Grabel Cemetery marker dedicated

By MELISSA TRESNER

Sunday, January 09, 2005

What began as a final resting place for slaves 100 years ago took its place in Texas 
history Saturday as a state marker commemorating its heritage was dedicated.

Rows of white crosses representing the unnamed slaves buried there lined the east side 
of the Grable Cemetery, about eight miles south of Longview near the Rusk County line.

Dr. Norman Black, chairman of the Gregg County Historical Commission, was on hand with 
about 20 residents of the area for the unveiling of the marker.

Amy Harriss' great-grandfather, Jesse Goodwin Butts Graybill, set aside a piece of his 
property for slaves to have a place to bury their dead. Harriss said she doesn't know 
the exact year the land became a cemetery, but it was before Emancipation in 1863. Sometime 
through the years, the spelling of the cemetery changed to Grable, although the family name 
remained the same.

Harriss, who was raised in the area and still lives within a mile of the cemetery, has 
traced her family's history to the 1700s, beginning with Henry Graybill, born in Lancaster, 
Pa., in 1741.

Jesse Graybill, born in Georgia, moved to an area known as Peatown in northern Rusk County 
in 1850, bringing slaves with him. The area is now in Gregg County.

Harriss said that at the time, slaves had no designated place to bury their relatives, so 
her great-grandfather allowed the land to be used as a slave cemetery.

Later, the cemetery was used by former slaves and their descendants.

Marvin Calloway, whose grandparents, father, brother and sister are all buried in the Grable 
Cemetery, is a member of the association that manages the property.

About 300 people are buried in the cemetery, some with no markers at all and others with barely 
legible headstones.

Calloway's grandfather, Allen Smith, was one of the first ones buried in the cemetery.

The cold wind brought moisture to his eyes as he described his ties to the cemetery and the 
historical marker's significance. "I'm directly interested in this place because my family's 
here," he said.