Baptist minister and carpenter. Of French descent, he was born in Jefferson County, Tennessee. Said to have built the Atlanta Hotel depicted in "Gone with the Wind", famous novel of the South during the Civil War. Moved to Cherokee County in 1848, where, on April 8, he helped found the Rocky Springs Baptist Church. He also served as pastor. On March 2, 1837, at Danridge, Tennessee, he married Adelia Wood. They had seven children.

Born near Rusk in Cherokee County, Thomas Mitchell Campbell was the son of Thomas Duncan and Rachel (Moore) Campbell. He financed his education by working for the county clerk in Longview. In 1878 Campbell was admitted to the Bar and opened his law practice in Longview. He married Fannie Bruner the same year. Campbell moved to Palestine in 1892 after he was named receiver for the International & Great Northern Railroad. He was general manager of the line 1892-97.

In 1905, without prior political experience, Campbell announced as a candidate for Governor. He received the Democratic nomination despite strong opposition at the party's 1906 convention. Rallying supporters with the rousing march tune, "The Campbells Are Coming," he won the election by a large margin and became Texas' second native-born Governor. The first was Campbell's boyhood friend, Gov. James S. Hogg (1851-1906). In 1908 Gov. Campbell was elected to a second term. His administration was marked by strong anti-trust legislation, a pure food law, and prison reform. When his term expired, Gov. Campbell returned to a banking and law career in Palestine. In 1916 he ran for the United States Senate but lost. He died in Galveston and was buried in Palestine's East Hill Cemetery.

Benjamin Franklin Grimes came to Cherokee County in 1852 with his parents, Isaac and Sara Wilkinson Grimes. In 1859, Benjamin married Mary Jane Wallace, and to this union were born ten children. For a living, he operated freight wagons. He also served in the Confederate Army. On April 20, 1883, Grimes buried his daughter Cassandra Gabriella here on his family's land. Her grave was the first in what became the family cemetery; several of the other Grimes children, as well as Benjamin and Mary Jane, would later be interred here. Still in use, the cemetery has more than 80 graves, including those of 12 veterans.

Hubbard G. Hatchett (1808-1889) moved to Texas with his family in 1846. They bought property in Cherokee County on this site two miles west of the Angelina River in a community called Atoy. Hatchett built a two-room double pen cabin, common in his native Tennessee, in 1847. In January 1850 Hatchett leased the Rusk Ferry on the river crossing and took over its operation. Among those who used the ferry was Gen. Sam Houston in 1857. Ferry passengers often lodged in private homes within a few miles of the river. A second story was added to the Hatchett home, which the family operated as an inn. After Hatchett's wife Evlina died in 1862, other family members continued to operate the ferry until 1888 when the county installed a bridge nearby. The house remained in the family until the mid-1930s, and was demolished in 1977.

First Anglo child born in Texas, according to tradition. Grew up in Nacogdoches when it was ruled by Spain. Married Lt. Henry Berryman in 1823. They moved later to the estate she inherited in present Cherokee County. Built log home in 1847, named it "Forest Hill." There entertained many noted Texans. Took active part in county development. Had 5 children; 3 lived to adulthood. After death of husband, reared 30 orphans.

Mother of child thought to have been first Anglo-American born in Texas, in 1804. Helena Kimble was born in Maryland. Married James Dill in 1786. Moved to Nacogdoches, then under Spanish rule, 1793. There he became an Indian trader and served as Alcalde (Mayor), 1821-1823. He died 1825. She gained title in 1828 to Dill's land grant, in present Cherokee County. Moved here and soon after married Wm. Nelson.

In 1848, Presbyterian minister William Porter Henry (1820-1875) moved from Alabama to northeastern Cherokee County, where he preached throughout his life. In 1854, Tennessean investors bought land near his home and platted the town of Knoxville, which thrived until 1872 when the International and Great Northern Railway bypassed it for Troup. Many Knoxville residents relocated to Troup, but some farmers in Knoxville's outlying areas chose to stay in the vicinity. Though business and commercial needs began making travel to Troup necessary, remaining residents were able to maintain a community life with the assistance of the Rev. Henry, who in 1874 donated five acres of land for the establishment of a school, church and cemetery to serve their needs. The loosely-knit community became known as Henry's Chapel in honor of its benefactor. A school, known as the Sharp Top School because of its unusually steeply pitched roof, functioned until the 1930s, and a Presbyterian Church was also active here for many years. Statewide trends such as school consolidations and the development of a state highway system impeded the community's growth. The historic cemetery serves as the only physical reminder of the original community.

Members of the Holcomb Family have been holding reunions in this location since 1897. George Creagor Holcomb moved to Texas from Arkansas in 1842 and later brought his father Joseph and uncle Zachariah Holcomb and their families to Texas. The Holcomb family acquired land in Cherokee County and soon became active in local churches and communities.

A family reunion was organized in 1897 to honor Joseph and Zachariah Holcomb and to allow kin to renew acquaintances with long absent family members. Held at Cold Springs near Alto, the first reunion was attended by about 200 Holcombs. They arrived by horse and buggy and camped out in tents at the site.

The reunion continued year after year and drew more family members from near and far. In the 1950s family members contributed to the construction of a pavilion and changed the Tuesday meeting to a Saturday and Sunday schedule. Held the second week in July, the Holcomb family reunion has met for six generations and more than 100 years to share food and entertainment along with the events and accomplishments of its members.

As the population increased in Angelina and Cherokee counties in the 1860s, a formal system of roads began to take shape. Until that time, roads were usually forged by farmers and other pioneers carrying goods to market or traveling to new homes, as in other areas of Texas. Construction of a road from Homer (at that time Angelina County seat) to Alto began in 1860. The survey crew followed buffalo and Indian trails to determine the best route for the new road. Once open, it was the official mail route from Homer to Alto, and then on to Rusk, the Cherokee County seat. It led through a community known as Denman Springs until 1882 when Lufkin was created there and the road became Denman Avenue. The main part of the Homer-Alto Road became State Highway 40 in the 1930s and later U.S. Highway 69.

South Carolina native A.J. Hood (b.1820) migrated to Cherokee County, Texas, about 1846. Ten years later, after representing that area during two terms of the state legislature, he moved his family here. Hood opened a law office in Weatherford (11 miles northwest) and later served as district judge. This family cemetery was first used in 1865 for the burial of Hood's wife Elizabeth (McEwen) (b.1827). Located on land near their original home, this site was her choice for the construction of a future house. Her grave is marked with a stone from the nearby creek.