Lockhart, Caldwell County
As part of a group of settlers, William A. Clark moved with his wife, Nancy (Copenhaver), and children to Caldwell County from Alabama in 1850. Clark purchased land in this vicinity in 1854. Early community residents met in homes and out of doors for worship services, and in 1877, at the Clarks' home, 26 men and women organized the Clark's Chapel Methodist Episcopal Church, South, under the leadership of the Rev. J. W. Brown. Two years later, Joseph and Jennie Magee deeded land to the group for a church building and grounds, later adding land for Clark's Chapel Cemetery. The first grave marker, that of two-year-old Martha R. Smith, dates to 1882. The church building was torn down in 1950, and with the cemetery in poor state, Clark and Magee descendants, including Austin Magee, Guy Kelley and Niram "Nye" Clark, began gathering information about the church and cemetery, and organizing annual reunions for family members. Through these reunions and annual donations, the families today maintain the burial ground, which is still in use as a link to family and friends, and to area history. Historic Texas Cemetery - 2004