TX King Cemetery, Limestone County, 9/24/2022

[bdtex]

I made a daytrip to Waco/Lorena on Saturday, 9/24/2022, to visit my son and grandson for a few hours. It was sorta a last minute decision. My grandson's birthday is October 8th, but I would be at the CWT Muster that weekend and my son and grandson had plans the weekend before that. The weather forecast for Saturday 9/24 was really good and King Cemetery in Thornton, Texas had been on my list for awhile. It was the perfect size for the time I had. It had been a few months since I had visited any other cemetery in the vicinity too. I left my house at 4:30am that morning. Sunrise was around 7:15am and I had to leave that early to be there at sunrise. It was totally worth it. The picture above was taken at 7:15am. The barely legible sign on the fence is the only one at the cemetery.

 

[bdtex]

King Cemetery is on Limestone County Road(LCR) 728, 1.5 miles off the nearest highway, FM 2749. There are 165 memorials on the FindAGrave page of King Cemetery. I was able to determine that 6 Confederate veterans are buried there and all have Confederate military gravestones. From the FindAGrave pictures, I could tell that a few needed cleaning. I had all of my cleaning supplies, Roundup and grave marker flags and plenty of time to do what I wanted to do without feeling rushed. I had the place to myself that morning too. I don't think any other vehicles passed by on dusty LCR 728 while I was there. When I say dusty, I mean dusty. The heat wave and drought we were experiencing in Texas earlier in the year returned in September and is still here. The pictures on the FindAGrave page of King Cemetery show a couple of road/highway signs for the cemetery but I never saw either of them. They may be on a different route(s) to the cemetery.

King Cemetery in Thornton, Texas - Find a Grave Cemetery

Search the King Cemetery cemetery located in Texas, United States of America. Add a memorial, flowers or photo.

www.findagrave.com

 

[bdtex]

Before I started looking for the individual veterans' gravesites, I saw a scene unfolding on the eastern horizon that I had to watch first. I took 7 pictures of that scene but I don't like posting that many in a single post. The 4 I am posting are the best 4 and were taken in a span of 4 minutes. 2 Confederate veterans are buried in that fenced plot. Their gravestones face east too. I could see one of them before I started taking the pictures. This is why I get up so early to be there at sunrise. Not many things like being in the Texas countryside in those moments.

 

[lupaglupa]

So gorgeous!

 

[bdtex]

Pvt. William Henry Brock, Co. H, 24th Georgia Infantry. 7 fold3 pages...an Index Card, 3 Company Muster Rolls and 3 Receipt Rolls. He enlisted on March 1,1862 for the war. He was "Present" on the March-June 1863 CMR and July/August 1864 CMR. The 3 Receipt Rolls are for clothing in November 1864. Hard to know what action he may have seen from those scant records. According to NPS, the Regiment was in a lot of battles in the Eastern Theater all the way to Appomattox Court House. I couldn't find any Census information on him either. He died in 1888. His second wife filed a Widow's Pension Application in January 1910, approved February 1910. She died in 1915 and is buried there also along with one of their children. I couldn't find a Headstone Application either. There is a picture of him purportedly in a Civil War uniform in his FindAGrave memrial.

PVT William Henry Brock (1845-1888) - Find a Grave...

William Henry Brock was the son of William B. and Mary A. Dove who were both born in South Carolina. Both of his parents died sometime after the 1880 Census of Franklin County, Georgia. William served in Company H, 24 GA Inf CSA with his brothers James Marion, George Washington and John...

www.findagrave.com

His gravestone was right behind me under a big cedar tree in the pictures above. The pictures below were taken 30 minutes apart. His gravestone was pretty clean. I scraped what I could off it and sprayed it lightly before leaving. I was using Wet & Forget that morning.

 

[bdtex]

Pvt. Thomas Brooks, Co. E, 19th Texas Infantry. 3 fold3 pages...an Index Card, a Statement of Service Reference Slip(something to do with Pension?) and a Regimental Return for April 1865, dated April 9,1865. The RR says "Place...Camp in the field. Remarks... Enlisted in Company." He was only 13 when the war started. I suspect he was a late war enlistee and probably didn't see any action. According to Census Records he was a farmer in Limestone County from 1880-1920 and was married with kids. His wife was 18 years younger than him. He died in 1922. His wife died in 1944. She and 5 of their kids are buried there also. I couldn't find Pension Applications for him or his widow.

Thomas Wade Brooks (1847-1922) - Find a Grave...

Son of James Hampton Brooks and Annie Bowie Brooks

www.findagrave.com

His gravestone was/is the upright Confederate gravestone in the fenced plot in the pictures above.

 

[Lubliner]

Beautiful shots, and the location on the rise is priceless for views. And cedar trees are my favorite hardwood! Definitely beating the heat there @bdtex. Thanks.
Lubliner.

 

[bdtex]

A Headstone Application for Pvt. Brooks was submitted by "Mrs. T.W. Brooks" in 1931. I am not sure what her relation to him was.

 

[lelliott19]

Pvt. William Henry Brock, Co. H, 24th Georgia Infantry. 7 fold3 pages...an Index Card, 3 Company Muster Rolls and 3 Receipt Rolls. He enlisted on March 1,1862 for the war. He was "Present" on the March-June 1863 CMR and July/August 1864 CMR. The 3 Receipt Rolls are for clothing in November 1864. Hard to know what action he may have seen from those scant records. According to NPS, the Regiment was in a lot of battles in the Eastern Theater all the way to Appomattox Court House. I couldn't find any Census information on him either. He died in 1888. His second wife filed a Widow's Pension Application in January 1910, approved February 1910. She died in 1915 and is buried there also along with one of their children. I couldn't find a Headstone Application either. There is a picture of him purportedly in a Civil War uniform in his FindAGrave memrial.

PVT William Henry Brock (1845-1888) - Find a Grave...

William Henry Brock was the son of William B. and Mary A. Dove who were both born in South Carolina. Both of his parents died sometime after the 1880 Census of Franklin County, Georgia. William served in Company H, 24 GA Inf CSA with his brothers James Marion, George Washington and John...

www.findagrave.com

His gravestone was right behind me under a big cedar tree in the pictures above. The pictures below were taken 30 minutes apart. His gravestone was pretty clean. I scraped what I could off it and sprayed it lightly before leaving. I was using Wet & Forget that morning.

View attachment 454411

View attachment 454412

William H Brock enumerated in the 1860 US Census for Franklin County, GA in the household of his parents, William B. Brock and Mary Ann Dove Brock. He was 15 years old in 1860. So he was 17 years old in March 1862, when he enlisted in H/24th Georgia, Wofford's Brigade. The census says he was born in GA -- not SC as the FindAGrave memorial says. Maybe why you couldn't find him on the TX census?

Looks like he served until at least November 1864 as he was issued clothing Nov 5, 10, and 27th. Good thing he got some clothes - they would have just returned from the Shenandoah Valley and begun the long winter in the trenches before Richmond.

 

[bdtex]

About 30 minutes later, I scrubbed Pvt. Brooks' gravestone with a brush and water. Twenty minutes after that, I sprayed it with Wet & Forget. That was 18 days ago. It might be looking pretty good already. Edited to add: I think I sprayed around it a little with Roundup too.

 

[bdtex]

William H Brock enumerated in the 1860 US Census for Franklin County, GA in the household of his parents, William B. Brock and Mary Ann Dove Brock. He was 15 years old in 1860. So he was 17 years old in March 1862, when he enlisted in H/24th Georgia, Wofford's Brigade. The census says he was born in GA -- not SC as the FindAGrave memorial says. Maybe why you couldn't find him on the TX census?
View attachment 454441
Looks like he served until at least November 1864 as he was issued clothing Nov 5, 10, and 27th. Good thing he got some clothes - they would have just returned from the Shenandoah Valley and begun the long winter in the trenches before Richmond.

Outstanding. Thank you so much for kicking in. Good stuff.

 

[bdtex]

Pvt. Samuel Wacaster, Co. H, 24th Georgia Infantry. Same Company and Regiment as Pvt. Brock and same burial plot as Pvt. Brooks. 5 fold3 pages. He enlisted on August 24, 1861 for the war. He was "Present" on the August - October 1861 and March - June 1864 Company Muster Rolls. On the July/August 1864 CMR he was "Discharged on account of being overage and having served his term out." The regiment saw action from the Seven Days Battles to Gettysburg, the Knoxville Campaign and the Overland Campaign. In the 1870 Census he was a married farmer with 3 daughters in Madison County, Texas. In the 1880 Census he was a married farmer with 4 daughters in Falls County, Texas. His wife died in 1888. He died in 1897. Both are buried there.

PVT Samuel Wacaster (1827-1897) - Find a Grave...

Find a Grave memorial for PVT Samuel Wacaster born 16 Sep 1827 and died 21 Jan 1897. Buried at King Cemetery, Thornton, Limestone County, Texas, United States of America, North America

www.findagrave.com

His gravestone was in the best shape of all the veterans' gravestones. I pulled a little grass up and sprayed a little Roundup around it and his wife's gravestone. That was all that was needed.

 

[bdtex]

A Headstone Application for Pvt. Wacaster was submitted by his grandson,Wade A. Brooks, in 1961. He's buried in that same fenced plot with his grandfather. It's a Brooks/Wacaster family plot.

 

[bdtex]

Pvt. Brooks, Pvt. Wacaster and Pvt. Brock in the same picture taken at 7:27am, 12 minutes after sunrise. I located and photographed the gravesites of all 6 veterans before cleaning any of them.

 

[bdtex]

Pvt. James K.P. Harris, Co. A, 41st Alabama Infantry. 18 fold3 pages. He enlisted on March 13,1862 in Tuscaloosa, AL for 3 years or the war and was "Present" on the March 1862 - June 1863 Company Muster Rolls. On the June 30 - October 31,1863 CMR he was "Absent. Wounded and sent to hospital." On the Nov/Dec 1863 CMR he was "Absent. Wounded and sent to hospital afterwards furloughed to Ala." On the Jan/Feb 1865 CMR he was "Absent. Wounded and sent to hospital." He is on an April 1864 List Of Officers and others serving on the General Staff of Gracie's Brigade. He was assigned as a Bugler by Brig. Gen. Gracie. He is also on 4 Richmond Hospital Registers in June/July 1864 but they don't say what for. Looking at the NPS description of the Regiment, I suspect his 1863 wound was either late in the Vicksburg siege or at Chickamauga.

"41st Regiment, Alabama Infantry
OVERVIEW:41st Infantry Regiment completed its organization at Tuscaloosa, Alabama, in May, 1862. Members of this unit were raised in the counties of Pickens, Blount, Tuscaloosa, Perry, Greene, Washington, and Fayette. After serving in the Department of East Tennessee, the regiment was attached to Hanson's, Helm's, and J.H. Lewis' Brigade. It fought at Murfreesboro, was active in the operations around Vicksburg and Jackson, and participated in the Battle of Chickamauga. Transferred to General Gracie's Brigade, it saw action in the Knoxville Campaign, then during the spring of 1864 moved to Virginia. Here the unit was involved in the engagement at Drewry's Bluff, the Petersburg siege north of the James River, and the Appomattox Campaign. The 41st was organized with 1,250 men, reported 198 casualties at Murfreesboro, and lost forty-nine percent of the 325 at Chickamauga. Many were disabled at Sayler's Creek, and it surrendered with 14 officers and 84 men."

He's in both the 1900 and 1920 Census as a married farmer with kids in Limestone County. He has a different wife in the 1920 Census. He filed a Pension Application in July 1913, approved September 1913. He died in February 1928. His wife, "Mrs. J.K. Harris" filed a Widow's Pension Application on April 16,1928, approved same day. There is no record in FindAGrave of any other "Harris" buried there.

James Kenzie Polk (K. P.) Harris (1845-1928) -...

Find a Grave memorial for James Kenzie Polk (K. P.) Harris born 25 Apr 1845 and died 17 Feb 1928. Buried at King Cemetery, Thornton, Limestone County, Texas, United States of America, North America

www.findagrave.com

His gravestone was under a tree. I don't recall what kind of tree. I don't think his gravestone gets much sunlight. That's dusty Limestone County Road(LCR) 728 behind it.

 

[bdtex]

A Headstone Application for Pvt. Harris was submitted by "Mrs. Annie Marsh" in 1931. She was born in 1879 and is buried there too. I suspect she was his daughter.

 

[bdtex]

Most of the organic material on Pvt. Harris' gravestone came off with a good scraping then scrubbing with a brush and water. I sprayed it 40 minutes later with Wet & Forget. Lighting conditions were better too.

 

[Lubliner]

Huge difference. That really cleaned up nicely.
Lubliner.

 

[bdtex]

Pvt. Richard Manuel Cox, Co. K, 27th Louisiana Infantry. At least that's what it says on his Confederate gravestone. That soldier was "R.M. Cox" in fold3 Muster Records. The records say he enlisted on March 22, 1862, was captured at Vicksburg, paroled and was discharged on a Surgeon's Certificate Of Disability in July 1864. None of the Muster Rolls say his age at enlistment and the Certificate of Disability says he was 57 years old. The R.M. Cox at King Cemetery was born in 1847. Census Records confirm that he wasn't 57 years old in 1864. The R.M. Cox in King Cemetery could be Pvt. Richard Cox, Co. F, 20th Texas Infantry. There are 2 fold3 pages for him...an Index Card and March 1865 Regimental Return that says he enlisted on March 17, 1865.

He's in the 1870 Census as a 21 year old,single Planter in Limestone County. In the 1880 Census, he's a 32 year old, married farmer with 6 kids in Limestone County. He died in 1891. His wife died in 1930. His wife and their six kids are also buried there. I could not find a Widow's Pension Application or Headstone Application.

Richard Manuel Cox (1847-1891) - Find a Grave...

Son of ELizabeth Matilda Graves & Josiah Cox Brother of: Samuel C. Cox Step Brother of: Percilla Splane Eaton Lenora' Splane Lee Huldah Ann Splane Fullen Caroline Siralda Splane Cox

www.findagrave.com

 

[bdtex]

I scrubbed Pvt. Cox's flat marker with a brush and water. Twenty minutes after that, I sprayed it with Wet & Forget. I think I sprayed a little Roundup around it too.