Does the name Branson-Brotherton Cemetery ring a bell? It should. We are standing before the Wheatland Cemetery Plaque. This plaque marks a site with origins dating back to the mid-1800s.
Originally, the Wheatland Cemetery was named Branson-Brotherton Cemetery. Tom Branson and H.K. Brotherton donated the land. Both men were farmers from Ohio. They owned large tracts of land. Both are buried here.
The Wheatland Cemetery also has roots in Methodist congregations. The first Methodist church in this area was Wesley Chapel organized in the 1840s. In 1864, the church moved to Sprouls Corner. Residents soon renamed it Wheatland. Wesley Chapel also changed its name to Wheatland Methodist Church. The congregation met on land donated by Branson and Brotherton.
Although formally established in 1872, the Wheatland Cemetery contains earlier burials. Some were reinterred from the Wesley Chapel burial ground. Burials include area pioneers and farmers. Community leaders and veterans of conflicts are also buried here. These conflicts date back to the Mexican American War. Victims of flu, malaria, and diphtheria epidemics also rest here.
You will notice fraternal organization gravestones. There are also vertical stones and curbing. In 1913, the Uhl and Branson families deeded additional acreage. The Methodist Episcopal Church South at Wheatland also conveyed land that year.
Family members of the interred organized the Wheatland Cemetery Association in 1908. It continues to maintain the burial ground. Today, the historic Wheatland Cemetery remains a record. It tells the story of early pioneers and residents. It is a testament to the once-thriving Wheatland Community. The state of Texas owns the marker. It was designated a Historic Texas Cemetery in 2006. Take a moment to reflect on the lives and stories buried here at Wheatland Cemetery.