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Old China Grove Cemetery
aka China Grove Cemetery
China Grove Baptist Church Cemetery
Montgomery County Texas

From Willis, Texas in Montgomery County, take County Line Rd east approximately 8 miles and turn left (north) on Cedar Lane Loop at "Browder Community Center." Follow road down and to left as it loops back (about 1.5 mile). You will find a new subdivision with sign "China Grove" (see picture at bottom). Turn right (north) and follow the main road into the subdivision approximately 6/10 miles and turn right. Continue approximately 3/10 mile almost to end of road. The cemetery is located on the right and uphill under the old trees. Key Map Page 100X.
 
China Grove Baptist Church of Willis (SBC), which is located several miles from the original church and cemetery was given the deed to the old cemetery and will assist in maintaining the grounds.
 
A chain link fence encloses the cemetery. Future plans include a gate and a historical marker.

I found this article in the Montgomery County Vertical files about Old China Grove Cemetery:

Lost But Not Forgotten
The Old China Grove Cemetery
by Joseph C Brewer, Jr.

Old China Grove Cemetery
aka China Grove Cemetery
aka China Grove Baptist Church Cemetery
Montgomery County Texas
Updated April 2012 Jean Smoorenburg
Last Name First Name DOB DOD NOTES
Smith     194_  
Walker Molton 25-Feb-1906 25-Jun-1907 (s/o Wesley Ira Walker & Cora Alice Jones
Cora Alice Jones is d/o of W. H. Jones)
Parents buried at Conroe Memorial Cemetery
Source: Shirley Walker Meadows - rsmeadows@cox.net
Walker Annie Lee 3-Oct-1904 5-Apr-1906 d/o Joseph Leonard Walker & Elmmie Etta Jones (d/o W. H. Jones)
Jones W H 18 May 1846 14-Dec-1922 Texas Death Certificate #35359 William Henry Jones
Jones Mrs W H 22 Mar 1851 11-Dec-1923 In 1920 William Henry and Martha Anne Jones were living with their daughter Annie and son in law Monroe Walker In JP8 Montgomery County Texas; Martha Ann Alley Death Certificate #35359
Martin Ben   6-Jun-1910 Co E 15 Regt CSA; Photo of Benjamin Martin in Montgomery County History, p 396; BW Martin & his wife are living in Willis  Texas, Montgomery, Justice Precinct 1, District 105 with Sherrod Matthews & his daughter Margaret E Martin in 1900
Martin Phabra   13-Sep-1900 Montgomery County History, p 395-396 "Benjamin W Martin died 6 Jun 1910 and was buried in Old China Grove Baptist Church Cemetery, beside his wife, Phabra." 
Matthews M G 24 Aug 1891 May 1892 Moses Gordon Matthews: Age 6 months - 26 days (Son of Sherrod Moses Matthews and Margaret Elizabeth Martin
Gunter Infant 14 Jun 1889 2 May 1899 Son of ____ & Izzie Gunter; (The mother was Gehaza Martin, dau of Ben W. Martin) Believed to be child of William R Gunter and Gehaza Martin Gunter d/o Ben Martin
Unknown       Many marked graves without readings
Matthews Margaret 15 Apr 1852 26-Jul-1923 Death Certificate22980
Matthews Sherwood M 20 Apr 1851 2-Dec-1931 Death Certificate 57691
Smith Mrs. T R   24-Feb-1930 Obituary of Mrs. T. R. Smith
Smith Helen Arnold 25 Aug 1868 24-Feb-1930  
Smith David Francis 14 Apr 1895 14-May-1936 WWI Veteran Pvt Batt E 344 F A Army; Death Certificate 27096 s/oThomas R and Helen Smith

Map of Old China Grove Cemetery

Map from Montgomery County Property Records
From Abstract 15 - Jose Maria De la Garza Abstract [jhs]

Historical Designation of
Old China Grove Cemetery
In the Montgomery County Court Records
Jean Smoorenburg
 

Photos Submitted by Peggy Goodwin
 


Entrance China Grove Subdivision
 


Entrance to China Grove Cemetery


Entrance to China Grove Cemetery
April 2011
 


China Grove Cemetery




Taken April 2011

Ben Martin
 6 June 1910
Co. E. 15 Regt. CSA 

Benjamin W Martin was born September 15, 1823 in Darlington Co., SC and migrated to Dale Co., AL 1829-1832.

Benjamin W Martin was one of the charter members of the Ozark Baptist Church, founded 23 August, 1848 in Dale County. His family and the Matthews Family were associated with the old Claybank Church, the Post Office and mercantile stores in Dale County.  His wife was: Pheriba or Phreby A. Andrews.  Ben was son of John H. Martin of NC, then Benjamin B. Martin, b. 1776, NC.

War Records from Alabama Archives:
Last Name: Martin  
First Name: Benjamin
Birth Information: USA, NC (Error; was SC)
Branch: Infantry 
Regimental Unit: 15th Alabama Regiment 
Company Unit: E 
Authority: Historical Roll near Richmond, VA       1865/01/03. 
Marital Status: Single 
Occupation: Farmer 
Enlistment Date: 1861/07/03 
Enlistment Information: Age 19, (Error; was b. 1823) Alabama, Westville, Private Promoted 2nd Corporal 
Engagements: Present: Winchester 1862/05/25, Cross Keys 1862/06/08, Cold Harbor 1862/06/27, Malvern Hill 1862/07/02, Cedar Mountain 1862/08/09, Hazel River 1862/08/23, Manassas Junction 1862/08/27, Manassas Plains 1862/08/28/30, Fredricksburg 1862/12/13,  Suffolk 1863/05/06, Gettysburg 1863/07/02-03, Battle Mount 1863/07/24, Chickamauga 1863/09/20, Raccoon Mountain 1863/10/27, Lookout Valley 1863/10/28, Campbell Station 1863/11/16, Knoxville 1863/11/20 & 29, Dandridge 1864/01/16, Wilderness 1864/05/06,  Remarks: Present: Williamsburg Road 1864/10/27;Absent Detail: Chantilly 1862/09/01, Harpers Ferry 1862/09/13, Sharpsburg 1862/09/17, Shepards Town 1862/09/19, Chickamauga 1863/09/19.
Residence: Westville, Alabama. Promoted 2nd Corporal 1864/07/08. 
Remarks con't: (Engag. con't) Spottsylvania 1864/05/08 & 12, Cold Harbor 1864/06/03, Chester Station 1864/06/17, Deep Bottom 1864/08/14, Fussell Mill 1864/08/16, Fort Gilmer 1864/09/29, Fort Harrison 1864/09/30, Darbytown 1864/10/07, Darbytown Road 1864/10/13, (con't) (no second pg)

Norm

P.S. While state of birth and age are in error this has to be him based on his headstone. They had many transcription errors.

 

They migrated to Montgomery County, Texas before 1880. Please contact Norm Brown, relative of Martin.

 

Cemetery List Submitted
by Peggy Goodwin


Infant son Gunter

Gunter (Infant son)
b. Jan 14, 1889
d. May 2, 1889
“Son of ? & Lizzie Gunter”
Source: Tombstone
(Believed to be child of William R Gunter
and Gehaza Martin Gunter d/o Ben Martin)


Molton Walker
Taken April 2011

Walker, Molton
b. Feb 25, 1906
d. June 25, 1907
 Source: tombstone
(s/o Wesley Ira Walker & Cora Alice Jones
Cora Alice Jones is d/o of W. H. Jones)
Parents buried at Conroe Memorial Cemetery
Source: Shirley Walker Meadows
 


Taken April 2011

M G Matthews
age 8 mos 26 days

Matthews, M. G. (Moses Gordon)
“Infant”
b. Aug 24, 1891
d. May 1892
Sources: Tombstone & Montgomery County History Book
Son of Sherrod Moses Matthews
& Margaret Elizabeth Martin

Matthews, Margaret
b 15 Apr 1852
d. 26 Jul 1923
Source: Death Certificate #22980 jhs
Buried China Grove

Matthews, Sherwood M
b. 20 Apr 1851
d. 2 Dec 1931
Source: Death Certificate #57691 jhs
Buried in China Grove
 


Taken April 2011
Mrs. W H Jones

Jones, Mrs. W. H. (Martha Ann Alley)
b. Mar. 22, 1851
d. Dec. 11, 1923
Sources: Tombstone &
Shirley Walker Meadows

 Jones, W. H. (William Henry)
b. May 16, 1846
d. Dec. 14, 1922
Death Certificate #35359 jhs
Source: Tombstone & Death Certificate

 Martin, Ben (Benjamin W)   (CSA)
See photo above
b. Sep 15, 1823
**Confederate pension application
stated age 76 yrs old on Sep. 15, 1899)
Birth is not stated on tombstone
d. June 6, 1910 Source: Tombstone)
 Co. E, 15th Reg. Alabama Inf. Source: Tombstone
Confederate Soldier of America
Co D. 57th Regiment Ala  Source: Pension application

Martin, Phabra (Andrews?) (Unmarked)*
 w/o Ben Martin
b. July 28, 1824
d. Sep. 13, 1900
Source:  Montgomery County History Book,  p. 396,
by Melva Yates Whitehead
Article states she is buried next to her husband
 


Obituary of Mrs. T. R. Smith

Smith, Helen Arnold (unmarked)
b. Aug 25, 1868
d. Feb. 24, 1930
Burial plot unknown
w/o Thomas R. Smith
Source: Newspaper obit article & family information 

Smith, Thomas R. (Unmarked)
b. Mar 2, 1864
d. Sep. 16, 1945
Burial plot unknown
h/o Helen Arnold Smith
Source: family history and bible records 

Smith, David Francis (Unmarked)
WWI Veteran
Pvt. Batt E. 344 F. A. Army
b. Apr 14, 1895
d. May 14, 1936
Burial plot unknown
Death Certificate #27096 jhs
s/o Thomas R and Helen Smith
(Source: family history)  


Annie Lee Walker

Taken April 2011
Walker, Annie Lee
b. Oct. 31, 1904
d. April 15, 1906
Source: Tombstone
(d/o Joseph Leonard Walker & Clemmie Etta Jones
Clemmie Etta Jones d/o W. H. Jones)
Parents buried at County Line Cemetery
Source: Shirley Walker Meadows
 

There are numerous gravesites marked only with large iron ore rocks and many graves and markers are lost. (It is rumored that someone threw the tombstones in Peach Creek so they could cross it when the water level was low.)

I have identified one Civil War Veteran and one World War II Veteran so far.

If you have any ancestors buried in this cemetery please contact me so I can add their names to this list. I am trying to reconstruct the names of the persons buried here.

If you have any information on this cemetery please contact me.

Thank You
Peggy Goodwin
P O Box 84 
Conroe Texas 77305 
pgoodwin54@consolidated.net
Great Granddaughter of Thomas and Helen Smith 

Sources: Obits & Tombstones
 

Old China Grove Cemetery Posts

http://boards.ancestry.myfamily.com/thread.aspx?mv=flat&m=762&p=localities.northam.usa.states.texas.counties.montgomery

Paul F.Smith

Posted: 6 Mar 2003 2:03AM GMT

Classification: Query

 

 

 

Dennis, in the Montgomery Co., TX. history book page 60- 61- & 62, there is a write up about Teddy, Texas and the China grove church and cemetery. The cemetery is located on the old Matthews & Williams place.

There is a photo of China Grove Church taken about 1905. No description of the people in the photo's names. Located on page 61.Page 62 is photo of Eular Agnes (Matthews) Williams, she is standing in the old China Grove Cemetery. No info when the photo was taken. In this photo looks like the forest is already encroaching on the cemetery. I am sure it is heavily grown over by now. But the search will go on for me.

 

Old China Grove Cemetery Queries

pafrsm1  )

Posted: 14 Dec 2004 3:22AM GMT

Classification: Query

Edited: 3 Aug 2006 10:02PM GMT

 

 

Thanks again Sophie.
I was looking for directions on how to find it. My paternal Gr. Gr. Grandpa Benjamin Silvius Sweet settled in this area about 1870. He and his family migrated from Gadsden County Florida. This area was known as Teddy, Texas, then by 1902- 1905 it changed name to By Spot, Texas. The original name for the community was Eddy, but it was discovered that a Post Office by this name already existed, so they settled on Teddy. By 1919 this community just about vanished.

I wanted to check and see if there were any family members buried there. I found a listing last night on USGenWeb, Montgomery County, TX and discovered a listing for directions and a recent photo of the cemetery. Only a few headstones are still legible. It seems about 200 graves are there, but over time the headstones have came up missing.

As time permits I will take a field trip out and find this little cemetery.

Thanks again for your help. If you would like to contact me at my e-mail address I can give more information on this area.

Paul
 

For more information Old China Grove Cemetery, visit Gloria Mayfield's Cemeteries of Montgomery County, Texas.

 

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