STEWARDS MILL CEMETERY
In
1860, George Washington Steward donated land to establish a cemetery in Stewards Mill. It
is situated behind the store and Harmony Church. Washington and many
members of his family are buried here. A stone was also erected for the
two sons he lost in the Civil War: George Washington Steward Jr. in 1861 and Huet
Burt Steward in 1862, both Confederate Soldiers; and William Randolph Steward
who died in 1863 (not a soldier as far as we know). It is located
eight miles north of Fairfield on Farm Road 2547. It is one of the oldest
cemeteries in Freestone County. In addition to Stewards, early pioneers of
all denominations are interred here with Watson, Whitaker, Awalt, Bass, Cannon and York
among the names inscribed on the markers. (Entrance
to Stewards Mill Cemetery, photo taken 2001)
Sarah Sealy Steward, Washington's first wife and our ancestor is buried alongside her husband. She died in 1862 and our Washington lived another twenty years. (Headstone of George Washington Steward, 1811-1882, photo taken 2001)
STEWARDS MILL CEMETERY and COMMUNITY
By Betty Moss Morrow
Samuel Sorrell Chapter DAR
Survey made April 20, 1986
(excerpts)
Stewards Mill Cemetery is one of the oldest Cemeteries in the county, having been founded in 1860. It is located on land given by Mr. Washington Steward from South Carolina, who established Stewards Mill Community in 1849, and was owner of the Mill from which the Community and Cemetery derived their name.
...Stewards Mill Cemetery is, on surface appearance, just like any other Cemetery....it has a Church, is enclosed in a cyclone fence, has a pavilion under which they hold their annual Memorial Day Services each third Sunday in October, under the huge oak trees on the Cemetery grounds, however, after reading some of the history of the Stewards Mill Community, and looking at some early pioneer names of all denominations engraved on the stones which include Steward, Watson, Awalt, York, Cannon, Bass, Carrol, Harris, Lewis, Manahan, McAdams, Mathews, Sellers, and Steen, one realizes this is an old and very important cemetery. It is very well kept, housing a number of old stones, some of which were not legible due to age, there were very few field stone markers and rocks denoting possible burials; very few cemetery markers that had not been replaced with the regular tombstones; very few sunken places denoting where a burial had been previously made and not identified with a marker of some kind; the spacing of the stones are in a manner which makes it very easy to walk through and read the names; and above all, there is a feeling of reverence in the Cemetery that tells you the residents of the area "care about their deceased loved ones."
All branches of the military are represented here including a number of Civil War Veterans; a couple of very distinguished military men were:
Capt. John Frank Manahan (1816-1897) from Mississippi;
Rear Admiral Jerry A. Steward, USNR, 1895-1960 from
Texas, World Wars I and II and a number of distinguished
service awards; his wife was also in the military and
received awards.
The tombstones in the Cemetery tell a lot of the history and no other Cemetery visited previously holds as much history as in Stewards Mill.
The oldest birth date found was August, 1803, Mr. Harold G. Spaulding; the earliest death date was December 7, 1861, Mr. George Washington Steward, Jr., son of the founder of Stewards Mill Community and Cemetery. The Church and Cemetery are very much in use today for Stewards Mill area residents.
....The appearance of the Cemetery reflects what kind of persons are buried here; they were leaders of the community, established their roots in the area...and stayed there and raised their families who are today carrying on the tradition established by their ancestors.....
To reach Stewards Mill Cemetery, from Teague, travel as follows:
Hwy 84-East to Fairfield, North on 2457 for approximately 8 miles, and just before crossing FM 833, the cemetery is on the right.
