The History as We Know it
Ann Coleman - 1st Black Woman in Graham, Texas - 1880 - 1925
Ann Coleman, namely Mary Ann Coleman born about 1848 at, age 32 appears to be the first black woman to reside in the City of Graham, Texas. The 1880 census records show she resided in the City of Graham with her husband, Wm Coleman, and 2 children Lizzie and Rose Coleman. This newspaper article reports that she was buried in Oak Grove in July of 1925 and identified her and he family as the only negroes in Graham. She was a devout member of the Methodist Church. If these records are correct, Mary Ann Coleman was born a slave in 1848. Shortly after the foundation of the City of Graham in 1872 by brothers Colonel Edwin Smith Graham and Gustavous Adolphus Graham, the 1880 census records show that she and he family resided in Graham. In 1923, Addie Graham donated the parcel of land for the burial of colored people. Mary Ann Coleman died in July of 1925. She may have been the first person buried in this historic cemetery.
Mr. William P. Johnston Jr. was the caretaker of the Oak Grove Colored section of Oak Grove Cemetery in Graham, Texas. According to some Graham residents, a city official asked some black residents who would assume the role of the caretaker after Mr. Johnston's death. And, when asked the name of the cemetery, they were told that the cemetery didn't have a name. During that conversation (in the early 1970's), the name of the cemetery was unofficially named the William P. Johnston Memorial Cemetery to honor him for his service as the caretaker of the cemetery. There are no official records of changing the name of the cemetery. In July 2024, the Texas Historical Commission had no record of a cemetery namely "William P. Johnston Memorial Cemetery." Oak Grove Cemetery was the cemetery of records for blacks interred from the early 1920's to 1963. Death certificates of those interred at the cemetery has several version of Oak Grove Cemetery and names: Oak Grove Cemetery (Colored), Oak Grov
Black History Should Be Preserved Not Erased. This is Black History! This is Graham's History!
Monument for William P. Johnston Jr. at the Oak Grove Colored - Graham Colored - Johnston Cemetery
This cenotaph (monument) was supposedly placed in the cemetery to honor Mr. Johnston. Look closely, Mr. Johnston's name is not engraved on this monument. No one seems to know who put the monument there and the reason Mr. Johnston's name isn't engraved on the monument. We thank Mr. Johnston for his service to our country and the work he did to preserve the Oak Grove Colored section of Oak Grove Cemetery.
Oak Grove Colored - Graham Colored - Johnston Cemetery
On May 9, 2024, The Texas Historical Commission had designated the Oak Grove Colored-Graham Colored-Johnston Cemetery as a Historic Texas Cemetery. Rev. Vanessa A. Sims submitted the Historic Texas Cemetery application in November 2023 to the Texas Historic Commission. She worked alongside with Young County Historic Commission to obtain this historic certification. This cemetery is known to be the only black cemetery in Young County. She and the Young County Historical Commission have submitted a Medallion/Marker application to the Texas Historical Commission.
Find A Grave Does Not Honor Cemetery Historical Name
In March 2024, Find A Grave added the original name of the cemetery so that descendant could find their loved ones. See above photo. In October, we noticed that Find A Grave had removed the original name of the cemetery. We notified Find A Grave that the cemetery had been identified as a historic cemetery and provided a copy of the Texas Historical Commission Historic Cemetery Certificate that has the official name of the cemetery namely "Oak Grove Colored-Graham Colored-Johnston Cemetery." Mr. Johnston name is the honorary name of the cemetery. As of November 2024, Find A Grave has ignored our request to properly advertise and record the official name in it's record. This site has 37 memorial records. Research indicates that at least 3 more burials exist.