Submitted by Gloria B. Mayfield, Panola Co. Coordinator

Moses Melton Crow, son of John S. Crow, was born in the state of Georgia circa 1827. He married in 1848, Lucinda Jane Koonce, a native of Maury County, Tennessee and daughter of Daniel Koonce. Moses came to Rusk County with his father in the late 1840’s, settling first near Bethel Methodist Church. Along with them came at lease two of Moses’s brother’s, Abel R. and Isaac Crow, the latter of whom died circa 1852 unmarried. The father died in early January 1851, in the state of Louisiana "on his return from a visit to the state of Georgia" as recorded in his estate papers; which also mention John’s widow, Martha, and Levi and Alexander Crow who were probably also his sons.

By 1858, Moses resettled his growing family on the Pine Hill Road. In 1859, he purchases from W. D. Long 100 acres in the southwest corner of the Maria Del Carmel Survey as recorded in Deed Book M. page 555. He built his home directly across from the Crow Cemetery.

Moses and Lucinda had twelve children, eight of whom survived to adulthood; Daniel P., who married Mary Melvina North, John S., who married Lou A. Bradley, M. S., General Houston, Ida H., Able Milton, Emma D., and Lou R. Crow.

From, "The Realm of Rusk County", page 49, Mr. Garland Farmer writes, "Robert Crow was probably of the well know and still well-represented pioneer family of the name. The pioneer was Moses Melton Crow, who was named the oldest Mason in Texas at one time after the civil War. He was a charter member of the Henderson Lodge". Moses M. was a veteran of the Civil War. His son John S. Crow lived to be 100 years old and whose’s recollections on early life in Rusk county have been published in local newspapers and in historical journals.

The earliest marked grave is that of M. J. Wheelis in 1864, daughter of W. W. and B. C. Wheelis. Other members of this family were later prominent businessmen of Overton. Other internments, such as that of Nancy Diamond in 1869, also predate the marked graves of any members of the Crow or McCauley families.

Nancy (Cornwell) Diamond, who is buried here, was the daughter of Elijah Cornwell, and widow of James B. Diamond who died in DeKalb County, Georgia in 1849. She was the mother of Colonel James Diamond, C.S.A. and George Washington Diamond, lawyer, and editor of the Henderson times, He also represented the citizens of Rusk County in the state house in Austin at the beginning of Reconstruction. One of Nancy’s daughters Catherine, married Abel R. Crow, brother of Moses M. Crow, and also lived in Rusk County. They are buried in the Old City cemetery behind the courthouse. It is probably through Able R. and not Moses M. Crow that the cemetery acquired its name. The McCauley’s did own the property on which the cemetery is located in 1864 and 1865, the dates recorded for the oldest marked graves. But the property passed forever from their hands on January 11, 1968, when John R. McCauley sold this section to William Kendrick, who in turn sold it to Abel R. Crow on September 15, 1869. From 1875 t 895, the property passed through the hands of many buyers until acquired in the last year above mentioned by E. G. Skelton.

A school house was also located her in 1907. Pine Hurst School, established in 1900, was moved to this site, just in front of the cemetery in 1907. The structure was demolished by a cyclone on April 28, 1917 and the school was relocated further up the road.

In 1921, Mr. J. M. Hunt died and was interred in the Hunt Cemetery. Vandals damaged his tombstone, and his widow had his body exhumed and moved to Crow Cemetery. Mr. Mannie Rowell transported the body by wagon at night.

The canvas of the graves in the cemetery was done in "page style". The first row beginning at the back of the cemetery (West Side) immediately adjacent to the black section, and always reading the markers in each row from left to right. Each row is read the same manner, progressing backwards to the east front row or "bottom page line" of the cemetery.

The cemetery was first canvassed in 1956 by Mrs. Abbie Rushton, and her daughter, Mrs. Mary Frank (Deason) Dunn, with additions added up to 1980. Also about 1980, the cemetery was enlarged. Mr Hardy Swan leveled off the back and the fence line at the back (south side) was moved out. The son of Joe Cliff Rushton made the current sigh above the entrance gates.

The Crow Cemetery is located just east of Henderson in the southwestern section of the Maria de Carmel survey in an area once know as the Good Hope Community.

At the intersection of U. S. 79 North, and East Main Street, in Henderson, turn right onto East Main Street (Old Carthage Highway). About a quarter of a mile, turn right onto Farm to market Road FM 840 (Pinehill Road) and go about three miles, just a little past Mission Springs Baptist Church on the left and new hop Freewill Baptist church on the right (about a quarter mile further). The entrance gate to the Cemetery is off the road 1/10^th of a mile to the right.

Mr. Tom Jones, with the Henderson I.S.D. Appraisal District, in July 1995, located the original donation deed for the cemetery from E. G. Skelton and wife A. B. Skelton to D. P. Crow and J. H. McCauley, "Trustees for the Crow Cemetery", dated July 21, 1907 and recorded in Rusk County Deed Book 59, page 439. The donation deed set aside five acres for a graveyard. The death certificate of Ada B. Skelton, list her parents as D. P. Crow and Nary North. D. P. was Daniel P. Crow, son of Moses Melton Crow. When E. G. Skelton first purchased this tract from L. & H. (Leon & Hyram ) Blum Land Company on September 5, 1895, (Rusk County Deed book 50, page 422), the cemetery is simply referred to as a graveyard, the five acres being included in the 62 acres then purchased by Skelton. The meets and bounds places the cemetery in the vicinity of the "NWC" (northwest corner) of the John R. McCauley tract. This 62 acres was one part of a much larger tract containing 766 acres, purchased by John R. McCauley from Emory Loyd in 1859.