1901 :: Burial of H.V. Grayson

Mr. H.V. Grayson, who resided in Hearne, Texas, died last Sunday night at 12 o’clock, and was brought to Rockdale Monday for burial. He had been sick about four months, and his ailment baffled the skill of the physicians. Mr. Grayson was a brother-in-law to Mrs. J.C. McGuyre of this city. He was a member of the order of Knights of Pythias and the order of Rockdale took charge of the remains on arrival here and conducted the funeral services. The remains were taken to the Murray school house burying ground, and Rev. J.B. Sears, of the Methodist church, held prayer services at the grave. He leaves a wife and four children, to mourn his loss. They are now temporarily stopping at the home of Mr. McGuyre. Rockdale Messenger, Thursday, November 14, 1901

1899 :: Death of Audrie Lee Rhodes

On this date . . . the 29th day of August . . . in the year 1899 . . . occurred the death of little Audrie Lee Rhodes . . . she was not yet one year old, having been born on the 1st day of November in the year 1898 . . . her brief life is memorialized with a tombstone located in the Murray Cemetery . . . she was the only daughter of Thomas Robert Rhodes (1868-1963) and Lela Murray (1867-1943) . . . sister of Forest Alton Rhodes (1895-1943) . . . and granddaughter of James Wesley Rhodes (1831-1912) and Sarah Ann LaGrone (1830-1908), and Madison Murray (1821-1897) and Luvina Powell (1826-1876) . . .

Murray Cemetery Historical Marker

Originally named Pleasant Grove Cemetery, this burial ground was at first associated with the Pleasant Grove community. The settlement's school was also once located on this site. By 1872, residents organized the Pleasant Grove Church, which met in the schoolhouse. Members later merged with a nearby congregation to form Mt. Zion Baptist Church, worshiping several miles east of here.

The current name for this cemetery can be traced to Madison Murray (1821-1897). A Civil War veteran who in the late 1860s moved here from Mississippi with two brothers. He became a community leader and educator, obtaining possession of the Pleasant Grove schoolhouse and operating it as a private institution. After Mt. Zion Baptist Church formed, this burial ground became known as Murray Cemetery.

The earliest marked grave here, that of Nancy Phillips, dates to 1856. Other notable burials include Joseph Hook, a Rockdale blacksmith, and George Banzhaf, a celebrated Milam County Agricultural Extension Agent. Also interred here are early area pioneers and veterans of conflicts dating to the Civil War. The cemetery features Woodmen of the World markers, vertical stones, curbing and interior fencing.

Although the Pleasant Grove community declined, the cemetery later also served the Bushdale and Bethlehem settlements. In 2004 the Murray Cemetery Association organized to care for the burial ground, which remains a memorial to the early settlers of Southwest Milam County.

Historic Texas Cemetery - 2007