Cambridge Cemetery

Clay Co., Cemeteries of Texas

Inscriptions by Peggy Shepherd courtesy of the Clay County Historical Commission.

Location: It is located on private property east of Henrietta.

History: Cambridge is probably the oldest cemetery in Clay County. The first dated burial there is 1852. The cemetery was still in use in 1995 the date of the latest burial. At one time the community of Cambridge was the county seat of Clay County. The cemetery is approximately 100 square yards. For more information on the community of Cambridge see the Texas Handbook Online.

Clay County Leader

April 30 2009

Cambridge graves vandalized
 
Robert W. Tyree, an early pioneer of Clay County, was buried at Cambridge four years before the present courthouse was constructed and not long after the fledgling town just three miles northeast of Henrietta lost it bid to be county seat.
Sometime between April 16 and April 23 — 129 years after his death — someone took to his grave with a shovel.

Tyree’s was one of three graves that showed signs of digging when Encarnacion Beltran, caretaker of the private property on which the cemetery is located, and his wife Santa Celila Fuentes happened upon the vandalism. They called the sheriff’s office.  hen Captain Steve McCord arrived at the cemetery, Beltran pointed out about 10 headstones that had been toppled, some had been shattered.   None of the freshly dug holes were more than a foot deep, probably due to drought, but at least one hole covered the entire length and width of a sandstone-lined grave.  In an incident report, McCord noted the offense as criminal mischief, which, if inflicted on a place of worship or human burial is a state jail felony.   The Cambridge Cemetery is the oldest in the county, and is believed to have been established in 1852. The cemetery had been neglected for years until work crews from the James V. Allred Prison began restoring and maintaining its grounds in January.   A crew had worked at the cemetery on April 16.
Although its amount has yet to be determined, a cash reward has be put up for information leading to the arrest of an offender or offenders.

Last, Given, Birth, Death, Comments
Adams, Lucile (Lucy), 1877, 1890
Boyd, Thomas Wesley, (son of Thomas & Mary), May 31, 1873, Jan 1, 1876
Brown, Avalena (dau of P A & M M Brown), May 6, 1878, Aug 25, 1878
Brown, Baby, Jan 22, 1895, Feb 1, 1895
Brown, Harry, Aug 26, 1878, April 21, 1899
Brown, Martha Margaret (wf of P A Brown), June 25, 1854, Jan 24, 1925
Brown, Otis (son of P A & M M Brown), Oct 18, 1874, Sept 6, 1878,
Brown, Pleasant Armstrong (son JN/Sarah Woods), July 19, 1846, Aug 28, 1922
Brown, J L , March 10, 1853, Aug 2, 1880
Brown, James W (broken stone), , May 10, 1853, Aug 31, 1866
Bruner, Gertie E (dau of D & A Bruner), March 18, 1860, Sept 6, 1876
Campbell, Almeda (dau of A G & S H), May 28, 1889, June 30, 1890
Campbell, George W (husband of Hannah), 1852, 1913
Campbell, Hannah, 1852, 1933
Campbell, Nancy A (dau of G W & H), May 23, 1892, Aug 7, 1892
Campbell, Samuel (son of A G & S H), 1877, 1896
Chisam, Clemuel C, Feb 17, 1850, Aug 13, 1880
Clarke, T D (on white stone- CO K 28 Ga. Siege Artillery CSA), (on sandstone one date only) , 1890
Curtis, Jim C, Mar 27, 1848, Jan 3, 1881, Jim C Curtis was killed in Van Slyke Saloon in Cambridge
A large crypt 20' x 20' with hewn tops & column & gate with covered arch, all of sandrock; the marker itself consists of a granite base with description, a granite seat stone, a doric shaft 6" long with a cap. This was the most elaborate grave marking in the N Texas area.
Curtis, Nettie (infant daughter of J C & F C Curtis), Sept 24, 1876, Feb 24, 1877
Davis, Amelia (wf of I M), , March 10, 1834, Jan 10, 1917
Davis, Ella, Aug 26, 1872, Feb 12, 1900
Davis, Isham M, Sept 6, 1824, Jan 20, 1898
Donley, Bettie A, Aug 7, 1868, July 20, 1882
Donley, Charles B, May 13, 1869, March 23, 1896
Donley, E J (wf of W C), April 22, 1831, Dec 9, 1913
Donley, W C (father of John), , Oct 30, 1839, May 30, 1916
Duff, Mary Jessie, Jan 27, 1852
Duff, William K, Aug 7, 1868, July 20, 1882 (Duff and Malone are in same plot)
Eichelberger, Richard, May 9, 1889, April 9, 1911
Groves, Robert Lee (Joe & Eliz Corbin), March 18, 1866, Nov 9, 1944
Groves, Susan Hill (AF & Cynthia Cotton), no date, 1904
Groves, Virginia (Robert & Susan), 1896, , 1910
Hahn, Jessie W (Born in Ohio-died in Texas), March 5, 1824, Aug 18, 1909
Hahn, Opha, July 11, 1821, July 20, 1899
Hahn, Joshia F (Body moved to Hope Cemetery), Nov 10, 1856, Aug 27, 1930
Hahn, Mary Ida (Joe Alred)(moved to Hope Cemetery, April 22, 1880, Oct 23, 1917
Harrison, Adam S (stone broken), , June 15, 1846, Dec 14, 1878
Heindel, Noah Franklin (age 34 yr 9 mo 17 days), Dec 10, 1852, Sept 27, 1887
Hill, Cynthy Catherine Cotton, wf of M F (In memoriam-Woodman Circle, Sept 5, 1854, Jan 7, 1918
Hill, Millard Fillmore (WOW Memorial), Dec 15, 1851, Jan 8, 1918
Jennings, Margaret, 1824, Aug 1879,
Jordan, Nettie L, June 29, 1876, Dec 13, 1880
Keller, Mollie E (wf of C C), , March 1, 1859, April 22, 1889
Keller, Severa S (dau of C C & P O) (age 2 yrs 2 mo 9 days)one date only, June 20, 1895
Keller, June Lee (stone broken, Keller not on stone), June 4, 1894, April 24, 1895
Lain, Margaret (dau of Henry Schaffner & Marie Urlacker) (Davis Funeral Home Marker), 1916, 1982
Lawson, Grover, one date only, Jan 1918
Lawson, M B, Feb 18, 1883, Oct 2, 1910

Lloyd, Julia Cleve (W M Henry Simw & Marg Keeter), 1886, 1946
Malone, Jeremiah (drug to death by a team), Jan 21, 1851, May 5, 1888
Matthews, William (hus of Caroline Winton), one date only, 1878
Moss, Joseph , one date only, Nov 25, 1878
Moss, Sarah A (wf of Joseph), , 1826, 1875
Nossis, ? (on military type granite stone), no dates
Nuffer, Laura (dau of J P & A L), May 23, 1899, May 27, 1890
Nuffer, Lulu May (dau of J P & Anna), Dec 31, 1886, July 4, 1893
Preston, Christina (wf of John), , Oct 13, 1814, Oct 23, 1875
Preston, John, Feb 11, 1818, Mar 18, 1890
Ratheon, George (stone broken), , Dec 22, 1833, Oct 28, 1875
Rice, Van (shot by Jim Curtis in Dr Eldridge's office in Cambridge) , no dates
Rickard, Earnest and Roy, , 1876, 1876
Rickard, Floyd (son of P C & D Stephens), June 30, 1894, June 30, 1894
Rickard, John R.....through Joseph Moss are in a fenced in plot with a large stone with Rickard only. No dates
Rickard, Robert Wood, Jr, , 1874, 1888
Rickard, Robert Wood, 1840, 1875, (Robert Wood was a soldier in the Civil War. He joined in Illinois, per Maxine Halprin)
Schaffner, Anton (son of Henry & Marie), 1906, 1995
Schaffner, Edith (dau of Henry & Marie), O 23, 1902, J 30, 1913
Schaffner, Edna (sandstone marker), O 23, 1908, F 20?, 1913
Schaffner, Ester , Feb 3, 1919, M 2, 1919
Schaffner, Henry (buried with Marie), Sept 4, 1871, Mar 28, 1931
Schaffner, Marie (A Urlacker & Lona Cashner), Nov 29, 1875, July 28, 1969
Schaffner, Margaret (dau of Henry & Marie) , See Margaret Lain
Schaffner, Martha (dau of Henry & Marie), See Martha Smith
Scudder, George Henry (Enoch & Nancy M WMS), Jan 8, 1862, May 21, 1879
Shriver, A A (killed by Indians, cousin of Wm Smith), 1846, July 13, 1872
Sisson, James A, Feb 20, 1864, July 29, 1893
Slyke, William Van (age 66 yrs 14 days), March 2, 1815, March 15, 1881, Owned a saloon in Cambridge
Smith, Albert Berkley (Jas & Martha), Aug 24, 1897, Nov 21, 1973
Smith, Martha M (buried with Albert)dau of Henry & Marie Schaffner, Aug 31, 1914, Dec 3, 1978
Spangler, Allen Albert (son of Geo & Catharine Kopp), March 17, 1851, April 22, 1918
Spangler, Alta M, May 28, 1871, Aug 23, 1881
Spangler, Benjamin F (son of Thomas & Mary Boyd) age 2 years 7 months and 2 days (stone broken)
Spangler, Elmer E (Geo & Catharine Kopp), one date only , Oct 17, 1893
Spangler, Frances Sophia (wf of Allen, dau of Jessie Han & Sophia Esterly), 1850, 1917
Spangler, Irene Lilly, June 9, 1890, July 23, 1991
Spangler, John J, Feb 16, 1873, April 2, 1893
Spangler, Wilbur A (Allen & Frances), April 6, 1895, Jan 3, 1909
Stevens, Floyd (son of P C & D), , April 14, 1907, July 7, 1909
Stickney, Virgil (son of Willet B & Olive Johnson), no dates
Sullivan, Mary Jane (wf of G W), , May 23, 1862, Sept 11, 1890
Tanner, William R (or William J, Jr), 1872, 1881
Tucker, Stella (dau of E J & H M Tucker), dec 21, 1897, March 1, 1899
Tyree, Robert W (large stone crypt), July 29, 1839, April 14, 1880
Van Epp, Angie D (wf of Andrew Van Epp)(stone broken), one date only, 1880
Werry, Albert H (son of Joseph & Elizabeth), Nov 29, 1896, Feb 25, 1921
Werry, Elizabeth, 1869, 1947
Werry, Jack, died at age 19
Werry, Joseph (husb of Elizabeth), 1864, 1938
Werry, Joseph R (son of Joseph & Elizabeth), Sept 2, 1901, Feb 24, 1918
Whalin, M E, Feb 28, 1832, July 18, 1894
Whalin, Seanna C (wf of M E), , April 15, 1831, April 20, 1894
Winter (son of A V & Carrie Johnson), no dates
Wright, Ada, Jan 25, 1875, Jan 23, 1901

Mexican grave in the northeast corner of cemetery.