TX Lost Prairie Cemetery, Groesbeck, and Cobb Cemetery, Thornton, Limestone County 4/24/2021

Looks like some of those trees are cedar and, from the size, some very old cedars? I have always been interested in the prevalence of cedar trees in cemeteries.
Yes...some quite large cedar trees. Not sure how much that contributes to the lichen problem.
 
Paging @John Winn . This is a thread for you!

John Winn is a passionate volunteer caretaker of his local cemetery and through his masterful work some beautiful gravesites could be restored. Besides this he is the author of a booklet telling the stories of the Civil War veterans buried in "his" cemetery.
I bet he can contribute some very interesting things to this thread!
 
Some cool stuff before I move on. I belong to a Facebook group called "Texas Cemetery History". A number of members know nothing about or care about Facebook/internet etiquette and regularly flood the group with multiple OPs with nothing but the name of the Cemetery and every picture they took there. Every 2-3 weeks, I post a thread/OP about a recent cemetery visit and I post the same kinda information as I do here in the first coupla cemetery posts. I also pick what I think are the best half-dozen pics I took and post them. I posted one today about Cobb Cemetery. Got this response from another member of the group:

"I’m president of the board of directors of Cobb. Our annual memorial is coming up the second weekend in June. The pavilion is used for the memorial."

I responded:

"Good information. Hope y'all don't mind a stranger doing a little cleaning. I use plastic scrapers, natural fiber brushes, water and either D/2 or Wet & Forget...same stuff they use in National Cemeteries."

She replied:

" not at all!"

********************************

:D Small world.
 
Pvt. T.J. Herod, Co. I, 5th Mississippi Cavalry. His last name is misspelled "Herrod" in his records and on his Confederate gravestone. 6 pages in fold3. He enlisted on September 1,1863 for 3 years. Listed as Present on Sept.1863 - April 1864 Company Muster Rolls. "Absent. Sick." on the May 1864 CMR. Service records end there. His Widow filed a Pension Application in September 1909, rejected March 1911 - too much property. A Headstone Application was submitted in August 1931 by his oldest son, George W. Herod. He had 3 brothers who were Civil War veterans. One of his descendants replied to my Facebook thread about Cobb Cemetery today.

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/58217979/thomas-jefferson-herod


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Pvt. J.S. Wingard, Co. A, 1st Georgia Cavalry. 3 pages in fold3...an Index Card, a Company Muster Roll and a POW Muster Roll. He enlisted at age 16 on Nov. 10, 1864 "in the field" and was present on the Nov./Dec. 1864 CMR. He appears on a Muster Roll of paroled officers and men paroled in accordance with the Military Convention signed by Johnston and Sherman on 4/24/1865 in NC. Paroled on May 3,1865. He filed a Pension Application on September 1, 1914 which was approved on the same day. His Widow filed a Pension Application on October 31, 1928, approved same day. She also submitted a Headstone Application in August 1930. His gravestone just needed a good scrub and rinse with some water...just surface dirt.

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/40861641/james-s.-wingard

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Paging @John Winn . This is a thread for you!

John Winn is a passionate volunteer caretaker of his local cemetery and through his masterful work some beautiful gravesites could be restored. Besides this he is the author of a booklet telling the stories of the Civil War veterans buried in "his" cemetery.
I bet he can contribute some very interesting things to this thread!
I didn't touch a stone until after a few consultations with @John Winn about what to use,where to get it and what to do.
 
Pvt. Pinkney Cobb, Reserve Co.,19th Brigade, Texas Militia and Co. D,1st Regiment, 2nd Brigade, Texas State Troops. He is named in the cemetery's historical marker posted in post #19 in this thread. The original plot of land where Cobb Cemetery began was owned by him. I found 2 Texas Muster Cards for him. He enlisted in the Texas Militia unit in August 1861. He enlisted in the Texas State Troops regiment on March 18, 1864 for 6 months. I just scraped his stone a little bit at the top and the base and sprayed it real good and put a Texas state grave marker flag on it. 14 "Cobbs" buried in Cobb Cemetery. He had 4 brothers who were Civil War veterans that are buried elsewhere.

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/66865192/pinkney-cobb


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Pvt. Solon Rasco, Co. B, 20th Texas Cavalry. In the NPS Soldiers and Sailors Database, he is "Solen Rascoe". I was not able to find any records of him under a number of variations of his name. He filed a Pension Application on March 1, 1915, approved same day. In it he stated that he enlisted "Early in 1862 and served to spring of 1864." Somehow, the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts confirmed his service. They said he was also known as "Salon Rasco", "Solan Rosco" and "Solen Rascoe", enlisted on March 22, 1862 and was paid a $50 bounty on July 11, 1862. I checked all those names in fold3 and found nothing. A Headstone Application was submitted by his son "W.P. Rasco" in February 1940. Gave his stone a quick scrub and rinse with water and thorough spray with Wet and Forget.

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/30259874/solon-rasco


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Sgt. John Rasco, Co. B, 20th Texas Cavalry. 15 pages in fold3. He enlisted at age 25 on March 22, 1862 for 12 months. He was a 1st Corporal going in. Present on Company Muster Rolls to May 22,1862 and they end there in his records. He received a $50 bounty on 7/11/62 like his brother, Solon. He was captured at the Battle of Honey Springs, Arkansas on July 11, 1863. He was shuttled through prisons at Fort Blunt, Cherokee Nation[Indian Territory] to Gatriot Street Military Prison, St. Louis to Camp Morton, Indiana. He was transferred to City Point,VA for exchange on 2/26/65. He filed a Pension Application in September 1909, rejected "too much property". His Widow filed a Pension Application on 7/8/1929, approved same day. A Headstone Application for an upright marker was submitted in July 1939 by a "A.D. Brock". There are 62 "Rasco"s buried in Cobb Cemetery. One of his descendants commented in my Facebook thread on Cobb Cemetery.

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/30235980/john-bunyan-rasco


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Pvt. J.S. Burditt, Parson's Texas Cavalry aka 12th Texas Cavalry. I could not find anything in fold3 or the NPS database. He was only 13 when the war started so he was likely a very late war enlistee. A Headstone Application was submitted in October 1838 by a "G.W. Benton". On it's face it says his service was "Verified - Comptroller Public Accounts". I almost didn't find this one. It was a flatstone and needed cleaning badly. I knew his wife had the same stone and was right next to him but there are no other "Burditt"s buried there. It was getting late and I was just about to give up. Went back to my truck to regroup and went back in for one more push. Took a few minutes to find it but I finally did. I was almost out of water. I sprayed the stone with Wet and Forget and scrubbed it as best I could in the short time I had. I didn't have enough water to rinse it good. I sprayed it real good with Wet and Forget again and sprayed his wife's stone too. That was the best I could do. I know they had 3 good days of weather afterwards and it rained there last night. I hope with time the Wet and Forget works on it and cleans it up a little better.

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/67551720/john-shepherd-burditt


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A couple of wider angle shots of the Cobb Cemetery grounds:

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Last picture of the day was this one. It was 7:00pm. I got home about 9:45pm I think. Long day but a good day. I'd love to go to the Cobb Cemetery Memorial Celebration in June but I don't think I can swing it. The folks associated with the cemetery who responded to my Facebook thread were very friendly and appreciative for what I did there. I'd love to stop by there again sometime this year. That would help me to know exactly how well Wet and Forget works.

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