Location:

• About 2 miles SE of Navarro, and about 1/2 miles east of the former site of the cotton gin.

Surveys:

• Listed Below

This family burial plot located about 2 miles SE of Navarro, Texas and about 1/2 mile east of the former site of the cotton gin and Mr. Re's store, was visited by the writer, Ira West, of Houston and Grover Cleveland "Pete" Goodin of Navarro in November 1978.  Mr. Goodin is intimately familiar with the site, having lived on the farm on which the cemetery is located in the early years of the century.  As we hiked across the pasture a half mile to the site he recounted the number of times he had cut down and dug out the bois de arc tree along the way that looked to have only been made stronger by his treatment.  I though they had a lot in common.

Mr. Goodin said that many years ago he had counted twenty-six gravestones in the cemetery.  We found only ten of those markers that we could identify.  The cemetery is in extremely poor condition.  It is not fenced and cattle have had their way with it.  Most of the remaining markers have been toppled and of course the weeds and mesquite are rampant.

According to Mr. Goodin, there used to be a tall cylindrical monument there in memory of Mr. William Bright.  It is no longer there.  There is, however, a tombstone on his grave.

Our reason for visiting the "Old Bright Cemetery" was to search for the grave of Elizabeth "Liza" Jones, maiden sister of my great-grandmother, Martha Walker Jones West.  Family sources had said she was buried there.  Mr. Goodin said he had never seen her tombstone and we were unable to find it this day.  Subsequently I went back to my source, Hattie F. (Tatum) West, for clarification.  She said that Liza was indeed buried there, but that the tombstone that was bought for her grave never got to the cemetery.  It seems that my grandfather, Hezekiah Preston "Ky" West bought the tombstone and asked his wife's uncle, Captain Fouty, CSA who lived near the cemetery to take the marker to its intended place.  Captain Fouty took the stone over to his place and for reasons unknown to Aunt Hattie, never got around to getting it to the cemetery.  Presumably the stone is lying around the old Fouty farm near Navarro where "Little Clint" Fouty yet lives.

The following identifiable markers were found:

BOYD, J. W.,  21 January 1850 - 3 September 1912
BOYD, Eliza, J.,  8 September 1858 - 5 June 1899
BOYD, Mary Ann, Daughter of J. W. and E. J. Boyd, 26 May 1880 - 2 January 1883, Age 2 + 7 mo.
BOYD, Martha A., wife of J. J. Boyd 1 March 1839 - 4 Jan 1865
BOYD, Virginia G., wife of J. J. Boyd  1 March 1839 - 4 Jan 1865
BOYD, James R., Son of J. W. & E. J. Boyd, 29 Dec 1880 - 18 July 1891
BOYD, John J., 21 Jan 1857 -27 Feb 1885,  28 + 11 + 6
BRIGHT, Wm., Born in Kentucky July 1, 1795 (Death date obscured)
BRIGHT, E. O., 31 May 1802 - 14 January 1881
PURYEAR, Frank T., son of H. R. & C. V. Puryear, 7 August 1856 - 28 July 1865
Emma ..... (Remainder obscure)

Written by Ira. B. West, Sept 27, 1979

Note: Gary Richard surveyed the cemetery in 1983, his survey has the following differences

Wm. Bright, Sr., b. 1 July 1795 - 20 July 18??
E. C. Bright b. 31 May 1802 - 14 Jan 1881
Emma A., dau of H. R. & C. V. Puryear b. 17 Oct 1858 - d. 22 Jan 1864
Frank T., son of H. R. & C. V. Puryear, b. 7 Aug 1856 - 28 Jul 1865
Martha, wife of J. J. Boyd, b. 1 Mar 1839 - 4 Jan 1865
Virginia, wife of G. W. Boyd - b. 15 July 1824 d. 19 Dec 18??
John J. Boyd, b. 21 Jan 1857 d. 27 Feb 1885, age 28 years 1 mo 6 days
Mary Ann, dau of J. W. & E. J. Boyd b. 26 May 1880 d. 2 Jan 1883; Aged 2 yrs 7 mos 6 dys
James R., son of J. W. & E. J. Boyd, b. 29 Dec 1889 - 8 July 1891
J. W. Boyd - 21, Jan 1850, d. 3 Sept 1912
Eliza Boyd b. 8 Sept 1858 - 5 June 1889

There are also many unmarked graves in this cemetery.  There are 13 graves marked with wooden stobs and sandstone markers without any inscriptions.  The sandstone markers were quite unusually shaped.