntsville city limits - the Northside Cemetery and the South End Cemetery - are not included in this volume because they are both listed in Ruth Stubblefield's Black Cemeteries of Walker County, published by the WCGS in 1999. The cemetery address is slightly different for the South End Cemetery because Montgomery Road has since been extended across Sam Houston Avenue (Highway 75) and the cemetery is now accessible from Montgomery Road. This volume includes the columbarium at St. Stephen's Episcopal Church on Highway 75 near the Highway.19 Loop. Because this "cemetery" was not visible, it was overlooked in the previous edition of the South Cemetery book published by the Walker County Genealogical Society covering the cemeteries south of Highway 30 (11th Street). The prison cemeteries included in this book have never been offered in print in any other publication available to the general public. Inmates who die while incarcerated in the State of Texas are now buried in the Captain Joe Byrd Cemetery unless claimed by the family. This was not always true, however. Many prison units have cemeteries and it's not clear when the practice began to bury all inmates at the Captain Joe Byrd Cemetery in Huntsville. For instance, burials at area cemeteries ran through 1921 at the Ferguson Unit, 1932 at Goree, 1948 for Wynne, 1937 at Eastham, 1944 at Central, and 1947 at Ramsey to name a few. v WALKER COUNTY, TEXAS CEMETERIES VOL. 3 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Our thanks to ... LINDA MITCHELL PARRISH ... The Oakwood/Addickes/Mayes grounds were tediously walked by Linda Mitchell Parrish. Her work in putting together these grave records was monumental, and we are deeply indebted to her recording and transcribing skills that have been the springboard to the completion of this volume. Linda is a member of the Walker County Genealogical Society and has ably served for many years as the society's treasurer and fills that office for the current 2007-2009 term. Linda is also on the Historical Walker County Cemetery board and serves as treasurer of the East Sandy Cemetery, New Waverly. CHARLES A LAWSON ... who transcribed and set up the records in a comparable format for printing. His long hours of diligent work have helped us produce a very readable volume to grace our library shelves. Charles, a native Houstonian who moved to Huntsville after retirement in 2002, is a member of the Walker County Genealogical Society. His interest· in genealogical research stems from the discovery that his ggggrandfather, Isaiah Dedrick Lawson, was one of three men who guarded Santa Anna after the Battle of San Jacinto. Charles is a volunteer in the genealogy room at the Huntsville Public Library. D'ANNE MC ADAMS CREWS ... for writing the history of the Oakwood Cemetery, which also includes the Addickes and Mayes additions, and who has also compiled and edited the history of the original Huntsville & Walker County Bicentennial book that is part of our genealogical collection. She was assisted in this effort by Mac Woodward, who is a longtime Huntsville resident and is current curator of collections at the Sam Houston Memorial Museum. JUANITA BURTON LYNCH ... who generously donated the cover for this Volume Three edition, and to whom this book is dedicated. This simple yet meaningful design was Juanita's brainchild. Center stage of this pen and ink drawing is the Holy Bible, prominently displaying the death records page, traditionally the main location for recording family records in years gone by. The lamp represents light and it towers above, shedding its light on the entire page. A simple red rose, representing love, completes her beautiful work. JAMES WILLET AND SANDRA E. ROGERS ... who supplied the prison cemetery records and photos. Both are presently affiliated with the Texas Prison Museum located on Highway 75 North. Jim was formerly the assistant warden of the Walls Unit near downtown, sometimes known as the Huntsville Unit. Sandra Rogers, who gave freely of her time and expertise sharing data and photographs, is the Museum's registrar ROBERT H. VANN & VIRGINIA DOUDNEY CHASTAIN ... who took over the production of this volume from outgoing Society president, Frances Sprott Goforth, are responsible for taking the parts and putting them together in a quality volume of useful information. Robert is the current president of the Walker County Genealogical Society, having taken office in May 2007. He is a History professor for Lee College of Baytown, Texas, after retiring from public school teaching. He is a professional genealogist and Indian storyteller. His superior computer skills have simplified the final preparation of this volume. Virginia is a transplanted mid-westerner from Missouri who moved to Texas in 1957. She spent over 40 years in the corporate world and retired after 30 years with Coca-Cola in 1997. She moved to Huntsville in 1997 and has been involved with genealogy, leading Bible studies and working in the WCGS in Huntsville since then. Her careful attention to detail has greatly enhanced this printed record. VI WALKER COUNTY, TEXAS CEMETERIES VOL. 3 LOCATION OF CEMETERIES IN THIS BOOK Goree t Eva n Lr JthSf );a.