On this page:
Welcome, Surnames, History, Mention of Edgar Family Cemetery,
Notes of Convention
Latest update: Thursday, 12 March, 2015
Join us as we honor our family, friends, and neighbors
and care for their earthly resting places in the
EDGAR Family Cemetery, located near Edgar, DeWitt County, TEXAS,
between Cuero and Yoakum.
"The whole area around there is beautiful with many, large live oak trees and rolling hills.
The location of the original Edgar homestead, very near the old cemetery, is located on one of the
highest spots (maybe THE highest spot) on the original land grant,
and the views from there are beautiful in all directions."
(Robert Merritte WEBB, June, 2006, updated February 2013 )
“Many of our older cemeteries have long been abandoned to the briar and the serpent,
their stones broken and buried. Not a few have so completely vanished
from the face of the earth that they might never have existed.”
From the introduction to Cemetery Records of Washington County, TEXAS, 1826-1960
Judy and Nath WINFIELD, Jr.
Until 2013, the above could have easily been written about the EDGAR Family Cemetery. Over
the decades, several family members visited the cemetery and attempted to reclaim it from the
"briar and serpent." However, not until April 2013, when family members joined efforts did the
EDGAR Family Cemetery receive the complete tending it needed and deserved. In addition, these
dedicated family members established the EDGAR Family Cemetery Association to continue the
care and maintenance of the cemetery and to honor our ancestors.
Surnames
List of Surnames of those buried (or closely related to those buried) in the EDGAR Family
Cemetery: ABEL, BATCHELOR, BATES, BELL, BENNETT, BOULDIN, BROWN, CARR, DIKES,
DONNELL, DUKE, DYKES, EDGAR, FARQUHAR, HADLEY, HUGO (OR VON HUGO), JACOBS,
LADD, LEE, LUCE, MAHLER, MCADOO, MCCORMICK, MCMEEN, MEANS, MIKES , MIKESH,
MURPHEY, NEWSOME, NYEGAARD, ODOM, PINCHAM, POWERS, PRIDGEN, RACKLEY,
READER, ROBINSON, SKEEN, SPARKMAN, STROWN, TAYLOR, VON HUGO, WELCH,
WITHERINGTON, YOUNG
History (Map)
The EDGAR Family Cemetery is located near the community of Edgar, DeWitt County, TEXAS,
northeast of Cuero, between Cuero and Yoakum, off the Cuero highway. It is on private property
very near the original EDGAR homestead built in 1853-4, by James S. EDGAR (1790 - 1869) and
Selah WITHERINGTON EDGAR (1794-1873) and their family, who emigrated from Maury
County, TENNESSEE in late 1853. They settled on the DeWitt County land granted to their eldest
son Joseph Smith EDGAR for his participation in the TEXAS War of Independence.
The EDGAR Family cemetery is near the middle of the largest land grant, which is on Cuero
Creek. The location now know as the EDGAR Family Cemetery is referred to in later pages of the
Joshua N. EDGAR's Bible as the “Edgar Yard.” (The EDGAR Family Cemetery has been confused
with several other cemeteries around Edgar, DeWitt Co, TEXAS.)
James' and Selah's grave sites are in the corner of the cemetery nearest to where the family
house was located. James’ and Selah’s son, Arthur S. EDGAR (1828-1863) is believed to have
been the first buried in the EDGAR Family Cemetery. Arthur’s unmarked grave site is suspected
to be near those of his parents.
Today, the land on which the EDGAR Family Cemetery is located no longer belongs to a direct
EDGAR descendant, however, it does belong to a MAHLER descendant who is a collateral in-law
of the EDGAR branch of the family tree. Please note, the EDGAR Family Cemetery is on PRIVATE
LAND; do not trespass. Please contact the EDGAR Family Cemetery Association if you are
interested in visiting.
Visit the James EDGAR and Selah WITHERINGTON EDGAR website, for details on the
following:
EDGAR Homestead in Tennessee
Joseph Smith EDGAR and his three land grants from the Republic of TEXAS
James and Selah family immigration to TEXAS
EDGAR homestead in TEXAS
Edgar, DeWitt County, TEXAS
Joshua N. EDGAR's Bible
Mention of EDGAR Family Cemetery
05 April 2013, Article in Victoria Advocate - Man breathes new life into cemetery
..he [Henry EDGAR] may be laid to rest in the family grave yard which adjoins the old Edgar
home. (source: Obituary of Henry EDGAR, Yoakum Weekly Herald [Newspaper], 23 Jul 1908)
Sons of DeWitt Colony Biographies
"family members of James and Selah Edgar buried in the Edgar Family Cemetery"
The Joshua N. Edgar Family Bible lists burials in the "Edgar Yard" of eight of their grandchildren
children who died in infancy.
Notes of Convention
[Brackets] indicate editorial content or comment inserted into a quoted source that are not part
of the original quote.
Surnames are CAPITALIZED.
Nicknames are in "quotation marks."
Although this website uses the date form "day2 month3 year4" (example 01 Jan 2007,) for
intercultural, international, and temporal clarity, most of the grave stones, obituaries, and other
official and unofficial records document dates in the form "month date, year."