Cedar Creek Cemetery

From the historical marker:

CEDAR CREEK CEMETERY

This burial ground was established around 1875 to serve the African-American community of Cedar Creek. The African Methodist Episcopalian Church, which organized in 1874, received this property from the estate of N.W. Faison. Members erected a church building and laid out the cemetery behind it. The earliest known burial is of Christerfer Myres, dating to 1877. Unique grave markers include one shaped into a concrete ball, one made of petrified wood, several partially made from sea shells and an obelisk. The church served the area for more than 50 years. Today, Cedar Creek Cemetery is all that remains of the historic Cedar Creek Community. [2008]

Cedar Creek Cemetery was started about 1875 shortly after two acres of land was sold to the African Methodist Episcopalian church at Cedar Creek. The deed reads as follows:

W. H. Ledbetter and B. Timmons, Executors of the Estate of N. W. Faison, deceased, in the consideration of $1.00 paid for the purpose of carrying out the Contract of said Faison entered into beforehand, have sold to Lumbert Carter, William Curtis and Stephen Burns for the use and benefit of the African Methodist Episcopalian Church of the Cedar Creek Community, two acres of land, part of the S. M. Williams League No. 2, Beginning at the southwest corner of a survey of 29 1/2 acres now owned by Lumbert Carter, Thence North with Carter's line 162 Varas, Thence West 63 1/2 Varas, Thence South 162 Varas, Thence East 63 1/2 Varas to the place of beginning containing two acres more or less. Signed this is the 4th Day of December 1874. - W. H. Ledbetter B. Timmons

The church building was erected near the public road and the cemetery was laid out in back of the church. The cemetery is located on Cedar Creek just off Boulton Creek Road 3.8 miles east of FM 154 out of Muldoon and 2.75 miles west of FM 609.

Joe Cole, historian, visited this cemetery in January 1958 and had this to say about it:

Negro cemetery, public, at Cedar Creek about 5 Miles east of Muldoon. A very old graveyard; lots of old Negro slaves buried here. Old man Willis Burks, the Whippers and Clayton Negroes are buried here.

Kathy Carter and Helen Muras recorded this cemetery on November 3, 1986. They reported that there are many unidentifiable graves on the cemetery.

Boulton Creek is named after Michael Bolton who lived on the creek up to 1856. Michael (1815 - 1856) and his wife, Sarah M. Bolton, (1820 - 1856) are buried in the Pin Oak Cemetery. Their daughter, Delilah, married Rufus Salinas 11 December 1865. Rufus and Delilah are buried in Pin Oak Cemetery.

According to the tombstone inscriptions the first burial occurred in about 1877, that of Christerfer Myres. He was either 30 or 80 year old at the time of his death; the year of death is difficult to read. James Willrich's tombstone shows he was aged 107 at the time he died. One grave is marked with a hand-shaped concrete ball, about 14 inches in diameter, mounted on a block pedestal; no name. One grave is marked with a large piece of petrified wood. There are sea shells on 13 graves.

 

___, C. H. , Jr., unreadable name, no dates

Brown, Wadie Lee, 12 Mar 192_-21 Apr 1954

Burks, Rosie Clayton, 1921 - 1946

Burton, M. L., no dates

Burton, Will J. U., no dates

Field, L., no dates

Franklin, Will, no dates

Gilliam, Ida, 11 Nov 1896 - 8 Aug 1941

Gooden, S., dates illegible

Houston, Kizzie, 1894 - 1918

Houston, Louisa, 1897 - 1915

Howard, Clara, 1861 - 1935, Fayette County Death Record (FCDR), Vol. 6, Page 373: Clara Howard, died 17 August 1936 of a heart attack. Widowed. Parents" Dave and Martha Crockett. Buried Cedar Creek Cemetery.

Hughes, Amandy, 1854 - 22 Apr 1952, died at age 98 years, FCDR, Vol. 10, page 81: Amanda Hughes, born 15 September 1854, died 23 April 1952 of a heart attack. Father: Sam Samps. Buried in Muldoon Colored Cemetery.

Hughs, C., no dates

Livingston, Mary, no dates

Marshall, Dorthy Nell, 1944 - 1944

Moore, Charlie, 1887 - 1912

Myres, Christefer, died Sep 1877, aged either 30 or 80 years

Myres, Osker, died 18 Jan ___, aged 50 years

Payne, Luevina, 1867 - 1957

Rainey, L. died 1911

Scott, Ben, 1878 - 1956, FCDR, Vol. 11, page 20: Ben Scott born 10 September 1868, died 24 December 1956 of apoplexy. Son of Elbert and Martha Scott. Buried in Cedar Creek Cemetery.

Scott, Jim, 1873 - 1948

Scott, Martha, 25 Mar 1827 - 5 Dec 1925, FCDR, Vol. 4, page 271: Martha Scott died 24 January 1925 of old age. Buried Cedar Creek Cemetery.

Scott, Mary, 25 Jun 1874 - 27 Aug 1939, wife of Ben Scott, only grave with a curbing. FCDR, Vol. 7, page 291: Mary Scott, born in 1873, died 27 August 1939 of apoplexy. Daughter of Shed and Emilie Clayton. Buried in Cedar Creek Cemetery.

Vail, William, 2 Oct 1818 - 16 Jun 1897, only granite tombstone in cemetery

Verse, Will, no dates

Willrich, James, 1847 - 1954, 107 years of age at death. FCDR, Vol. 10, page 361: Jim Willrich, unknown date of birth, died 27 Jul 1952, aged about 107 years. Buried Cedar Creek Cemetery.

Willrich, Lucy, 1860 - 1902

Unknown, unusual stone, homemade concrete ball mounted on square pedestal, no inscription.

Unknown, tombstone of large petrified rock.

 

Cedar Creek African Methodist Episcopalian Church was established 4 December 1874 and flourished for over fifty years. All that is left to show there was a congregation here are the tombstones in the church graveyard.

 

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