Saturday, October 3rd was one of the first cool autumn mornings that I had been out and about. And it was so refreshing. ECGS member and my dear DRT friend, Barbara Dalton Jones invited me to join her in attending the biannual Upper Greens Creek Cemetery Association meeting.
Upper Greens Creek Cemetery is located five miles west of Stephenville just off of U.S. Hwy 377. Turn right onto County Road 380 at St. Mary’s Catholic Church. County Road 380 ends in a half mile at County Road 351. Greens Creek Baptist Church is on the left. Turn left on County Road 351 and it is less than a half a mile to the cemetery entrance. Geographic coordinates are N 32° 09.232 W 098° 18.302.
A Texas Historical Marker honors early settlers who made Greens Creek their home. This is the final resting place of Barbara’s great great grandmother and church matriarch Narcissa Virginia Kennedy Howell (1821-1889). Read about Greens Creek history in the April 2020 issue of the Erath County Genealogical Society Journal. “Belle of the Ball” to Texas Pioneer.
Also buried there are some of Barbara’s HOWELL and LEVERITT ancestors, as well as two infant siblings, John Howard Dalton 1941 and Shirley Dalton 1942.
In addition to the two of us, in attendance of the cemetery gathering were Jerry Hubble, George Mitchell, Danny Pittman, LaDonna and Sonny Thackerson, Pete Thackerson, Gary P. Whitfield, and by phone, Melissa Carlton.
Not unlike other cemetery work day meetings, the Business Meeting covered things such as looking for investment opportunities other than CD’s, contracting Clyde Shubert for mowing, sharing some bit of family history. Sonny Thackerson trimmed wayward tree limbs with his chain saw.
Everyone voiced appreciation that Jerry Hubble arrived early and went right to work. He brought and placed new flowers, hung a new U.S. flag and repaired a cement wall. And then he did cleanup!
Randy Johnston brought copies of his books for people to reference. He has produced books on Greens Creek history including Upper Greens Creek Cemetery Certificates of Death 1903-1939, and Upper Greens Creek Cemetery Certificates of Death 1940 to 1976, and Upper Greens Creek Obituaries from 1884 to 2006. His most recent book is an update, Upper Greens Creek Obituaries from 1884 to 2020. This is available for purchase for $35 from Randy Johnston randygrnby@ hotmail.com . A copy has been donated by Gary P. Whitfield to the Dublin Public Library.
Gary P. Whitfield authored books Confederate Burials, Comanche County, Texas; Confederate Burials, Eastland County, Texas; Confederate Burials, Erath County, Texas; and A history of Dublin Lodge No. 504, A.F. & A.M. Mr. Whitfield’s books are available at libraries in Comanche, DeLeon, Dublin, Fort Worth, and Tarleton.
Randy Johnston and Danny Pittman shared stories of two Erath County men who were in the WWII Bataan Death March of U.S. Prisoners of War. One of the POWs survived and never spoke of it. The other did not make it home.
A veterans memorial stands at the cemetery entrance. There was discussion about making sure that it is up to date, and protected from the weather, perhaps by building of a cover. Sonny Thackerson is investigating options on additional stone and engraving work. Discussion noted that Ben Pate of the Dublin Historical Museum offered to provide exhibit space to memorialize Greens Creek veterans. Also, the group talked about the fact that they would like to see a book prepared about the veterans buried there.
Burials can be referenced at usgwarchives.net/tx/cemph/erath/upper-green.html and https://www.findagrave.com/cemetery/7358/upper-greenscreek-cemetery. It was a lovely day.