LAST Known Burial in Old Sandy Creek Cemetery - Coolidge, TX
N 31° 41.321 W 096° 38.504
14R E 723528 N 3508346
A 2004 Texas Historical Marker at the Old Sandy Creek Cemetery near Coolidge, TX indicates that the last known burial in the cemetery took place in 1943.
Waymark Code: WM15YW2
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 03/25/2022
Views: 2
The historical marker at the front of the cemetery provides some background:
Following Emancipation in 1865, many former Limestone County slaves established their own homes. Those settling in this area included Sawney Henry and Davey Medlock, founders of Sandy M.E. Church and Sandy community. This site served as the early burial ground for the agricultural settlement, also known as Oak Grove. By 1900, the Sandy Creek Graveyard, Church and School Land Association maintained the site. Most of the graves here are those of former slaves, with the last known burial made in 1943. By that time, residents had established a newer burial ground.
The only headstone in the cemetery with a death year of 1943 belongs to Osker R. Thomas, a young many who died while in the service of the United States during World War II. His final resting place is marked by a government-issued headstone, although behind it is a simple concrete marker that may have once held something provided by a local funeral home. There are indications of vandalism throughout the cemetery, and Mr. Thomas's headstone is attached to a concrete base, cutting off a small section at the bottom. The inscription on the headstone reads:
Osker R. Thomas
Texas
CPL. 25 Inf. World War II
Dec. 8, 1920 Aug. 16 1943