Dayton Historical Society

Turn left off North Winfree Street onto FM-1008. Go 0.5 miles to cemetery entrance

Founded circa January 1946, Mr. C.F. Seaberg told his son Roy while they were attending a funeral at Linney Cemetery that he would give $1000 towards the purchase of land for a new cemetery.  

First they purchased 10 acres from Mr. Bill Grifits around the curve on Kenefick Road. They drilled to check for water and found the land not suitable for cemetery use due to water.

Ten holes were drilled on land belonging to the Cannon family trust and found the land suitable for cemetery use. C.F. Seaberg and his son Roy Seaberg purchased the 10.4 acres from Mr. & Mrs. C.E. Cannon circa 1946. Because of Mr. C.F. Seaberg’s failing health the deed was made to Roy Seaberg. They then started developing the cemetery for immediate use.

April 3, 1947 Roy Seaberg gave the deed to seven (7) Trustees being A.W. Bulay, W.A. Conner, Floyd Fouts, M.W. Ford, Jr., J.F. Matthews, G.J. Peterson, and Roy Seaberg. At the first meeting Roy Seaberg was elected president, J.F. Matthews secretary and M.W. Ford, Jr. treasurer.  (This account is according to Roy A. Seaberg, Sr.)

2421 South Hwy 146

Both Sterling Funeral Home and Palms Memorial Park Cemetery of Dayton were founded in 1962 by Jim and Betty Sterling and their sons.  The Sterling family home (built in 1914 at 602 North Main Street) was converted into the funeral home. On October 25, 1964, the building was razed by fire and on March 6, 1965, the new building was dedicated.  Palms Memorial Park Cemetery is now managed by the Sterling-White Funeral Home which is located at the Sterling-White Cemetery in Highlands.

399 North Colbert at Linney Street

Founded in the 1850s, a section of the Linney Cemetery was reserved for blacks in the early years. At some point, that section was fenced off and was named the Acie Cemetery. Although the only thing separating the two cemeteries is a metal fence, there is now a separate entrance and separate driveway. At the end of Linney Street, one must choose to go straight into the Acie Cemetary or turn left into the Linney Cemetery. The Texas Historical Cemetery marker is positioned in the 15 feet corner that separates the two entrances.

399 North Colbert at Linney Street

Founded in the 1850s, this graveyard was established to serve the citizens of West Liberty (now Dayton). Although there was no early organization of the cemetery, sections of the burial ground were known by the names of families interred there, such as Smith and Alford. Several land acquisitions and donations over the years have combined to bring the cemetery's total size to thirteen acres. There are many unmarked burials in this cemetery.

The earliest documented interment is that of Joseph Monroe Linney, who died at the age of six days in 1880. Other early burials include those of Jane Francis Hunt, who died in 1881, and Marie Louise Schneider Gossie, who died in 1885. Those buried in the Linney Cemetery include pioneer settlers, city and county elected officials, community leaders, members of fraternal organizations, and veterans from the Civil War, World War I, World War II, Korea, and Vietnam. The Linney Cemetery Association, established in 1903, still cares for the historic graveyard. It serves as a reflection of the area's early heritage, and as a reminder of pioneer life in Liberty County.

Turn left off North Winfree Street onto FM-1008. Go 2.8 miles to cemetery entrance

Founded in the early 1800s, this cemetery derives its name from a group of French settlers who were apparently killed and buried near the site. Although no physical evidence of the French burials has been found, the name has been in common use for more than 100 years.

Referred to in the mid-1800s as the Pruett Family Cemetery, the graveyard is located on land acquired by Beasley Pruett from the Mexican government in 1824. Upon his death in 1835, Pruett was buried on his land grant in a now-unmarked grave.

The earliest marked grave here, dated 1860, is that of Martha Day, a daughter-in-law of Beasley Pruett. Other early Liberty County settlers and Pruett family descendants buried here include Reason Green (1800-1868), who held several 19th-century public offices; surnames of other prominent citizens buried here include Brashear and Linney.

Veterans of four wars and the Korean Conflict are interred here. In 1946, landowners W. T. Jamison, Sr. (1878-1962) and J. N. Coleman (1882-1948) formally set aside these two acres of the French Cemetery as part of the sale of the surrounding land. The graveyard remains an important reflection of Liberty County history.