McWilliams Cemetery

This burial ground, originally known as Wayfare and later as McWilliams Graveyard, has served the Todd Springs community since early in the settlement's history. The community, named for landowner John D. Todd and area springs, was largely populated by African Americans. Before the Civil War, there were plantations in the area, including one owned by Irishman Robert McWilliams, who came here with wife Mary and his family from South Carolina in 1843. McWilliams died in 1864 and although this burial ground is named for him, he is buried in nearby Rather Cemetery. After the Civil War, many freedmen worked in the area as farmers; others labored in Center, Shelbyville and San Augustine. During the early 1900s, Todd Springs was a thriving community, with several businesses, an African American school and a lodge. However, the population declined during the 1930s and 1940s, as many residents moved to urban areas.This burial ground was officially established when N.K. and E.L. Boozer deeded property to trustees, although the land was used as a cemetery before that time. The oldest marked grave in McWilliams Cemetery, of Fennie McClelland, dates to 1903; however, it is believed there are a number of earlier, unmarked burials here. Others interred include farmers, preachers, community leaders and veterans of conflicts dating to World War I. There are also a number of teachers buried here, including Johnny W. Lee, who also served as a school administrator. The cemetery features obelisks, grave slabs and Masonic lodge markers. Today, the McWilliams Cemetery Association maintains this burial ground, whose graves provide a record of African American pioneer families that settled Todd Springs.Historic Texas Cemetery-2007