McCarter Cemetery

Born in Pennsylvania in 1813, John McCarter (McCarty) came to Texas in 1832. He married Jane Lasiter in August 1854, and the couple had nine children: Fisher, James, Robert, Mattie, Belle, Mary Susan, Kate, Elizabeth and David Christopher. The family's farmstead was located in this vicinity, where the family also established a cemetery. John (d. 1895) was the first to be interred here, and his grave is marked by a large obelisk. Other early burials included Joe Hopper (d. 1895), Margaret A. Fulgham Luce (d. 1897) and her husband, Isom Cariel Luce (d. 1898), whose gravestone indicates his service in the Civil War. In 1907, Jane McCarter (d. 1909) formally deeded the land as a cemetery for use by the Grounds Schoolhouse community, now known as Jones Schoolhouse community. Today, the cemetery is the final resting place of many McCarter and Luce descendants, as well as descendants of George and Catherine Rice Grounds, for whom the community was originally named. A cemetery association maintains the burial ground, holding annual gatherings to tend to the graves of family members and early area settlers. Historic Texas Cemetery - 2003.