GOD and TEXAS: Roadside Grave

Hollie Tatnell was not famous when she was buried under an oak tree in 1911. Born a descent-based slave in 1859, she lived her 52 years in hard labor and meager obscurity. At life’s end, Hollie was buried in a common grave in an African-American cemetery near Hearne, Texas. But her story did not end there.

In 1947, a real estate development company bought the cemetery and surrounding acreage, intending to build a subdivision. The company notified the descendants of those buried in the cemetery that they had a limited time to exhume the bodies of their loved ones for re-burial elsewhere. There were complaints, but everyone complied.

Everyone except Georgia and Andrew Tatnell, Hollie’s adult children. They argued that this was Hollie’s original neighborhood and that she deserved to lie in rest near home. Too busy to litigate, the developers decided to finish their work by building around Hollie’s grave.

Today you will find a cemetery in Hearne with one grave and one oak tree in the middle of busy Wheelock Street. The grave marker reads: “To the memory of ‘Our Mother’ Hollie Tatnell.” Her remaining original headstone simply says, “Come Ye Blessed.”

The words “Come Ye Blessed” are taken from the prophetical teachings of Jesus as He declared to His followers that a better day was coming. Jesus said in Matthew 25:34 KJV, “Then shall the King say unto them on His right hand, Come, ye blessed of My Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.”

In 2007, the Texas Historical Commission erected a marker recognizing the grave of Hollie Tatnell as a Historic Texas Cemetery. The concluding words of the marker state: “This single grave serves as a reminder of the area’s early African-American community and of the sanctity of burial grounds.”

Cemetery desecration is a persistent problem in Texas. Vandalism and encroaching land development continually disturb the sacred land of our ancestors. State laws protecting burial grounds are in place. But it takes all of us to guard and maintain the graves of our loved ones.

Throughout the Bible, we learn that God honors those who have died in the faith. The Patriarchs of the Old Testament were buried in family graves that were cherished for centuries. It was Jacob who said in Genesis 49:29, “Bury me with my fathers.” As a New Testament example to us, the body of Jesus was given loving care and was respectfully buried in a secure tomb. 

Hollie knew that her natural death was not the end of her life. Through Christ, Hollie obtained an eternal Kingdom prepared for those who love Him. At death, Believers close their eyes here and immediately open them in the glorious presence of Christ. (2 Corinthians 5:6-8)

The next time you travel through Hearne, take time to visit the grave of Hollie Tatnell. And honor her brave family who championed the rights of those who now rest at day’s end. 

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To purchase the historical non-fiction book GOD and TEXAS by David G. Rose please visit www.amazon.com