Davidson Cemetery
By Edna Tate
I have a hobby. Do you? Mine is low energy and can take you
many places. Guess what it is. Mud wrestling? No! Taking guided tours of
Walmart? No! My favorite hobby is touring cemeteries where you can see the
events of history tied together.
A great place to do this is Davidson Cemetery in Palo Pinto
County, Texas. Tall trees shade most of the grounds while a Thurber brick wall
surrounds the private family cemetery. Only descendants of the original pioneer
families and those married to descendants are allowed burial there. Visitors to
the cemetery can walk around, read inscriptions, or take the challenge of
researching the history behind the names engraved on the stones.
 |
| Davidson Cemetery |
Who is buried at Davidson
Cemetery? Frontiersmen, Civil War veterans, ranchers, homemakers, and social
leaders who shaped the history of Palo Pinto County found their final rest
here. Locals name the cemetery after Joseph Peter Davidson who settled in the
area in 1856.
Joseph Peter Davidson, known affectionately as “Uncle Peter,”
worked as a surveyor helping new settlers find land for homesteading. The
Davidson family played a prominent role in the civic life of Palo Pinto County,
becoming the charter members of the first Methodist church in the county. He
also helped organize the first Masonic fraternity in Eastland County, Alameda
Lodge number 467.
Davidson died of pneumonia on March 13, 1897. After his
burial near his home in Strawn, his friends S. Bethel Strawn and W. Stuart
named the cemetery in honor of their friend. In 1922, the children of J. N.
Stuart and W. M. Allen erected the ornate Thurber brick fence. The Texas
Historical Commission erected a historical marker to Davidson outside the
cemetery gates in 1978 where it still stands today.
A walk through any cemetery gives hints about the history of
any area. Further research about those buried in Davidson cemetery reveals the
history of the Eastland, Palo Pinto and Strawn frontier. Each grave makes a
contribution to the tale of the Davidson Cemetery.
