Memory Gardens Cemetery
Also known as Prairie City Cemetery and Edna Cemetery
1300 N. Kleas Street, Edna

Burials
 

Memory Gardens of Edna Receives Historic Designation

Editor, the Advocate:

Memory Gardens of Edna Inc., a 21-acre cemetery, after several years of research and mailing to the state, documentation of old graves and sending pictures of old markers, is proud to announce that it has been designated as a "Historic Texas Cemetery." In order for a cemetery to be designated as historic, the cemetery must be at least 50 years old.

The oldest grave belongs to 2-year-old Mary Elizabeth Gayle, daughter of Alexander Talferia and Frances Agnes Sutherland Gayle. She was born in 1853 and died in 1855. The Gayle family is a prominent pioneer family that settled in Jackson County during the Republic of Texas.

The cemetery also has soldiers buried from the Spanish-American War, Confederate soldiers, World War II veterans and more than 800 veterans from various branches of service.

In 2016, through the Texana Arts Council and Roy Ortolon, Memory Gardens was able to place a grave marker for Lucy Dever Flournoy, "The Mother of Edna," whose grave was never marked. She was buried more than 98 years ago.

There are no perks to being a Historic Cemetery, other than the prestige of being designated as historic. The Historic Commission does not furnish the historic markers. Those are purchased at a cost to the cemetery.

Memory Gardens is a perpetual care, nonprofit cemetery, which is controlled by state laws. The cemetery is run by a board of seven directors, all of whom are volunteers.

Jo Ann Blanar, Memory Gardens of Edna Inc. board president, Edna

Victoria Advocate, February 13, 2018
 

Historical Background of Memory Gardens of Edna

The oldest grave is 2-year-old Mary Elizabeth Gayle, daughter of Alexander Talferia and Frances Agnes Sutherland Gayle. She was born in 1853 and died in 1855. The Gayle family is a prominent pioneer family that settled in Jackson County during the Republic of Texas.

This land became a burial place, and the name Prairie City White Cemetery probably came about because the land was a prairie, and surrounding acreage still is a prairie. However the cemetery in 2010 has many large beautiful trees and also very old blooming crepe myrtle trees that were planted in rows.

The New York Texas and Mexican Railroad built a railroad through Jackson County and on July 2, 1882, a celebration was held at the train station. Landowner, Mrs. Lucy M. Flournoy, the "Mother of Edna" sold lots for the town of Edna. Italian County Telfener, contractor and builder of the railroad named two train stations after his daughters Edna and Inez and a third after his sister-in-law, Louise Mackay. The trains bypassed the village of Texana resulting in people, buildings and the courthouse moving to Edna.

Due to the growth of Edna, in 1888 an acre of land was purchased for the Prairie City White Cemetery. State trustees appointed by the citizens of Edna were Philip Kleas, Joseph Sanders and J. M. Haley to buy the acre of land from George Menefee Sr. and George Menefee Jr. in the Guthrie League.

The Board of Trustees, P. Kleas, J. M. Haley and J. M. Sanders of the Prairie City White Cemetery Association in 1890 paid R. H. Terrell, sixty dollars for three acres of land in the Guthrie League.

John P. Rowlett received one hundred fifty dollars for five acres from the Prairie City White Cemetery Association of Edna in October 1910. This is in the Henry Smith League.

J. O. Brown and wife, Ina Brown, A. D. Nolen and wife, Lena Nolen of Jackson County, Texas and Mrs. Mattie Patterson, a widow of the County of Lavaca, State of Texas were paid the sum of one hundred fifty dollars in cash by the Prairie City White Cemetery Association of Edna, Texas in the year 1918. This is in the Smith-Guthrie League.

E. T. Rose, in 1941, because of his interest in the welfare of the Prairie City White Cemetery Association and a desire to see the cemetery tract enlarged, gave three acres to the cemetery out of the Robert Guthrie League.

The Prairie City White Cemetery Association on August 2, 1954 changed the name of the cemetery to Memory Gardens of Edna, Inc.

Graves from the Texana Cemetery were moved to Memory Gardens when Palmetto Bend Dam on the Navidad River and Lake Texana were being built in the early 1970s.

Clarence Tomas and wife, Mary Nell Tomas, gave a .8 acre lot out of the Robert Guthrie League to Memory Gardens of Edna, Inc. in February 1986.

Also in 1986, Memory Gardens of Edna, Inc. was given two more lots of .5 acres by Lydia Joe Ann Merritt and Emmett G. Jackson, both of Harris County, Texas and Viola Jackson Qualline, of Dallas County, Texas. These lots are in the Henry Smith League.

With the need for rain protection and shade from the hot sun during graveside services, Memory Gardens built an arbor in 2001. Memorial Day and Veterans Day programs also use the arbor.

Memory Gardens of Edna, Inc. planning for future expansion, purchased two tracts of land, totaling 3.77 aces from Bruce M. Strane and wife, Carroll W. Strane for thirty thousand dollars in 2002 in the Henry Smith League.

Clarence Tomas and wife, Mary Nell Tomas gave .275 acre tract to Memory Gardens of Edna, Inc. out of the Robert Guthrie League in 2009.

The is a multi-cultural cemetery with all races buried within it. The cemetery contains many paupers graves which are spread throughout and not in any designated area.

There is a soldier from the Mexican War, one from the Spanish American War and 59 Confederate soldiers buried in Memory Gardens. Veterans Day and Memorial Day services are held each year with a program and placing of over 600 American flags on veterans' graves. The flags are placed on the graves by the board members with the help of Scouts and volunteers. In February of 2009, the United Daughters of the Confederacy requested to have a ceremony in the cemetery honoring 5 veterans with markers. We were honored to have this opportunity and it was a most impressive ceremony. The participants were in their era-appropriate attire and the big cannon being fired was enjoyed by the many guests from across the state.

The Daughters of the Republic of Texas, Texana Chapter have held many ceremonies to mark the graves of their deceased members.

Memory Gardens of Edna Inc. has an inventory of existing graves at this website https://www.findagrave.com/cemetery/6151 .
 

Memory Gardens Raises Funds

As funeral costs continue to rise, more people are choosing cremation rather than traditional burials.

In an attempt to offer more options to grieving families, the Memory Gardens Cemetery is raising funds to add a granite columbarium to hold up to 72 niches for urns with loved ones’ ashes.

A columbarium is similar to a mausoleum, but is smaller and designed to hold urns with cremated remains above ground. Each niche can hold two urns and would be sealed, with an engraved plaque with the interred person’s name and dates.

The cemetery already has raised $38,000 for the columbarium itself through two grants from local organizations and individual donations. Now it needs an estimated $7,000 to $7,500 to pay for the 24-foot square concrete slab that will support the columbarium, said cemetery president Jo Ann Blanar.

Jeff Woodring of Edna is acting as a consultant and has volunteered to oversee the construction of the cement slab, Blanar said.

“We’ve had several people calling,” Blanar said. “We did have calls wanting to know if we had this columbarium
in our cemetery because there are so many people that are, instead of burials, they are cremating.”

During one particular funeral, she said, a funeral director who had brought a body for burial from the New Braunfels area said that his company is seeing as much as 60 percent cremations now.

“We had talked to some other funeral directors and they said oh yes, the cremations are the way to go now because, one thing, for land, they’re running out of spaces, and the cost, the rising cost of funerals," Blanar said. “So we just thought we would try to keep up with the other cemeteries around. Locally, none of them have columbariums. They do in Victoria and some of the other cemeteries do. We just thought it would keep up with growing demand, we’re just trying to keep up with times.

The cemetery is a nonprofit 501-C3 and depends on grants and donations.

It was originally named Prairie White Cemetery, since it was located on a prairie, and later renamed Memory Gardens of Edna, Inc., in 1954. Its oldest recorded grave dates to 1855, a two-year-old girl born into one of the county’s pioneering families, and it also has a special gray marker for Lucy Dever Flournoy, considered the “Mother of Edna,” whose grave was never officially marked.

Approximately 6,100 people are buried at Memory Gardens, including approximately 900 veterans, such as some from the Spanish-American War, the Civil War, and World War II. It hosts the remains of several law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty, including Texas DPS Trooper Bill Davidson, killed in 1992; Sheriff Huey White, killed in 1941; Sheriff George Wharton, 1903; and sheriff’s deputies Frank Milby and Frank Brugh, also killed in 1903.

In addition, graves from the Texana Cemetery were moved to Memory Gardens when Lake Texana was built in the early 1970s.

The cemetery received a state historical marker in 2017.

“The people of Jackson County have been very generous when it comes to our cemetery,” Blanar said. “When we ask for donations they’ve been very generous.”

The cemetery made its down payment on the columbarium in December and the company building it began work at that time, she said. It is expected to be completed and ready for installation later this spring.

When completed and installed, the columbarium will stand about seven feet tall and weigh approximately 10,000 pounds, she said, which is why it needs the sturdy concrete base to prevent it from sinking into the ground.

Anyone wishing to donate can contact the cemetery office at 361-782-2931. The office is located at 1300 N. Kleas St. in Edna and is open by appointment only. Their mailing address is Memory Gardens, P.O. Box 396, Edna, Texas 77957.

Jackson County Herald-Tribune, February 21, 2024