Historical Marker

Richland Cemetery

Historical marker location:
Mertens, Texas
( from Mertens take CR 3418 runs parallel to the Hill/Navarro county line)
Marker installed: 1990

Jesse S. and Mary Ann Thomas brought their family to Texas from Georgia in 1858, settling first in Rusk and Smith counties. They relocated to this area in 1873 and purchased land along Richland Creek. In 1883 they deeded three acres of land for a community cemetery. The oldest documented grave here is that of Mary E. McCleskey (1826-1883). Others interred in the graveyard include area pioneers; five generations of the Thomas family; and veterans of the Civil War, Spanish-American War, World War I, World War II, Korea, and Vietnam.