McGarrah, George, Cemetery

A member of the Peters Colony, George McGarrah (1804-1879) brought his family to this area in the 1840s. Prior to his arrival in Texas, McGarrah had lived in Fayetteville, Arkansas, where he is credited with helping to build many of the historic structures still extant in that city. McGarrah's wife had died in Arkansas in 1838 while giving birth to their daughter, Harriett. George McGarrah and his three children established a new home near this site, and he later married Sarah Ford. The McGarrah Cemetery contains ten graves. George McGarrah had set aside one-seventh of an acre on his land to be used for a family cemetery. He was the first person buried here, in 1879. Two of his grandchildren, George W. (1870-1887) and Mattie A. (1874-1894) Ottenhausen, children of Harriet McGarrah and her husband Henry Ottenhausen, were the next interred in the family plot. Sarah Ford McGarrah was buried next to her husband in 1896. Also interred here are Harriett McGarrah Ottenhausen (1838-1930), Henry Ottenhausen (1839-1911), and his mother, Christina Ousenkoff Ottenhausen (1810-1904). There are three unmarked burials, one of which is that of a slave. (1988)

McGarrah, George, Cemetery is a historical marker in McKinney, Collin County, dedicated in 1988. It is one of 193 historical markers documented in Collin County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 345 historic sites cataloged across the county.

The site sits at 33.1818, -96.6858 near McKinney. The nearest cataloged historic site is Williams Cemetery (historical marker), about 1.3 miles away. Others within a short drive include Collin County Farm, Herndon Cemetery, and Buckner Cemetery.

This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5085006177. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.