Abandoned local cemetery holds Civil War soldiers, friends of W.H. Pitts, Part 1

Porter Cemetery has been largely forgotten during the last century. Tucked away off of FM 21, approximately 50 headstones are visible under thick brush and leaves, about 15 of which are currently readable. Under these stones are some of Camp County’s earliest residents, including Civil War sol-diers, their parents, and Woodmen of the World members.

Thirty-five of the tombstones appear to be from before the Civil War began. They are made of fieldstone, a common material used by residents of this area in the days before marble was widely available. Because of the composition of fieldstone, these 35 stones have worn down to large misshapen rocks over almost two centuries of enduring the elements. Marble stones in the cemetery have been mostly preserved. Woodmen of the World erected a handful of marble log headstones notating service to the organization. A large tree has fallen over the middle of the grave site, hiding some of the stones left standing.

There are several large above-ground crypts at the site made of the same fieldstone used to make the deteriorated headstones. The mortar that once was between the fieldstones is gone; only rectangular piles of rock remain. Typically, above-ground crypts also have headstones, but these have eroded and broken over time, leaving no record of who lies within.

Several families are buried here, the most notable being the Porters, the Joneses, and the Baileys. Civil War soldier John C. Porter wrote in a diary that this was his family’s burial grounds. Others include a small family of Poseys, Martins, Clintons, a Carpenter, and a Warrick. Relatives of those buried here can be found at Leesburg, Blodgett, and Macedonia cemeteries.

Each person buried at Porter Cemetery is of great historical significance to Camp County. Benjamin Porter (1804-1862) was John C. Porter’s father, as well as a friend of W. H. Pitts. When Pitts was initially prospecting the area that is now Pittsburg, he stayed at the Porter house with Benjamin Porter and his wife Dorothy, along with their children. After just over a week at the Porter house, Pitts bought the land.

Caroline Porter Bailey (1835-1904) was one of four sisters of John C. Porter. She married another Confederate Army Lieutenant Stephen P. Bailey in 1890. They were married for 14 years before she passed and was buried at Porter Cemetery.

Ardra J. Jones was buried in Porter Cemetery after dying at just 19 years old. Jones was in the Army’s medical department in Ambulance Company 10 at Fort Bliss. He was a Woodman of the World, and his gravestone was erected by the Woodmen. His father, Henry Clay Jones, is also buried here beside both of his former wives. Other Joneses buried here include Daniel Bennett Jones (1862-1904), his father Bennett Jones (1816-1881), and Charles F. Jones (1873-1904), along with Henry Wilmer Jones (1905-1911) and “Baby Boy Jones: (1907) sons of Henry Clay Jones.

Daisy Posey (1896-1906) is buried here with her parents Elijah R. Posey (1861-1942) and Nevada Thornton Posey (1870-1946). Another Posey daughter, Della Posey, had a child with George Warrick in 1909 named Findley Warrick (1909-1911). Findley is also buried at Porter Cemetery.

Five small children are also buried here, two of which died in infancy. “Infant Son” Carpenter (1896) was born to James H. (1862-1934) and M.L.N. Carpenter (1864-1920), who are buried at nearby Leesburg Cemetery. Siblings Annie P. Clinton (1877) and W.A. Clinton (1869-1873) lie here with no known record of their parents. Also without records of parents, Domer D. Martin (1893-1895) and James W. Martin (1879) lie at Porter Cemetery.

A previous owner of the property surrounding Porter Cemetery had cleaned and maintained the grounds, but after his passing, the family was unable to continue caring for it, and the cemetery fell into disrepair. Applications have now been submitted to recognize the site as a Historic Texas Cemetery. This designation is a prerequisite to having the site established as a Texas Historical Landmark. Success would ensure that this remnant of the county’s history is not forgotten, nor left behind.