Texas Historical Cemetery
Welcome To The Historic Stiff Chapel Cemetery
Located in McKinney, Texas, this heritage site offers a glimpse into the past, preserving the legacy of early settlers and their contributions to the region. Visit us to explore the stories etched in stone and walk the grounds where history lives on.
Nestled in McKinney, Texas, the Stiff Chapel Cemetery is a testament to the rich history and pioneering spirit of the early settlers of Collin County. Established by Jesse Stiff in 1847, the cemetery spans two acres and stands as one of the oldest burial grounds in the county.
Jesse Stiff (1796-1871) and his family came to this area in 1835 from Virginia making them some of the earliest settlers in the county, significantly contributing to the area’s development. This was ten years before Texas became a state. Jesse fought in the Mexican War in 1846. A section of the Constitution of the Republic of Texas in 1836 provided that all heads of families living in Texas at the time of the Declaration of Independence (March 2, 1836) were entitled to one league and one labor of land (4605.5 acres). Jesse Stiff claimed his one league and one labor about seven miles northeast of McKinney. His brother, Louis, arrived in 1849, and a community known as Stiff Chapel developed around their homesteads. The creek going through his land was called Stiff Creek.
Stiff Creek rises one mile east of Melissa in north central Collin County and runs southeast for five miles into Sister Grove Creek a mile south of Altoga. The creek passes through a moderately to gently rolling land surface with clayey soils. The vegetation consists of oak, juniper, and native grasses. In 1856 the Stiff Creek school was built near the banks of the stream, six miles northeast of McKinney. Because of seasonal flooding a spillway was constructed just north of Altoga in the 1950s.
The Stiff family homestead, located near Stiff Creek, became the foundation of a vibrant community known as Stiff Chapel, established around 1856. The cemetery is the final resting place for many of the region’s early pioneers, including Jesse’s son, James Stiff, a Texas Ranger who was buried here in 1847. Most of the graves in the two-acre family burial ground date from the 1800s. The last burial in the Stiff Chapel Cemetery, that of Minnie Swaim, took place in 1935.
The site is revered for its historical significance, marked by the Texas Historical Commission in 1984, and remains a poignant reminder of the area’s rich heritage.
Cemeteries are important keys to Texas’ past. They are reminders of settlement patterns and reveal information about historic events, religion, lifestyles, and genealogy. Unfortunately, historic cemeteries are increasingly threatened by development pressures, encroachment, vandalism, and theft. Circumstances can change quickly—a cemetery considered maintained and safe can quickly become neglected and endangered. To address the problem of cemetery destruction and to record as many cemeteries as possible, the Texas Historical Commission (THC) offers the Historic Texas Cemetery (HTC) designation.
The HTC designation was developed in 1998 to help protect historic cemeteries by recording cemetery boundaries in county deed records to alert present and future owners of land adjacent to the cemetery of its existence. Every county in Texas has at least one cemetery designated as a Historic Texas Cemetery through this program. The HTC designation is the first step toward preservation of a historic cemetery.
The HTC designation is an official recognition of family and community graveyards. The designation imposes no restrictions on private owners’ use of the land adjacent to the cemetery or the daily operations of the cemetery.
A cemetery is eligible for designation if it is at least 50 years old and is deemed worthy of recognition for its historical associations. The very nature of a cemetery being a landmark of a family’s or community’s presence is considered to validate the criteria of historical associations. Any individual, organization, or agency may submit a request for designation.
A Pioneer in early texas history
Jesse Stiff
Jesse Stiff was born in Bedford Virginia, October 1796. He was the son of James Stiff (A Revolutionary War Veteran) and Mary Lewis.
Jesse, along with his family were among the earliest settlers in Texas coming in 1835 when the area was part of Mexico and ten years before Texas became a state.
Jesse Stiff first served as a Fannin County Ranger under Captain James R. O’Neal in the spring of 1838. Later that fall, he was captain of his own company of Fannin County Mounted Gunmen during Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Montague’s Indian campaign. He again saw action as a ranger in July 1841, when serving as a private in Captain Joseph Sowell’s Fannin County Minutemen company. On April 22, 1842, a spy company was formed under the command of Captain Jesse Stiff. His “Fannin County Minutemen” or “Fannin County Guards” were mustered into service by order of then county chief justice, James O’Neal under whom he had first served. Jesse also fought in the Mexican War of 1846.
Under the 1836 Constitution for the Republic of Texas all heads of families living in Texas at the time of the Declaration of Independence (March 2, 1836) were entitled to one league and one labor of land (4605.5 acres). Jesse Stiff claimed his one league and one labor about seven miles northeast of McKinney. The creek going through his land was called Stiff Creek.
Jesse married twice. First to Mary Feazle and secondly to Elizabeth Washburn.
His brother Lewis/Louis came to the area in 1849, and a community known as Stiff Chapel developed around their homesteads.
Jesse Stiff died in 1874. The administration of his estate named three heirs, John and Jesse Martin, only children of Rachel (Stiff) Martin, dec’d, the only daughter of Jesse and Mary; and Jesse Stiff Jr., Jesse’s minor son by his second marriage to Washburn.
A Legacy of Courage and Honor | A Texas Ranger
James Stiff, Young Son of Jesse Stiff
The first grave in the Stiff Chapel Cemetery was for James Stiff, the son of Jesse and Mary Stiff. A Texas Ranger, born on October 11, 1829, coming home sick and died on September 10, 1847, at the age of 17 in Texas, USA. In keeping with the best tombstones that were available at that comparatively wild and uncivilized period of our county's development, native stone slabs were hauled from a quarry near where Farmersville now stands, and a crude sarcophagus was erected over the grave with the following inscription chiseled on the flat slab covering: "Sacred to the memory of James Stiff, son of Jesse and Mary Stiff. Born Oct. 11, 1829. Died Sept. 10, 1847." He was buried near his father's house on land that later was deeded as the Stiff Chapel Cemetery.
A Revolutionary War Soldier
James 'Jas' Stiff, Father of Jesse Stiff
James ‘Jas” Stiff was born around 1758 in Virginia, the father of Jesse Stiff. It has been reported that he was born in Cumberland County, Virginia, and came to Bedford County, Virginia, as a young boy. In September of 1779, he married Molly Lewis. This information is from the book “My Name is Stiff” by Judd Golladay Stiff, published in 1976, and from the Revolutionary War Pension File for James Stiff.
James enlisted as a Private in the 5th Virginia Regiment on February 26, 1776, with an enlistment term of two years. During his service with the 5th Virginia Regiment, he served under Captains Henry Terrell, Samuel Colston, and William Fowler, all commanded by Colonel Josiah Parker. James was discharged as a Private on March 5, 1778. This information was taken from the Muster Rolls for the 5th Virginia Regiment. James was also drafted in 1780 and served under Captain John Leftwich for approximately three months. This information is also from the book “My Name is Stiff” by Judd Golladay Stiff, published in 1976.
James Stiff died on May 19, 1837, in Bedford County, Virginia, according to the Revolutionary War Pension File for James Stiff.