In November 1881 settlers established the community of Tioga on
the eastern edge of the East Cross Timbers, and it incorporated as a city
in 1906. For the first decade of Tioga?s history, residents buried
their loved ones on private land in family cemeteries. In February 1906, W.R. and Sallie Gillespie deeded five acres of
their farmland to the local Woodmen of the World camp for use as a burial
ground. The first grave dates to that year. Many of the early
headstones are Woodmen of the Word markers. The community continued
using and improving the cemetery over the years, adding a pavilion in 1924
for funeral services. Today, the burial ground is a tie to generations of Tioga residents,
and is the final resting place for veterans of military conflicts dating
to the Civil War, including both Union and Confederate soldiers.
Other notable persons interred here are Texas Senator Olin R. Van Zandt
and the Rev. H.G. Ball, a Primitive Baptist preacher, who presided over
the funeral service of U.S. Speaker of the House Sam Rayburn. An
association maintains the burial ground for future generations. -----Historic Cemetery ? 2004
Grayson
County TXGenWeb
