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Crawford Trees (1823-1889) came to Texas in 1845. He and fellow Illinois native Anna Kimmel (1831-1913) were married in 1846. Crawford went to California during the Gold Rush in 1849, returning to Texas two years later with enough money to purchase 5,458 acres of land. In 1855, he and Anna, eventually the parents of ten children, donated land for a community school and church. They established this cemetery when Anna's brother, Philip Kimmel, and a friend, William Stiles, were killed in a shooting on August 21, 1856. Primarily a family burial ground, the cemetery also contains the graves of a number of family friends. Maintained by a family association, the cemetery remains in use by Trees descendants. (2001) |
