By Laura Klein Plunkett
History has a way of surfacing when you least expect it. Tucked away on private property surrounding one of the oldest houses in the county is a small cemetery hidden by weeds and time. There, the Williamson County Historical Commission Cemetery Restoration Volunteers found Mary Crayghton’s burial monument — and from this, everything clicked into place.
Milam County historian Holly Jentsch, researching the Craytons in her county, found references to Crayton family burials in the Circleville area, so she posted them on Find A Grave under the name Circleville Cemetery.
Over the years, no one actually knew if Circleville Cemetery existed until Cemetery Restoration Volunteers pieced the story together with Holly’s help. The small, forgotten cemetery is now officially named Crayton Family Cemetery. It holds more than two dozen graves, mostly Crayton family members, with markers dating back to 1868.
Mary Crayton (misspelled as Crayghton on her grave marker) was born around 1805, probably into slavery in South Carolina, and lived through emancipation. After freedom came to Texas in 1865, she, her husband Robert, and other black families settled in the Circleville area. Mary died in 1877. The last burial at the cemetery was in 1955.
One of Mary and Robert’s sons, Tim, father of 11, died in 1928 at the age of 103. The Crayton family line also runs through Samuel Crayton and Louise Smith. Samuel’s son, Connie Curtis (Pee Wee) Crayton, was born in 1914 near Rockdale, and became one of the great blues guitarists of the 20th century. Pee Wee Crayton was known for hits like “Blues After Hours,” and was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 2019.
The unearthed Crayton family story shows how ordinary families can leave extraordinary marks. It’s a powerful reminder of the value of small family cemeteries and the surrounding communities that built Central Texas so quietly and resiliently.
Laura Klein Plunkett is a Williamson County Historical Commission Cemetery Restoration Volunteer.