Indian Creek
In 2000 the boys of Boy Scout Troop 73 in Mineral Wells transcribed the Indian Creek Cemetery located just west of Mineral Wells at the corner of Indian Creek Road and US Highway 80. The cemetery is located on the east side of Indian Creek Road a block north of Indian Creek Baptist Church.
I am proud to say that the reason for this transcription was my grandson, John Banner's, Eagle Scout Project. With much planning before the fact and much organizational work afterward on John's part, the project took place on two Saturdays in September, and on December 17, 2000, John's 14th birthday, he received his Eagle rank.
(John, left, was sworn in by three cousins who are also Eagles, Ron Johnson, Bill Dillard, and John Poe.)
The cemetery had been transcribed for the Palo Pinto County Historical Association by Grace Gilbert Smith in 1975. However, copies of this transcription seem to have all but disappeared.
Indian Creek Cemetery appears to have been used for the first time in 1894 when a two-year-old child, Jessie Hill, was buried. As with many pioneer cemeteries, it is often the case that a child dying either in infancy or of disease demanded that a burial ground be established.
Other early burials include infant daughter Rodgers, Renie Rodgers, and Leann Goodbar in 1895; Gracie Sates, W. G. Williams, and Mary Henson in 1896; Charlie Wheeler in 1897; Evie Farley in 1898; and Malisie Glidewell, Obed Morgan, Daphne Queen, Orvid Queen, C. A. Chick, and Alice Gage in 1899.
Two Civil War veterans are buried at Indian Creek. One is J. N. Baxter who served as a Private in the 22nd Arkansas Infantry, and the other is W. H. Queen who served in Company E of Birds Louisiana Calvary.
There are many veterans of both World Wars, Vietnam, and Korea also buried at Indian Creek, along with members of many of Palo Pinto County's pioneer and current families such as Angress, Ballinger, Choate, Cox, Eubanks, Kimbrough, Like, Mills, Owens, Stephens, and Warren to name a few.
If you like to browse cemeteries, this is one of the most interesting. It is well maintained by the Cemetery Association, whom one must contact for burial permission and information.
The transcription information is housed with the Cemetery Association as well as at the Bois Ditto Public Library, with copies going to the Mineral Wells Heritage Association and the Palo Pinto Historical Association.
If you are interested in contacting the Indian Creek Cemetery Association, call Alton Reedy at 940/325-2079.
Now on to our COT Questions and Answers:
"I would like to thank you for a well written essay on the Scotch-Irish...it is one of my favorite subjects. Have you read The Scotch-Irish by...Leyburn? Also, in T.R. Fehrenbach's Lone Star there is one whole chapter devoted to the Scotch-Irish." Charles E. Wilson, Houston TX.
"I have published a two volume book Swaffords of Sequatchie Valley, Tennessee about eight Swafford brothers born during the period 1762-1785 and moved from Greenville, SC into east TN about 1810. Their father was reportedly Peter James Swafford born about 1740 place unknown. I was born in 1920 and my father was born in 1878 in Hill County, TX, and he always told us that the Swafford/Swofford families were Scotch-Irish. I have been able to develop considerable information about the eight brothers and their descendants but very little about their father.
"In 1680 William Penn collected a debt owed to his father from King Charles II. Penn requested that he be paid in wilderness land in America instead of in money. The land he granted became Pennsylvania. Penn came to America in 1682 but he had opened the land to Quakers in 1680 and they moved in by the thousands. Two brothers, James and William Swaffer (Swafford) came from Newtin, Cheshire, England as early as 1684 and settled in Upper Providence. They each raised families and apparently moved to various states but I have not been able to connect these Pennsylvania Swaffords with any other Swafford family group.
"I have recently published another book "Swafford/Swofford Families of America" second edition, 1208 pages, name indexed. This book deals with 32 manuscripts about 32 different Swafford/Swofford family groups that I have not been able to connect together or to my TN book. During my 47 years of research I collected all of the Swafford/Swofford information that I found and pieced them together with the records and thousands of letters." submitted by Ray C. Swofford, 2275 Peterson Road, Greenback, TN 37742; Telephone: 865-856-3487.
Ken Clary out at the BackAcres RV Park in Garner says: "I read your article about Soda Springs in CrossRoads. My cousin Dorothy Wright lives just down the lane from the old house photo. Her husband, Marvin, is buried in the cemetery there along with his father and Grandfather who came from England. They own several hundred acres along the Brazos. It is a beautiful piece of property, and I went fishing with my Dad there several times. Dorothy's mother and my dad were brother and sister."
Michael Dillingham writes: "I am searching for any information on JAMES EMERY WILLIAMS, born June 6, 1875, at Granbury or Palo Pinto County Texas, married Minnie Pearl Hill on July 7, 1902, at Gatesville, Coryell County, Texas and died May 31, 1970 in Littlefield, Lamb County, Texas. He was buried in Spur, Texas. I thank you in advance for any help and information."
A query from Anna Gilbert of Mineral Wells asks if there is a connection between her g-g-g-grandfather John Abston, Revolutionary War Patriot of Virginia, buried in Collin County Texas and our local Lynch family. Mrs. Gilbert says Abston married Rachel Clement, daughter of Capt. Benjamin Clement, of VA. It appears that Capt. Clement and one Charles Lynch were successful in making gunpowder used by revolutionaries during the British blockade in Virginia. If you have information regarding a Lynch/Clement alignment or you would like to make a comment or query of your own, please write me at P. O. Box 61, Mineral Wells TX 76068-0061 or email me at sue_seibert@att.net. See you next time!
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