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Members of the Peter Shamburger family came to this area of Texas from Mississippi in 1847. Peter and his family lived near Starrville. His son, Mathew, married Julia Ann Shockley in 1849 and settled in the Fruit community (later renamed Pine Springs). Mathew and Julia's son, T. J., along with other family members and neighbors, pioneered the growing of fruit trees and roses in Smith County. Mathew and T. J. were among the first to raise roses on a commercial basis in East Texas. Land surrounding this site was purchased by T. J. Shamburger and his wife, Settie, in 1874. The next year, this family graveyard was created upon the death of their two-month-old daughter, Nettie. In later years other Shamburger family members were interred here, including Mathew and Julia; T. J. and Settie; and a number of children, grandchildren, and in-laws. The last of T. J. and Settie's children to be buried in the family plot was a son, William Martin, in 1967. Among the graves here are three unmarked burials. The Shamburger Cemetery serves as a reminder of a pioneer East Texas family and their contributions to Smith County's agricultural development. |
