Elizabeth Hart /Rosalie Priour's Gravestone Burkes Ridge/Moss Creek Cemetery Welder McCann Ranch In 1963, Sally Garwood Robeau and Albert Priour made a trip to the old Hart/Priour cemetery located on the Welder McCann Ranch between Woodsboro and Papalote. The cemetery is located just off the Aransas River between Moss Creek and Burkes Ridge. "I visited the cemetery with Albert Priour in 1963 an.d found most of the gravestones still intact. It is quite difficult to get to the cemetery because there is actually no road leading to it. There is a beautiful old Oak tree shading the entire area." -- Sally Garwood Robeau, Of Pride and Pioneers. About 35 years later, in 1998, the Hart/Priour cemetery again received a surprise visit. Three of Rosalie's great great grandchildren including myself, Keith Petrus and my two older brothers, Julius L. Petrus Jr. (Bubba), Ronald L. Petrus paid a visit with the help of Woodsboro cemetery conservationist Eugene Tuttle and ranch-hand Kirk Fuerbacher. On a side note, Kirk shared a story with us about a hunter seeing strange lights in the woods around the cemetery that seemed to confirm the "tall tales" of jack-o-lantern lights told by Annabelle Priour/Theile of Skidmore. This old cave was known for generations and as late as 1925, my father took some men from Corpus Christi Museum. They found a baby's skull, a man's legbone, and a leather belt and old musket both in good condition. I can remember playing in the old cave. It has filled in with the years. The most mysterious thing about the cave was the weird light that would slowly rise and move up and down the river banks near the entrance of this cave. On rainy nights this would happen ever so often. Papa called it the "jack-o-lantern." I still wonder what caused it. -- Annabelle Theile, The Legend of the Famous Corrigan Pool" by Charles L. Blaschke See Skidmore Legends for more of Annabelle's storys.   Kirk Fuerbacher, Eugene Tuttle, Julius "Bubba" Petrus Jr., and Ronnie Petrus at the old Hart Cemetery in 1998. (Keith Petrus is not pictured because someone had to hold the camera)   The "beautiful old Oak tree" Sally Garwood Robeau described in 1963 still stands today.   Closeup shot of Rosalie Priour's gravestone. According to Rosalie's granddaughter , Annabelle Priour/Theile, Rosalie requested to be buried in the same grave as her mother, Elizabeth Hart. There is no stone in the cemetery marking Elizabeths gravesite.   Annabelle claims the button above was from the coat that Elizabeth was buried in, taken from the grave during Rosalie's burial.   We found most of the gravestones broken in half. Cattle apparently wandered into the cemetery and used the stones as scratching posts. The inscriptions on the tombstones were a bit difficult to decipher but with the help of Mrs. Robeau's earlier record we were able to piece the information together. By 1998, many of the birth and death dates were virtually impossible to read. 1. Rosalie B. Priour Born Aug 1825 Died Aug 21, 1903 (Graphic of Hand Pointing to Heaven) 2. John Henry Harrison Born July 9, 1870 Died February 29, 1876 "Gone but not forgotten" (Graphic of Sheep?) 3. Ruth Ann Harrison Born July 29, 1873? Died April 6, 1877 "Asleep in Jesus" (Graphic of Dove) 4. Archie Burnard Priour Born June 7, 1902? Died February 23, 1903 "Weep not father & mother for me for I am waiting in glory for thee." 5. Mattie Iva Priour Born February 21, 1881 Died January 20, (?) "Weep not father & mother for me for I am waiting in glory for thee." 6. Lizzie Geneva Priour Born September 21, 1896 Died February 18, 1902 "Weep not father & mother for me for I am waiting in glory for thee." 7. Mary Ann Fox Born July 4, 1872 Died 1878 (Graphic of Cross with wreath) 8. James Chambers Died 1877 9. Lizzie Chambers Died 1877 NOTE: Archie, Mattie, and Lizzie Priour were Rosalie's grandchildren by Theodore and Martha Laura "Mattie" Priour.