History: This is probably the oldest cemetery in the town of Kaufman. It is located on the C. A. Lovejoy Survey. The land was purchased by William Love in 1848. The site contains burials of some of the county's first settlers, and ironically, descendants of some of their slaves. This unusual occurrence was discovered while researching the genealogical history of the interred persons of the site. From the turn of the century until the late 1960's the site had become forgotten, then when the Texas Highway Dept. was putting the Hiway 175 Loop around the town a tombstone was unearthed and the cemetery was re-discovered. It is not known how many graves had become completely lost in all that time, or how many graves and/or markers had already been destroyed by the highway excavation. The Kaufman County Historical Commission placed the Texas State Historical Marker, shown below, on the site in 1999.  Condition: Good, in a quiet setting next to the Kaufman Church of Christ, under old oaks trees. Enumerated: May 18, 1999 - Donald & Kathey Hunt |
| ~ In the Panhandle ~ | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Unknown | *Not Seen in 1999 | Small Slate tombstone - illegible. Appears it has just recently come to surfaced due to Erosion from heavy rains |
| ~ Row 1 ~ Row closest to road | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Martha Jane Rayel Born July 9th, 1833 - Dec 19th, 1857 | *stone-gray cement, standing; Inscription: "Wife of James T Rayel" | There in 2009 |
| 3 | Unknown | unreadable tombstone - appears to be hand-made cement | There in 2009 |
| 4 | John D Baleew Born (unreadable) Died April 2, 187__ Name is Balew - | *stone-white limestone, broken, laying flat, was encased in cement when repaired; Footstone: "J D B" Inscription: "Husband of M H Baleew", "Farewell" Masonic Symbol at bottom | 2009 - Inscription wearing away due to being flat where rain can gather and cause erosion |
| 5 | Ann G Burge Born Aug 15th, 1817 - Died Jun 17th, 1857 | *stone-gray cement, standing & facing west, for some reason; Footstone: plain Inscription: Illegible | There in 2009 |
| ~ Row 2 ~ | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | T J Johnson June 9, 1872 - July 7, 1891 # | *stone, white/gray marble podium, draped, once had a lamb, which now is headless; Inscription: "5th Child of Isabella Carter" (Note: this is Toney Joe Johnson, the African-American son of Isabella Carter & Dick Johnson, both former slaves in Kaufman County. Isabella was a mulatto woman who was the daughter of pioneer William M Peters and the sister of Martha Jane Carter, who is buried here (SEE BELOW). From records it is believed Isabella is also buried here.) | 2009 - since 2006 the body of the lamb has been broken off the top |
| 7 | Alfred Alonzo LaRoe Born & Died 1873 | *stone-white limestone, standing, broken in middle, but repaired Inscription: "Son of M & A LaRoe" | 2009 - there, with some erosion |
| 8 | James S LaRoe Died March 18th, 1854 Aged 52 Yrs, 6 Mos, 15 Dys | *stone-white limestone, tall, broken, but repaired, standing Footstone: plain | 2009 - stone has been placed in metal braces for support |
| 9 | Unknown | *Gray stone marking grave | Very small piece remains in 2009 |
| 10 | Unknown | *Large red rock marking grave | Not there in 2009 |
| 11 | Robert Hendley Born May 26th, 1855 - Died May 12th, 1857 | *stone-gray cement, hand-chiseled | 2009 - Inscription barely legible |
| 12 | Amanda E Hendley Jan 12th, 1835 - April 3rd, 1857 | *stone-gray cement, hand-chiseled Inscription: "Wife of B P Hendley" | 2009 - Now flat with rounded top broken off, as are the pointed upper corners. Nearly illegible. |
| 13 | James A Hendley Born F'b 4th, 1854 - Died Nov. 5th, 1857 | *stone-gray cement, hand-chiseled | 2009 - Rounded top has broken off and someone has made a crude repair. It is nearly illegible. |
| 14 | M N Love Born July 5th, 1856 - Died Nov 16th, 1869 Footstone: plain | *stone-white granite, standing Inscription: "Daughter of J W & E J Love" And at bottom: "our Darling's Gone to Rest" | 2009 - good shape |
| 15 | James W Love Born Dec 2d, 1820 - Apr 15th, 1865 & L F Love no dates readable (born 1855 - died 15 Apr 1865) | *stone- white granite, double marker, standing Footstone: "J W L" Inscription: "Daughter of J W & E J Love" | 2009 - stone has broken. Crude repair made and it has been placed in metal braces for support |
| ~ Row 3 ~ | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 16 | Unknown | 1 gray cement stone, rounded top. Standing - illegible | There in 2009 |
| 17 | Unknown | Not on previous enumeration Discovered coming to surface in 2009 | 2009 - large piece of Slate. 7" of Corner protruding from ground, probably from erosion |
| 18 | Unknown | 1 dark gray stone, pointed top and upper corners, standing, but very short - unreadable (looks like slate) | There in 2009 |
| ~ Row 4 ~ | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 19 | Unknown | Small Cement Tombstone Cradle | There in 2009 |
| 20 | Unknown | Large Cement Tombstone Cradle | There in 2009 |
| 21 | Unknown | Small Cement Tombstone Cradle | There in 2009 |
| 22 | Unknown | Large Cement Tombstone Cradle | There in 2009 |
**Notation: It appears there may have been some type of epidemic
in 1857, with the number of deaths recorded here in that year.
It is known that James Love & daughter died in a Smallpox epidemic in 1865.
From Bible records in the possession of K K Hunt, Kaufman TX:
Parents of James W LoveWilliam Love12 Dec 1787 - 15 Jan 1851 Nancy Kirk Love 18 Dec 1792 - 15 Dec 1850 Brother & sister of James W LoveRobert H Love10 Jan 1819 - 04 Mar 1849 Anna Lattimore Love Carter 08 Sep 1812 - 22 Oct 1865 (* She was married to James Matthew Carter, William H Carter's brother) Note - in the Carter Family Bible the cemetery is referred to as the "Love Cemetery" and the place is noted as "in the town of Kaufman Texas" |
|
Porter, Sallie Died 20 Aug 1904 - age 24 yrs white/female |
