Porter / Porter's Chapel Cemetery — View all Interments
Cemetery Statistics
Porter's Chapel Cemetery is one of the older cemeteries in Fannin county. It was originally surrounded by a school and church and was the center of community activites such as singings and picnics. The cemetery accounts for about 400 burials, including some unmarked graves. The earliest known burial was that of one of Jane Scott's children which occurred sometime in the 1860's. Jane and her children left Georgia in 1851 for Texas and settled in Orangeville. Burials here include deaths from the flu epidemics, as well as Confederate Veterans and Masons.
The great-great-grandparents of First Lady, Laura Bush, James T. Aldridge and Mary Chadwell Aldridge, are buried here. Her great-grandparents, Dr. William Franklin Welch and Nancy Jane Aldridge Welch are also buried in Porter's Chapel, although their graves are unmarked today. Their exact burial location is no longer known.
Deanne Barker reminds us that there are slaves buried here as well:
Today, this cemetery is unfenced and untended and can best be characterized as endangered.
Allen Rich wrote an article for us, "Gone But Not Forgotten" in his North Texas E-news about the deplorable state of this cemetery and that of Rehobeth Cemetery. The story he tells is tragic. The photos are stunning. Be sure to check it out.
