This cemetery is listed as the Mullins Prairie Cemetery in the cemetery files of the Fayette Heritage Museum and Archives. Norman C. Krischke wrote a 98-page book, A Visit to the Holman Valley, in 1996 in which he refers to the cemetery as the Riser Family Cemetery. It's quite common for cemeteries in the county to be known by more than one name. Since researchers at the archives will find the cemetery listed as the Mullins Prairie Cemetery, that is the way it is referred to at this website. The information below is taken from A Visit to the Holman Valley, so the cemetery is referred to as the Riser Family Cemetery in the text that follows.
The Riser Family cemetery is located seven-tenths of a mile west of the Old Holman-La Grange Road, now called the Anton Salas Loop and County Road 494, and about 400 yards north of an old farm house and barn in a grove of trees. The entrance to the farm house is seven-tenths of a mile south of the north intersection of the Anton Salas Loop and FM 155. This farm house was the site of the Martin Riser home and, later, the actual T. J. Walker home. The land is in the William Alley League.
The cemetery is called the Riser Family Cemetery because it was established on Riser land at the time it was founded upon the burial of Asa S. Mercer in 1843.
Martin Riser and Asa Mercer, probably partners with right of survivorship, purchased 596 acres of land from the heirs of William Alley. Upon the death of Mercer, Riser owned the land outright. After Riser's death, the Estate sold the acreage to T. J. Walker [who married Martin Riser's widow (see note)]. Martha A. (Riser) Hill, daughter of Martin Riser and wife of Charles Hill, conveyed her interest in the estate to T. J. Walker 15 April 1861 along with the Negro family of Jake and Maria and their children: Wash, Joe, Laura, Ann, Dennis and Ellen, slaves for life. Previously, in 1860, Walker bought a Negro named Araminta, age 14 years, slave for life, from Samuel R. Mc Gehee for $500.00. Mary A. (Riser) Harwell, daughter of Martin Riser and wife of James E. Harwell, conveyed her interest in the estate to T. J. Walker 27 Dec 1865 along with 130 head of cattle. Jesse Martin Riser, son of MacPaint Riser, conveyed his interest in the estate which was conveyed by the heirs of William Alley to Asa S. Mercer and Martin Riser, to T. J. Walker 28 May 1869.
T. J. Walker was one of the trustees of the Pecan Creek Male and Female Academy (Pecan School) when two acres of land were purchased for school purposes 6 July 1871. He was also a trustee of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church when four acres of land were purchased at the present Holman Valley Steak House 31 August 1873 for church purposes.
T. J. Walker died 30 April 1881 and his wife, Julia G., buried him in the Riser Family Cemetery and probated his estate. Inventory of the community property included 971 acres of land, 42 head of cattle, 2 pair of mules, a carriage, 2 wagons, 37 head of sheep, 28 hogs, one Durham bull, 14 horses, 11 bales of cotton and farm implements. His surviving children were Julia A. (Walker) McKee and Julia C. Walker, 14 years of age. The rest of his children are buried in the Riser Cemetery. No record could be found concerning his widow.
According to Jerome Tumis, who lives north of the cemetery, there was a picket fence around the cemetery in the 1930s. Over a period of time the fence became dilapidated and apparently removed. This allowed the cattle to enter the cemetery and all four tombstones were displaced from their foundations. The foundation stones, with some footstones, are still in place which allows the exact site of the graves to be determined.
1. Mercer, Asa, 28 Mar 1791 - 1850, aged 52 years (see note)
2. Riser, Martin, 26 Aug 1815 - 1850, aged 31 years, inscribed on stone with Asa Mercer (see note)
3. Walker, Sallie M., 22 Apr 1861, aged 2 years, daughter of T. J. & J. G. Walker
4. Walker, twin infant of T. J. & J. G. Walker
5. Walker, twin infant of T. J. & J. G. Walker, twins inscribed on same stone as Sallie M. Walker
6. Walker, T. J., 27 Feb 1824 - 30 Apr 1881
7. Walker, Joel H., son of T. J. & J. G. Walker, inscribed on same stone as T. J. Walker
8. Riser, Jesse Mercer, 5 Dec 1885 - 19 Jan 1887, son of Jesse Martin & M. T. Riser
9. Riser, infant child of J. M. & M. T. Riser
10. Riser, infant child of J. M. & M. T. Riser, #9 & 10 inscribed on marker as "infant children of J. M. & M. T. Riser
11. Sandstone, no inscription, probably grave of a slave
12. Sandstone, no inscription, probably grave of a slave
Death year for both Mercer and Martin Riser comes from LaVerne Gibson, a Riser descendant. According to Ms. Gibson, Asa Simmons Mercer was the father of Martin Riser's wife, Julia Ann G. Mercer, who married T. J. Walker after Riser's death. The Riser's daughter Martha, married Charles Hill, son of Thomas Hill and Mary Alley and the grandson of William Alley.
