I am e-mailing you because I just came across your report concerning Hopewell Cemetery in Hunt County, Texas (between Greenville and McKinney).
I am very concerned about the cemetery because my great grand mother and great grand father (Lorinda and Amos H. Butler) are buried there. Like many of the other people buried in Hopewell, they came to Texas during the day of reconstruction after the Civil War.
Although I do not know all the details, Hopewell is historically an important cemetery. Around 1957 the cemetery was beautifully restored. Youngblood monument company in Greenville provided a granite entry for the cemetery and up-righted and repaired the monuments.
In the spring of 1958, there a rededication of the cemetery and a large group of people from all over north-east Texas attended. Speaker-of-the-House, Sam Rayburn, was scheduled to be the keynote speaker but, while we were at the cemetery, he sent a telegram explaining that an unexpected meeting with President DeGaulle of France would make it impossible for him to fulfill his obligation. In his place Mr. Norwood (I
can't remember his initials) and Dr. Jessie Guy Smith, Professor of history at East Texas State
University, Commerce, delivered the addresses. Both, Mr. Norwood and Dr. Smith, went into a lot of detail about the history of the cemetery and the people buried there. But, I was young then, and I don't remember the very interesting details they
related. Dr. Smith is dead but, I would think that the speech he delivered would be archived with some of his other papers. Dr. Smith was a very important Texas historian.
I am sorry to burden you with such a long E-mail but, I wanted to tell you the little that I know about the cemetery and to express my sadness because of its deplorable condition. Also, I would like to know if there is any move to restore the cemetery and if
there is, is there any way that I can be of help.
Sincerely yours,
Bill
Back to Hopewell Cemetery Transcription
>