Jemison Quarters Cemetery

In 1847, settlers from Tennessee and Alabama moved to this area, naming the community Tennessee Colony. Elbert S. Jemison, believed to have come from Alabama circa 1850, established a plantation in this vicinity. He served as a soldier during the Civil War and profited from cotton production on his plantation. There, he housed his slaves, as well as many from other states, renting their labor to area farms and operations like the nearby Confederate salt works. Following Emancipation in 1865, many freed slaves remained in Tennessee Colony, establishing a cemetery here. Tradition holds that the earliest burials are of slave owners and their slaves; the first marked grave dates to 1880. Several of the men and women buried in the cemetery had been born into slavery. Today, the burial ground, known as Jemison, Jimmison or Jimerson Quarters cemetery, is maintained by a cemetery association. It is the final resting place of generations of area African American residents, including veterans of major 20th century conflicts, and it remains a link to the history of more than a century's work toward freedom, equal rights, community and home. Historic Texas Cemetery - 2003

Jemison Quarters Cemetery is a historical marker in Tennessee Colony, Anderson County, dedicated in 2003. It is one of 115 historical markers documented in Anderson County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 229 historic sites cataloged across the county.

The site sits at 31.8112, -95.8471 near Tennessee Colony. The nearest cataloged historic site is Tyre Masonic Lodge No. 198 (historical marker), about 1.7 miles away. Others within a short drive include Tennessee Colony Order of the Eastern Star No. 102, Tennessee Colony, and Tennessee Colony Cemetery.

This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5001012953. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.