| Marker Text |
On April 20, 1877, Jesse (1802-1882) and Jane (Brown) Kendall (1805-1879) deeded two and a half acres to the Trustees for the Sherman District, North Texas Conference M.E. Church, South. The Deed included a stipulation that the north acre of land be utilized as a burial ground. The Trustees built a frame building in which to conduct Methodist services. It is unknown when that building (also known as Kendall’s Chapel) was removed. Burials soon began. Sarah Smith, who died August 22, 1878, was the first interred here. She was followed by the Reverend John Culwell (May 2, 1814-Oct. 7, 1878) and George Harlow (Feb. 27, 1853-Nov. 16, 1878). The Rev. Culwell was one of the Trustees of the North Texas Conference of the M.E. Church, South. The Kendall Chapel Cemetery Association was first formed on December 7, 1938, with Trustees John W. Bell (1903-1968), James Crow (1891-1960), and Fred W. Klas (1894-1978), all of whom are now buried in the cemetery. These Trustees, along with William Allen “Bill” Hardy (1898-1990) and Frank Wright worked toward the care of the Cemetery.
The active Cemetery has more than 170 burials. Of note, there are several descendants of the ill-fated Donner Party Leader George T. Donner, including his grandson, also named George T. Donner (1839-1901), his two wives, and several children, along with other relatives. Additionally, there are twelve veterans interred in the cemetery from the Civil War, World War I, World War II, and the Korean War. One grave, that of S.W. Cherry, bears the symbol of Woodmen of the World. A decorative Gate, donated by the Crow Family, was added in the early twenty-first century. Kendall Chapel Cemetery is a historic reminder of this rural Community. (Historic Texas Cemetery—2006, Marker is Property of the State of Texas) |
