EDITOR'S NOTE: The following article was prepared for the LEADER by H. D. Hynds. The Van Alstyne Cemetery was started before the Civil War as a family burial ground for the Collin McKinney Family. The first person buried in the Cemetery was in 1845 and was the first wife of Collin McKinney. Soon afterward the Milam, Kelly, Greer, Cannon, Hayhurst, Fulton, Cartwright and Garver families were buried here. In 1871, James Ashley McKinney, son of Collin McKinney, deeded four acres to the public for a cemetery and in the deed he requested that one acre be set aside for the African Descent. The four acres has been filled up years ago. The Cemetery has grown to over 60 acres. The Cemetery is operated by seven directors elected by the lot owners at the annual meeting held the fourth Tuesday in January each year at the First National Bank. The Directors then elect the officers for the ensuing year, President, Vice-Prescient, Secretary and Treasurer. The present Directors are J. O. Sterling, present; Don S. Flesher, vice-president (and lot salesman); H. D. Hynds, secretary-treasurer, J. W. Shied, D. E. Billups, R. E. B. Fielder and Alfred Baldwin are Trustees. The directors do not receive any money for looking after the Cemetery. They are all public named citizens and freely give of their time. In former years, other such citizens as Bill Echols, Scott Fulton, Jim Kelly, W. D. Benton, L. K. Fox, John Douglas, Henry Benton, J. O. Sterling, H. D. Hynds and Don Flesher put in many hours for the Cemetery. From 1925 until 1945, W. D. Benton acted as the secretary of the Cemetery. From 1945 until the present date, the Cemetery has been managed by John Douglas (deceased), J. O. Sterling, H. D. Hynds and Don Flesher. Bailey Harris is Sexton and in charge of funerals and the upkeep of the Cemetery. He has held this position for the past 17 years and has done an excellent job. The Cemetery Association has recently spent $2000 to blacktop all the streets in the Cemetery for a total of two and a half miles. The Cemetery Association has had to purchase a 12 horsepower, 48 inch mower this year at a cost of $1650. Also an edging mower at a cost of $185 has been purchased. An aluminum flag pole has been purchased at a cost of $500. The cost of operating the Cemetery for labor, road unmaintained, trees and shrubbery, gas, oil, and repairs, not including new equipment, has averaged $6000 to $7000 each year. The Cemetery is mowed and edged from 15 to 20 times each year depending on the rainfall. The money from the upkeep of your Cemetery comes from the lot owners, relatives and friends and from interest from the foundation. The City of Van Alstyne does not pay any part on the streets or upkeep of the Cemetery. In 1961 a Van Alstyne Cemetery Foundation was organized for the permanent upkeep lot owners. A fee of $500 for a full lot and $250 for one-half lot perpetual upkeep. A certificate is issue to cover this perpetual upkeep. This donation is deductible from your income tax. None of the Principal can ever be used, only the interest on the principal can be used for the upkeep of the Cemetery. The Van Alstyne Cemetery Foundation, Inc. shall always be directed by five trustees till the end of time, the Mayor of Van Alstyne, the President and Vice-President of the First National Bank of Van Alstyne, and the President and Secretary of the Van Alstyne Cemetery Association. They also meet on the fourth Tuesday in January to elect officers for the ensuing year. At the present time those officers are: Robert H. Hynds, president; O. M. Selby, vice-president, and H. D. Hynds, secretary-treasurer. Some 50 lot owners have joined the Cemetery Association. With the aid of the Van Alstyne High School Typing Class, about 1500 letters are sent out to let owners and relatives each year requesting donations for the upkeep of their lots in the Cemetery. The directors of the Van Alstyne Cemetery Association wish to thank the public for their splendid support of the Cemetery. The Cemetery enjoys the reputation of being one of the best kept and attractive Cemeteries in Texas. Collin McKinney who started this Cemetery was a signer of the Declaration of Independence of Texas. Collin County and McKinney, Texas were named after him. He was a charter member of the First Christian Church of Van Alstyne; which is the oldest Christian Church in Texas, started in 1846. Near his gravesite in the Cemetery is a historical marker. The Directors invite the public to visit the Cemetery. We think it is an asset to our community. Each year Decoration Day is scheduled for Mother's Day of that year.  Van Alstyne Cemetery Susan Hawkins © 2024 If you find any of Grayson CountyTXGenWeb links inoperable, please send me a message. |