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all of the information here is FREE for you to use. HISTORY OF UNION GROVE CEMETERY The Union Grove Cemetery Association today owns 3 1/10 acres of land. Through the years it has been disputed as to the donor of the land and its exact location. At least two books have followed traditions of statements, each going in the same direction. If you will refer to deed number five, this will confirm the donor, William Marshall Phillips gave the original 2 1/10 acres of land to be specifically used as the Union Grove Cemetery......the actual location of the cemetery is in the H. H. Edwards Survey. I have researched the following deeds of facts in this matter. This is an effort to clarify any disputes of the past. The Indians were the original owners of the land, then the Republic of Texas acquired the land. In the year 1839, Haden H. Edwards, a man of questionable character, obtained several land patents, surveys, etc. in Northeast Texas. Please note that abstracts of title for land deeds are the best, sometimes the only, proof of ownership for a tract of land. I have studied deeds to tracts of land located in the A.T. McGee Survey and find no mention of cemeteries in this survey. It does appear that the A.T. McGee Survey was located at one time within an H.H. Edwards Survey. The following deeds are from the Abstract of Title for the Federal Land Bank of Houston, Houston, Texas, and the owner, Jesse Phillips, beginning with the earliest date. Please note, the deeds contain notations on who the people are, be they Grantee, Grantor, or some one mentioned with the land. DEED ONE Land Patent No 191, Vol. 24, dated October 29, 1839, filed December
16, 1910. STATE OF TEXAS (REPUBLIC OF TEXAS) Conveys to citizen Edwards......Adj. joining the survey......of its survey a rectangle of land with the North South lines 5182 vrs and the East West lines 1608 vrs. Today in both Gregg and Upshur Counties. DEED TWO Warranty Deed dated Feb 18, 1857, filed for record Feb. 20, 1857. H. H. EDWARDS Conveys a rectangle of land with the North South lines 1700 vrs and the East West lines 900 vrs. Beginning at the North East corner of "my" (H. H. Edwards) headright claim, then South 1700 vrs with the East line of same; Thence West 900 vrs; Thence North 1700 vrs; Thence East 900 vrs to the beginning. Read this deed, it clearly states, "including 270 acres in the North East corner of said H. H. Edwards headright claim. From the North East corner Soutn 1700 vrs with the East line of the survey means there is no land in this survey East of James R. Phillips 270 acres. The East (going North South) line adjoins the A. T. McGee Survey. (NOTE: The afore mentioned Deed, dated Feb. 18, 1857, contains 270 acres of land. At this time the West line going North South of the A. T. McGee Survey was defined as the H. H. Edwards Survey line.) DEED THREE Warranty Deed, dated November 29, 1880. Filed for record December 28,
1880. R. J. PHILLIPS (Rebecca J. Mackey Phillips, widow of J. R. Phillips)
Conveys to Sarah E. Mings her share (90 acres) of the estate being in the Northeast corner of the J. R. and R. J. Phillips 270 acre tract, H. H. Edwards Survey, has nothing to do with the cemetery. DEED FOUR Warranty Deed dated August 25, 1885. Filed for record January 6, 1891.
J. R. PHILLIPS (Jr) (Son of J. R. and R. J. Phillips) Conveys the balance of the Estate of J. R. and R. J. Phillips to W. M. Phillips. This deed states "H. H. Edwards Survey". DEED FIVE Warranty Deed dated december 11, 1912. Filed for record march 6, 1913.
W. M. PHILLIPS and wife (William Marshall Phillips, 1859-1937) All five of the above are buried in the Union Grove Cemetery. NOTE: the date on the deed - not the filing date. You had to be alive December 11, 1912. Conveys: "A tract of land lying in the headright survey of H. H. Edwards, in Upshur County, Texas: Beginning at a stake 610 vrs East and 292.6 vrs South from the Northwest corner of a 180 acre tract owned by W. M. Phillips, containing 2 1/10 acres of land, 1 1/10 acres being amount in Old Cemetery and 1 acre the amount in the addition to same." In 1912, W.M. Phillips owned the 270 acre tract less his sister's part, Sarah E. Mings (90 acres) leaving 180 acres. It seems the cemetery is 292.6 vrs South of the Sounty line going East and West of the 90 acre tract belonging to Sarah E. Mings in 1880. This deed gives the dimensions of the cemetery as a rectangle, 436 feet North South and 210 feet East West, consisting of 2 1/10 acres of land. (210 feet x 436 feet - 91,560 square feet divided by 43,560 square feet = 2 1/10 acres) There are deeds in this abstract subdividing to the siblings of W. M. Phillips and his first wife, Georgia Bell Little Phillips, 1873-1896 estate. Since these deeds, except three, do not concern the cemetery, they are not mentioned in this text. They are included in the abstract attached. DEED SIX Warranty Deed dated February 5, 1920. Filed for record August 16, 1920
W. M. PHILLIPS (William Marshall Phillips - Father) Conveys: Block 3 of the 271 acres tract of land on the H. H. Edwards headright, known as the J. R. and R. J. Phillips land, same being the old homestead of W. M. Phillips and his deceased wife, Georgia Bell Little Phillips, containing 37 1/2 acres of land less two acres set apart for a cemetery and now in use for that purpose. NOTE: The cemetery is contained within this Block 3. The cemetery does not join by a boundry. One boundry of Black 3 is the East boundry of the H. H. Edwards survey. DEED SEVEN Warranty Deed dated February 5, 1920. Filed fro record February 9,
1920. W. M. PHILLIPS (William Marshall Phillips - Father) Conveys: Block 2 containing 37 1/2 acres in the H. H. Edwards Survey with the survey line as the East boundary and the South line of Block 1 as the North boundary. Block 3 (my Deed Six) is stacked South of Block 2 - Jesse Phillips and Block 1 is the 90 acre tract deeded to Sarah Mings. DEED EIGHT Warranty Deed dated November 12, 1923. Filed for record November 17,
1923. W. R. PHILLIPS et ux (William Riley Phillips, brother of Jesse Phillips)
Conveys: Block 2 to his brother Jesse Phillips, owner of Block 3 where the cemetery is located. This gives Jesse Phillips 73 acres of land. The last page of this abstract is a statement by J. M. Todd whereby he states the relationship of the people within the various deeds beginning with the location of the 270 acres of land purchased by James Riley Phillips from H. H. Edwards in 1857 thru July 7, 1925. In 1987 Isabell Phillips Bigham, daughter of Jesse Phillips, sold the Union Grove Cemetery Association an additional one acre of land for the some of One Thousand Five Hundred Dollars ($1500.00) My reason to provide this information......"To show that Union Grove Cemetery Association indeed has an abstract to it's 3 1/2 acres of land." May the deceased "Rest in Peace". Written in 1995 by E. W. "Eddy" Phillips Copyright © 2013-Present by TXGenWeb |