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