McMILLEN CEMETERY DESIGNATED AS A TEXAS HISTORIC CEMETERY
Brenda Kellow
September 30, 2012
The Corinth Presbyterian Church, 5609 East Parker Road in Parker, and Donna Jenkins of the Murphy Historical Society invite you to attend the Texas Historic Cemetery Marker dedication of the McMillen Cemetery in Murphy on Sunday, October 21, at 2 p.m. There will be a short program at the church followed by a brief ceremony at the cemetery, located on McMillen Road just east of Murphy Road in Murphy. Corinth Presbyterian owns the cemetery. James Rylie and Mary Ellen McMillen gave the deed, v. 149:16 Abstract #588, to the two-acre cemetery to the Corinth Presbyterian Church on March 30, 1907. Many of the McMillen descendants will be present. One family member will read a letter written by C. A. McMillen while at the church.
In 2004, Kyle Causey, a Life scout of Boy Scout Troop 442, documented, cleaned and repaired the aging stones as his Eagle Scout project. Afterwards, it fell into disrepair.
In 2006, Bob Kellow began driving past the cemetery every workday. He told his wife how sad it was to see it falling victim to overgrowth of weeds, brambles and falling trees. When the couple became members of Corinth in late 2009, they discovered that the church owned the cemetery. They promptly began the restoration project.
First, Bob and Brenda Kellow applied for and received a $1000 grant on July 5, 2010 from the Collin County Historical Commission. That money plus church member donations restored it to its present condition. The couple next had a sign installed in August 2011 showing church ownership and emergency contact information and successfully applied for and received the bronze Texas Historic Cemetery medallion in 2012.
The cemetery is the burial place of the Comfort A. McMillen (1818-1914) and Lydia Noble (Maxwell) McMillen (1821-1907) family of Murphy and Parker, and founders of the historic Corinth Presbyterian Church on August 2, 1846. The cemetery is adjacent to the C. A. McMillen High School, named after the early Collin County pioneer.
Other known burials in the cemetery are Willard Harris McMillen (1916-1919), W. J. Poindexter (1808-1901), Ernestine Chandler (1906-1906), Melvina Bramlet (1849-1909), Chandler infant (1915-1915), Clifford Elvin Chandler (1917-1918), Leonard Turner (1903-1924). Only the base of the tombstone for J. A. Harper (-May 19, 1935) remains in the cemetery. The base is on the ground behind and away from other stones. His stone was there when Doris Posey collected the inscriptions on June 1, 1971.
There is no register of burials for the McMillen Cemetery; therefore, there is no way to identify the early pioneers of Collin County who might be buried there. The graves were placed in the cemetery where the family requested therefore they are scattered throughout the cemetery with only a few sunken places as suspected burial sites. Loose bricks outline one grave and a double unmarked grave is outlined with concrete curbing. Neither have markers. Many more burials are suspected in this cemetery after Ted Wright doused the cemetery in August 2011.
For further information on the dedication, see the church website at www.corinthpresbyterian.org, or phone 972-372-4765.
The purpose of the Texas Historical Cemetery designation is to demand respect for the cemetery and for the pioneers buried there. Such designations are necessary to preserve the history of Collin County.
POSSIBLE ST. PAUL COMMUNITY HISTORICAL MARKER: Historian Joy Gough, member of the Collin County Historical Commission, is searching for information on the history of the town and its people. If you have any documents pertaining to the town, pictures of places or people, please contact her at [email protected].
Brenda Kellow has a bachelor's degree in history, teaches, and lectures on genealogy. Before retiring to publish her family’s histories in 2007, Brenda held certification as a Certified Genealogist and as a certified Genealogical Instructor. Send reunion announcements, books to review, and genealogy queries to: [email protected].