Transcription has been done by
Dana Thomas (offsite). Dana also furnished the
following information about the cemetery:
Some
additional info is listed from the CCGS publication called Morris
County Texas Cemeteries Southern Section:
From Hwy
161 about .1 mile northwest of Harris Chapel Church, turn west on
Cass County Road 1592. Drive 1 mile to Morris County line, road
turns to Morris County Road 2306. Follow this for 1 mile, it turns
to CR 2307. Follow this for 1 mile, turn left on dirt road into the
woods and follow for .4 mile.
Earliest
grave appears to be 1856. When this cemetery was first established,
it was in the corner of Titus, Morris and Cass Counties. Since that
time, the county lines have changed, and it is now just over into
Morris County from Cass.
The
cemetery is fenced. Rhena Mae Black Carwile, a descendant of this
Griffis family, has researched this family. She is mainly
responsible for the restoration and fencing of this cemetery. She
personally placed markers on most of the unmarked graves. Only five
of the twenty-two graves had tombstones. (This figure does not
include the two rows of slave graves.)
This
cemetery contains graves of family and slaves of John M. Griffis
from Alabama, plus a few others. John M. Griffis is the ancestor of
many prominent Cass County families.
Cemetery
is known to be predominantly white.
-------------------------------------
LOCATION: From Hwy 161 about .1 mile northwest of
Harris Chapel Church, turn west on Cass CR 1592. Drive 1 mile to Morris
County line, road turns to Morris CR 2306. Follow this for 1 mile, it
turns to CR 2307. Follow this for 1 mile, turn left on dirt road into
the woods and follow for .4 mile.
Earliest grave appears to be 1856. When this
cemetery was first established, it was in the corner of Titus, Morris
and Cass Counties. Since that time, the county lines have changed, and
it is now just over into Morris County.
This cemetery is fenced. Rhena Mae Black Carwile, a
descendant of this Graffis family, has researched this family. She is
mainly responsible for the restoration and fencing of this cemetery.
She personally placed markers on most of the unmarked graves. Only five
of the twenty-two graves had tombstones. (This figure does not include
the two rows of slave graves.)
This cemetery contains graves of family and slaves of
John M Griffis from Alabama, plus a few others. John M. Griffis is the
ancestor of many prominent Cass County families.
Cemetery was read April 24, 1995 by Audrey Rankin.
Beginning at the NW corner, rows running North to South.
Thiscemetery is known to be predominantly white.
NAME
|
BIRTH
DATE
|
DEATH DATE
|
INFORMATION
|
|
|
|
|
UNKNOWN
|
|
|
Row 1; Rock marked grave |
GRIFFIS, Mary Edna
|
1876 |
Died young |
Row 1 |
GRIFFIS, Elmer
|
1878 |
Died young |
Row 1 |
GRIFFIS, Baby
|
No dates |
|
Row 1; S/o Jas and Mollie |
GRIFFIS, Jasper Newton
|
Jan 14, 1849 |
1905 |
Row 1; Doye Mathis Watkins, whose husband
was a great grandson, said this man was known as “Big Jas” |
BARRETT, Baby
|
|
1904 |
Row 2; Infant of Charles |
GRIFFIS, Mainard Harris
|
Sep 12, 1854 |
Oct 13, 1856 |
Row 2; S/o John M |
GRIFFIS, John M
|
1816 |
Aug 7, 1884 |
Row 2; Age 68 years 7 days; birth
calculated Aug 1, 1816. |
GRIFFIS, Alie Connell
|
Dec 29, 1815 |
Oct 28, 1897 |
Row 2; W/o John M |
GRIFFIS, J D
|
Jan 1, 1847 |
Apr 1, 1895 |
Row 2; S/o John M and Alie C |
STRICKLAND, Ida
|
|
1863 |
Row 3; D/o Gus and Litt, M/M Augustus Mane |
STRICKLAND, “Jas”
|
1858 |
Died young |
Row 3; S/o M/M Augustus M |
GRIFFIS, Daisy
|
Jun 4, 1872 |
Aug 22, 1873 |
Row 3 |
GRIFFIS, Clementine
|
Mar 2, 1874 |
Feb 27, 1875 |
Row 3 |
O’DELL, John W
|
Nov3, 1870 |
Nov 24, 1873 |
Row 3 |
RARDIN, Nancy Virginia
|
1852 |
1890 |
Row 4; Nickname “Duck”; O’Dell relative |
RARDIN, Charles
|
No Dates |
|
Row 4; S/o Nancy V |
NOBLES, Francis
|
1860 |
|
Row 5; O’Dell Friend |
NOBLES, Georgia
|
1867 |
|
Row 5; Legend is that while the Nobles
family was visiting with the Solomon O’Dells, Francis and
Georgia, children of this family, died and were buried here in
the Griffis Family Cemetery. |
BOLTON, Bryant R
|
Jan 7, 1825 |
Jun 12, 1885 |
Row 5 |
AMOX, Amanda A BOLTON
|
1864 |
1882 |
Row 5; 1st W/o Frank |
AMOX, Bryant C
|
|
1887 |
Row 5; S/o Frank and Nettie; Frank married
2nd wife Nettie, sister of his 1st wife
Amanda |
On the East end of this cemetery, one row of
unmarked slave graves are inside the cemetery fence, another row outside
the fence. When they put up the fence, they did not realize they were
not enclosing all the graves, but discovered later that one row was
outside the fence. There are two rows of slave graves, all unmarked.
The following listed in CCC BOOK 1976
as buried in this cemetery:
WOODELL, John 1870
1873
This information was copied from the MORRIS
COUNTY CEMETERY BOOK – SOUTHERN SECTION of 1999 which was Compiled by
the Cass County Genealogical Society in cooperation with the Morris
County Historical Commission.
Janette Tigert Cook
janettecook@yahoo.com
January 20, 2008 |
