Pledger, Matagorda County
Atlas B. Jones came to Texas prior to the Civil War and after serving, settled in Pledger in 1873, amassing 185 acres. Records indicate he lived with Susan Hines (Hynes) as husband and wife, although laws prevented their marriage because he was white and she was black. Susan had one son born during slavery, Richard. The couple had four daughters: Betty Ann (m. Smith Jackson), Eliza (m. Pleas Johnson), Mattie and Susie (m. Eddie McCoy). Jones provided land for a cemetery when neighbor Denny Scurry died in 1879. Community members and Jones family members, including Atlas, Susan and all their children, are buried here. Burials include seven known veterans. Jones family descendants maintain the cemetery. HISTORIC TEXAS CEMETERY – 2021