Sad Sam Gray of Van Alstyne Cemetery : Baseball Legend

I’m not much of a sports aficionado honestly. I was anxious to find the Grave of Mr. Samuel Gray purely from a genealogical standpoint. I am related to a few a few grays in Van Alstyne Cemetery. If I am related to Sam Gray I don’t know at this time. I,m still looking honestly.

Samuel David " Sad Sam" Gray was a Native of Van Alstyne Texas the son of James Alonzo and Eugenia Gray . He was a World War I veteran (TEXAS PVT 3 BN FRENCH ARTY. CAC WWI)   Sam was a pitcher in Major League Baseball playing for the Philadelphia Athletics (1924-1927) then for St. Louise Browns ( 1928-1934)  being a right handed fastballer. ( per his obit on find a grave )  His 1928 season was best year, as he pitched 21 complete games with a win loss of 20-12. ( Wikipedia)  He passed away in McKinney Texas in the Veterans Hospital of Carcinoma of the brain ( death certificate) I’ve been looking for the Grave of Sam Gray a while and a Friend pointed the way while at Van Alstyne Cemetery today. Sam's grave Is very nondescript for a person of his caliber of fame. He is buried towards to back Of the Moore Section by a few family members. The nearest stone near him is a Giant one that says Carter and Taylor.  I might also like to note there is a photograph or two of Sam Gray at the Van Alstyne museum, unfortunately I wasn't allowed to take pictures!!!

  Information from Wikipedia and picture Sam from google images.sources and more information are listed below. _______________________________________________________

 Sources and other information on Sam. 

Sams Find a Grave ( Click Here)

For the Baseball Reference ( More information, outside Link ) Click Here

For Sam Grays wikipedia article Click here

Fore Baseball almanac Click here 

Grayson County Genweb for Sam Gray ( Click Here)  

Texas Gravestone Project listing for Sam Gray ( Click Here )  

 Source of sams Picture in article above ( Click here)

The Grave of John Denton

The Grave of John Denton lies on the Denton county Courthouse lawn behind an ornate wrought iron fence. I was able to visit back in 2015. The thing was there was a free music concert going on so I got weird looks photographing the grave while people were sitting around on lawn blankets drinking. Children ran amuck and climbed the ornate rails of the courthouse while I the history seeker geeked out over a genuine resting place in a Downtown Square!!! Imagine that... A true First for me!!! I had been to previous cemeteries that day but this one tickled my fancy because it was new and unusual. Taphophile heaven in downtown Denton. Below are a few pictures with the unsuspecting public in the background.
_________________________________________________________________________
                             Who was John Denton??  He was killed in an Indian raid in the early 1800s and the Texas County of Denton County was named after him. According to Haunts of Denton , John Denton was a Methodist Circuit Rider Preacher whom was killed at Village creek In 1841 ( pre civil war) Quoting Directly from Haunts of denton they say on the finding of John denton whom was buried after the Battle on villiage creek " When a grave was discovered by some boys along Oliver Creek in Denton County in 1856, Denton County rancher John Chisum (who would become a legendary cattleman and one namesake of the famed “Chisholm Trail“) recalled the stories of Denton’s death and burial told to him by his father Clabe, also a member of Denton’s Texas militia company. Chisum investigated with some survivors of the raid, who identified the bones by the blanket they were wrapped in, an old broken arm, and some gold teeth. " (https://dentonhaunts.wordpress.com/2011/08/21/john-b-dentons-grave/)
The Grave was Known and authenticated as that of John Denton.  in 1900 his body was moved and buried on the courthouse lawn ( Denton Haunts)
___________________________________________________________
For more Information on Mr. Denton from a Very interesting website I recommend this Link ( external Link) Click Here

A visit to Kentucky town cemetery

i and a friend visited this cemetery when the weeds were high in 2015 and we were unable to get very far into the cemetery, we went back in 2016 and thought the weeds were waist high and the snakes were prowling yet, we were barely able to make our way through and see the stone. Kentucky town is once existing place. Its no longer an active community. Nothing that I personally know of remains there honestly.
I would love to go back to the cemetery if the weeds were not so high. Below is my pictures and a link to the Find a a grave and a link to the Grayson county Genweb page about the Cemetery. From the Kentucky Town Historical Marker ": When first settled in 1830's was known as Annaliza. Renamed by Kentucky emigrants in 1858, unique layout gave town protection against indian attacks on freight and stage routes. "Sacred Harp, a robust frontier gospel style of singing and composition, began here during the Civil War was Quantrill Gang rendezvous'

Kentuckytown cemetery on Grayson County Genweb ( external Link) Click Here
For Kentucky Town Find a grave. Click Here ( External Link)
 

The Murder of Frank Miller: A Friend until Frank's Untimely End (No. 3)

This is the third installment on Otto Franklin Miller.  Albeit rather short but with a message. As a recap Frank Miller was The first born in  May of 1905 to James and Cordelia Miller, in April of 1926 in Woodville Oklahoma ( Old Woodville) . He was murdered  at his Filling station Job by an  irate police officer named Albert lary whom later served time in an Oklahoma Prison.
    Something came to my attention about Mr. Frank .He was very fortunate throughout his short life to have a life long buddy. This young man whom we shall call mr. C was born roughly around same time as Frank was. Mr. C was of a prominent Grayson family. Mr. C and Frank attended the same school  at Kentuckytown Texas.  a now obsolete community with only a cemetery remaining.
  Mr. C and frank were very close buddies, later enlisting in an Oklahoma  C.M.T C  camp  at Fort Sill in 1920s. Mr. C was also involved in helping run the filling station of which Frank was employed upon his demise in 1926.  Mr. C was also at trial for Frank's murder with Frank's family.
Mr. C would go on to marry shortly after Frank's death, he died in 1970s and was buried in a Fannin Co cemetery.
  My message on this is frank was gifted with a friendship of a very rare nature, one that endured until his death. Friends like this don't come along very often. As Proverbs 18: 24 states "A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother" 
I believe  Mr. C was this kind of friend. Though Frank had a short life , there was one thing that could not be stolen and that was the gift of a lifetime friend whom remembered Frank until his end in 1970s.  In its own way a small defiance against the man whom cut Frank's   life short.
  Below are two pictures, first is frank and friends at a carnival in Oklahoma, Mr. C is one of the young men closer to Frank ,whom is tallest in middle with undercut hairstyle. Other picture is a school photo,  Frank is back row , far left on outside in dark jacket. Mr. C is sitting in second row.

  

Cemetery Updates

Hello!!!!!! I feel as though I have left my blog unattended while perusing my other blog  pertaining to updates on Samuel Atkins. His blog is to the left if you are interested. A lot has happened in his world if you are interested to just pop on over there and see!!! Now, my dear cemetery companions what have I been up to while being a devoted taphophile these days. A lot !!! so many new and wonderful things have sprung up and I am going to share a few of those monumental and Tombstone delights with you in this newest update and post. Since I was last with you I have added Denton county to my range of haunts!!!

Ahh Yisssssss. As well as new cemeteries in Grayson County. So lets get to it shall we!!!

The first I shall address comes from New Woodville Cemetery In Woodville Oklahoma. Woodville was flooded in 1930s or so to make room for Lake Texoma. For more on Woodville Ok. Click here. This link is more a collective history of Woodville and such. Before the lakes were flooded the cemeteries were moved to what became New Woodville cemetery. Honestly it was an eerie cemetery, very quite. A lot of the people were moved from old family cemeteries to this new one when lake texoma was being made.  Lots and lots of unusual stone I saw here.  This was back in April of 2015. I am a friend had went to commemorate the 89th death anniversary of their beloved relative.

 

My Next Update comes from Luella and Whitemound area cemeteries in May while texas was getting all that horrid amount of Torrential rain. The cemeteries were, Whitemound, Cedar and Cedar lawn we visited. All these cemeteries reside in the Grayson county circuit. At cedar I found Corn, and more unusual tombstones and a shell baby.  More updates to come On Hall cemetery, Kaufman, Dixie, Oak wood, I.O.O.F. and lots of others cemeteries coming shortly.

         



Shell baby at Cedar

Remembering Emmett Till 60 years ago

I could right paragrahs on the life of Emmett till, lynched 60 years ago. So I simply choose to remember on my blog a life that matters and still makes a point on the horrors of racism . God sees no color, he only sees his children and so should we.
An article on him
 http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/Emmett-Till-Relatives-Gather-at-Boys-Grave-60-Years-Later-323281581.html

 

Source of casket image click here

The Vandalism of Van Alstyne Cemetery

On August 3rd, 2015 the stone of of Dr. Joseph Greer was vandalized by a youth with a permanent marker, he decided to draw a swastika ( a digusting symbol of a racist regimen of the past)
Below is a picture I took one day At Van Alstyne Cemetery while visiting my great grandparents with my own grandfather James.

 

Click below for the story. 

 http://www.kxii.com/home/headlines/Headstone-vandalized-at-Van-Alstyne-Cemetery-320552402.html

Cannon Cemetery

Cannon Cemetery is located about three miles outside of Van Alstyne , in Grayson County.  The land for cannon Cemetery was given by the Cannon Family as a community Burial Ground
_________________________________________________________________________________
                                                   The History of Cannon Cemetery
One the history of Cannon Cemetery Grayson County Genweb states " Elijah Cannon, his eleven sons and slaves moved from South Carolina to Texas in 1852 and settled nearby in 1874. The family graveyard was included in land deeded by O. M. Cannon as a community burial place. The oldest documented grave is that of ten year old Nancy J. Bowen in 1857. An adjacent section was established for former slaves. And the earliest known burials are those of Billy and Glory Boyd in August of 1880. Among the more than 700 graves are those of pioneer settlers, veterans of several wars, and member of fraternal organizations; the cemetery continues to serve the area." Source
 _________________________________________________________________
                                                       Slave Section 

 ___________________________________________________________ 
                                                  People of Note in this Grave yard

1. Otto Franklin "Frank" Miller (1905-1926)  Frank Miller was Murdered in Woodville Oklahoma by Albert E. Lary  who served time.  He was the First Born child of James and Delia Miller. His family lived in the Cannon area since 1885.  Franks family moved to Oklahoma shortly after frank graduated,(1920s)  Frank took a job at Midway Filling Station were he was shot and killed by Lary. More info on frank below in sources.  Picture of Frank at right provided by Katrina miller

2. Jacob W. Miller- (1855-1921) Jacob Miller came to Cannon From Kentucky in the 1880s.  Jacob was a blacksmith and sharecropped off his land. He was a well known man in Cannon area until his death in 1921.   He married Isabella A. Dicken Miller and had nine children. Grand father to Frank Miller above. 
(Picture-Katrina Miller)





 

3. Woddy Cannon (1839-1863) Born to Elijah and Darcas Bowen Cannon in 1839, Woddy had a relatively short life. He enlisted in the civil war and was shot, being carried back home by wagon he died shortly after in Texas. Woddy never married. info on Woddy comes from his Find a grave memorial page flower section.

_

 

4. Elijah Cannon (1796-1887)-Founder of Cannon Texas,  came to texas widowed with his 11 children.  

_________________________________________________________________________________


 Cannon School House circa 1880- kindly given by @Cannon Cemetery Page on Facebook.

 ______________________________________________________________
                                      Various pictures of Cannon Cemetery 

__________________________________________________________________________________
More on Frank Miller 
Murder of Frank Miller Part I
Murder of Frank Miller II
Frank on Billion Graves 
Franks Tumblr
More on Jacob W. Miller 
Grayson Genweb page for Cannon Cemetery
Cannon Family on Grayson Genweb
Cannon on Cemeteries of texas
 Cannon Find a grave 
 Click Here for more on Woddy H. Cannon 
Cannon on Texas Grave Stone Transcription Project  
https://www.facebook.com/CannonCemeteryTX