SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 1-1 WHEREAS, Cemeteries are important links to our past, and 1-2 their maintenance and preservation are a source of pride for 1-3 families whose loved ones are buried there as well as citizens who 1-4 appreciate their historical significance; and 1-5 WHEREAS, The Wesley Chapel Cemetery located in Van Zandt 1-6 County will receive an Official Texas Historical Marker at a 1-7 special dedication ceremony on April 27, 1997; during the 1-8 ceremonies four veterans of World War I and four veterans of World 1-9 War II who are known to be buried there will be honored, and 1-10 official brass grave markers honoring 13 Confederate veterans will 1-11 be dedicated; and 1-12 WHEREAS, The Wesley Chapel Cemetery Association and the 1-13 Jessie Miller Foster Chapter Number 2362 of the United Daughters of 1-14 the Confederacy are to be commended for their notable efforts to 1-15 preserve our Texas history and heritage; and 1-16 WHEREAS, Located in the Watkins Community, which was settled 1-17 in the mid-1800s, the five-acre cemetery contains about 400 graves 1-18 and has been in use for over a century; M. Crosby and his wife, 1-19 Isabel, deeded the land for a church and cemetery to the Methodist 1-20 Episcopal Church, South, in 1872, although the first recorded 1-21 burial on the site occurred in 1870; and 1-22 WHEREAS, In 1922 a new Wesley Chapel Methodist Church was 1-23 built on land deeded by Thomas G. and Carrie Barfield, whose graves 2-1 are to be found among those of early church trustees; local 2-2 residents built a new frame chapel in 1957, and the cemetery is the 2-3 site for annual reunions, where memorial services and picnics 2-4 hosted by the Wesley Chapel Cemetery Association are held for the 2-5 descendants of pioneer settlers; and 2-6 WHEREAS, Wesley Chapel Cemetery is a gentle reminder of the 2-7 early Texans who came with their dreams to build a new home for 2-8 themselves and their families; now, therefore, be it 2-9 RESOLVED, That the 75th Legislature of the State of Texas 2-10 hereby recognize the Wesley Chapel Cemetery as it receives an 2-11 Official Texas Historical Marker commemorating its important place 2-12 in the development of our state; and, be it further 2-13 RESOLVED, That a copy of this resolution be prepared as a 2-14 memento of this notable event. _______________________________ _______________________________ President of the Senate Speaker of the House I hereby certify that S.C.R. No. 72 was adopted by the Senate on April 17, 1997. _______________________________ Secretary of the Senate I hereby certify that S.C.R. No. 72 was adopted by the House on April 24, 1997. _______________________________ Chief Clerk of the House Approved: _______________________________ Date _______________________________ Governor