Stony Point Cemetery - Melissa
FM545
Cemeteries of Collin County, Texas, by Joy
Gough
The cemetery is
about 1 mile east of the Melissa Feed Yards. It is visible from FM 545, but
access is from CR 1095, which is not listed on the old county maps.
There is a historical marker for the church and cemetery. The "E" in Stoney
comes and goes with whomever is writing the name. The church and cemetery are on
the James Fisher survey on the waters of Sister Grove Creek.
The community here was called Stony Point. In the 1870's and 80's Stony Point
was a thriving community with a cotton gin, a general store, a molasses mill, a
grist mill, a church and a school. The first school was called the Johnson
School. The name "Chambliss" is also applies to the area. It was actually a
little northeast of the church and cemetery.
The Stony Point Baptist Church of Christ was organized in 1878. Out of the Stony
Point Baptist Church were started the Altoga Baptist Church, Valdasta Baptist
Church and White Rock Baptist Church. I believe that all of these churches still
exist. The Stony Point Church is no longer in use except for funerals or special
occasions.
There are several deeds pertaining to the church and cemetery. The first one is
listed in Vol 19, p 307. The cemetery is large, covering several acres, and is
fenced. It was deeded to the Stony Point Cemetery Association in March of 1938.
The cemetery is well maintained and still in use.
Historical
marker, 1982.
STONY POINT
CHURCH AND CEMETERY
IN THE 1870s
AND 1880s THE PIONEER SETTLEMENT OF
STONY POINT
WAS A THRIVING AGRICULTURAL COMMUNITY
WITH A COTTON
GIN, GENERAL STORE, GRISTMILL, MOLASSES
MILL AND
SCHOOL. ON AUG. 17, 1878, AREA RESIDENTS FORMED
THE STONY
POINT BAPTIST CHURCH. FIVE YEARS LATER A. J.
SCRIBNER AND
R. N. COFFEY DONATED LAND TO THE CHURCH
WHICH NOW
COMPRISES PART OF THE BURIAL GROUND. IN
1887 J. C. AND
ELIZABETH PRICE DEEDED PROPERTY FOR THE
FIRST
SANCTUARY. DESTROYED BY LIGHTNING IN 1926, IT WAS
REPLACED BY A
SMALLER STRUCTURE DEDICATED IN 1938.
THE EARLIEST
GRAVE IN THE CEMETERY, THAT OF W. M.
WILSON'S
INFANT SON WHO DIED IN 1880, PREDATES THE
CHURCH'S
ACQUISITION OF THE SITE. OTHER GRAVES INCLUDE
THOSE OF
PIONEER SETTLERS AND LEADERS OF THE CHURCH
AND COMMUNITY.
IN 1938 CONTROL OF THE BURIAL SITE WAS
TRANSFERRED TO
THE STONY POINT CEMETERY ASSOCIATION.
BY ORDAINING
EARLY MINISTERS AND BY HELPING WITH THE
FORMATION OF
CHURCHES IN THE NEARBY SETTLEMENTS OF
VERONA, ALTOGA,
VALDASTA AND WHITE ROCK, STONY POINT
BAPTIST CHURCH
HAD A DRAMATIC IMPACT ON THE REGION.
IT CONTINUED
TO PLAY A VITAL ROLE UNTIL IT CLOSED IN
THE LATE 1950s
AS A RESULT OF THE AREA'S DECLINING
POPULATION.
THE SANCTUARY IS STILL USED FOR FUNERALS
AND FOR THE
ANNUAL DECORATION DAY SERVICES.
Incised on
back: IN MEMORY OF LELAND WILKES SCRIBNER
CEMETERY INDEX
Recommended
citation:
Stony Point Cemetery - Melissa "CEMETERIES OF COLLIN COUNTY." Collin
County, Texas History and Genealogy Webpage by Genealogy Friends of Plano
Libraries, Inc., <http://www.geocities/genfriendsghl>
[Accessed Fri February 13, 2004 ].
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