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Story of Two Cemeteries

by Betty Dunn

Texas Center for Regional Studies
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Mt. Pleasant Cemetery on CR 323

The cemeteries for black burials for members of the Mt. Pleasant Church in southwest Grimes County are the story of two separate cemeteries that should be one.  They are the Mt. Pleasant cemetery accessible on County Road 323 about one half mile north of Highway 2 and the nearby earlier grounds on what is now the Double H Ranch on Highway 2 about 3 miles east of Highway 6.

You can blame the separation of the two cemeteries on the Mother Nature and the weather.  The Mt. Pleasant church dates to 1863.  It was also the location of the early black Red Hill School. Over time, after the first several burials of Mt. Pleasant parishioners in an idyllic pastural setting to the west of the church, a gully between the church and the cemetery continued to deepen from rainfall runoff.  By about the early 1970s, as best ascertained, the now isolated burial grounds on the Double H ranch became inaccessible.   The Grimes County Commissioners turned down a request to create a road and bridge to reach the original burial site from the Mt. Pleasant church.

The first recorded burial in the initial cemetery site on the Double H ranch is that of Nettie Thornton, born about 1886, who died on March 23, 1925.  She was the first wife of Anthony Thornton.  In the 1920 U. S. Census Nettie is listed as age 34 living with her husband Anthony and a son, John, age 5. There may be many earlier burials as several graves are unmarked and some without dates and/or legible markers.
 
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Others identified by markers buried there are Martha Ann White, born December 28, 1941, who died September 6, 1957.   According to her death certificate she died tragically at the age of 15 of crushing injuries from being struck as a roadside pedestrian by an automobile.  She was the daughter of Ennis White and Emma Perkins.  Another marker burial is that of Francis White,  widow of Tom White, born 1862 and died January 28, 1937 at age 75.  Her death certificate states she died of severe burns from falling into her home fireplace.  Another identified burial is that of a Mary Green, born 1886 and died in 1937.  No official record has been found.  One grave marker is identified only as E.L.W.  This marker could well be for Ennis L. White, Sr., father of Martha Ann White.

The private property owner of this cemetery well maintains the grounds and it is fenced to protect from grazing cattle.   

Double H Cemetery off Highway 2 

The 2nd Mt. Pleasant cemetery is on the original site of the Mt. Pleasant Church established in 1863. It burned in 1970.  A new church was built and dedicated in 1975 a short distance south of Highway 2 on CR 323 on land donated by Roy Weaver, Sr.  The cemetery is also the site of the black Red Hill Retreat School which was torn down in the 1930s with the students consolidated with the Templeman Hill School at the black Pleasant Hill Church located on Highway 362 near Beason Creek.  Earliest burials at the 2nd Mt. Pleasant site are recorded in 1971, a year after the original church burned.

Twenty-three burials can be identified at this time in the active 2nd Mt. Pleasant cemetery accessible on CR 323 north of Highway 2.  There are probably other unmarked graves.   The two earliest burials are:  A wife and husband, Carrie Lee (Edwards) Steptoe, born March 6, 1893, who died April 13, 1971, married to Bennie Steptoe, Sr., who was born August 3, 1891 and died December 31, 1971, just nearly 9 months following the death of his wife.


Other identifiable burials in this cemetery are:

            Allie Lee Steptoe, born 22 Dec 1892; died 20 Mar 1973, Grimes County, Texas, daughter of Armstead and Tammie (Perkins) Steptoe

            Lee Andrew Steptoe, born 14 May 1912; died 13 Nov 1983, son of John Steptoe Sr. and Vinnie Raymond

            Sarah (West) Steptoe, born 10 Jun 1912; died 21 Feb 1990, daughter of Rev. George and Laura West

                 Ethel Lea (Pellum) Lawrence, born 7 Nov 1923; died 20 Jul 1975, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Gus Pellum) with a common stone for son Richard Moore, Jr., born 14 Jul 1938; died 27 Oct 1974, son of Richard Moore Sr.

            Edd Robinson, born 15 Oct 1911; died 27 Jun 1979, son of Dave and Hattie (Webb) Robinson

            Carrie Louise (Nelson) Robinson, born 9 Jul 1934; died 14 Apr 1984, daughter of Margaret Steptoe and (Jabbo) Nelson.


            


Burials in 2007 are:

            Bennie Steptoe, Jr., born 6 Sep 1923 in Grimes County; died 14 Feb, 2007, in Grimes County, buried next to his parents the above mentioned Carrie Lee and Bennie Steptoe, Sr.  

            Mr. Willie ‘Bo’ Williams, born 27 Jan 1946; died 22 Sept 2007, son of Allen and Annie Bell Williams.
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On a visit to this cemetery in spring of 2010, this observer found additional markers placed at previously unmarked graves.  They were for:

            Tim McDowell, birth date unknown; died 22 Feb 1976, son of Mr. and Mrs. Boone McDowell

            Lorenza Hearne, Sr., no dates

            Lorenza Hearne, Jr., born 1940; died 2002

            George Nelson, no dates

            John  Steptoe, born 20 Mar 1910; died 27, Feb 1995

            Margaret Steptoe, born 17 Dec 1916; died 26 Jan 1995; daughter of Bennie Steptoe, Sr. and Carrie Lee (Edwards) Steptoe 

            Darian Adams, apparently a child’s grave as it is recent and decorated with toy cars and other child remembrances, adjoining the graves of the above mentioned Robinsons.

            Dareshawa Steptoe, born 30 Jan 1972; died 25 Feb 2009, daughter of Albert and Veria (Stein) Steptoe

On a visit at the end of December 2010, a grave was recorded for: 

            Esnora (Steptoe) Williams, born Sep 8, 1951; died Dec 21, 2010, the daughter of Lerii and Margaret (Burrell) Steptoe.


A 2011 burial is for:

             Ruthie Mae Harris, born 4 Mar 1948, in Navasota, Grimes County, and died in Grimes County 4 Feb 2011.

Two 2012 burials are that of:

              Ala Mae (Scott) Hearne, born 3 Mar 1921; died 5 Aug 2012, daughter of John Scott and Allie Lee Steptoe; and

            T. J. Steptoe, born 17 Jun 1933; died 30 Jan 2012, son of John and Elizabeth (Gaston) Steptoe.

There are other unmarked graves and probably even others.

Thank you.


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