Veterans of Foreign Wars - Ironsides Post 9561

History of the VFW Cemetery

It is not known when the first burial occurred at the cemetery. The oldest burial recorded was that of Charles H. Waterman in 1886. He drowned in the Trinity River while crossing the river on horseback near Big Rock. Waterman's burial site was owned by the heirs of Pinder Bussell. The Bussell's allowed burials on their property and over the years there were numerous burials at the site. There are no records that indicate the sale or donation of the land to the community of China Flat (Willow Creek).

Before the Willow Creek Cemetery there was another cemetery known as the Bussell Cemetery. This cemetery was located about 200 yards northwest of the present Trinity Valley Elementery School. An exact location would put it adjacent to Highway 96 on the west side of the highway. The 1964 flood covered the cemetery with several feet of silt and since then willows have grown over the site. Clem Bussell, now deceased, said there were 20 or 30 burials there, dating back as early as 1865 perhaps. There is no known map for identification of the burials there.

 The Bussell heirs sold their properties to a Mrs. Ida Jamison and she controlled the Willow Creek Cemetery for many years, allowing burials to continue free of charge. Mrs. Jamison sold to the Brizard Company around 1960. The Brizard Company then donated the cemetery to the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Ironsides Post 9561 and now the cemetery is called the VFW Cemetery. Around 1970, the VFW acquired additional acreage to enlarge the site. The cemetery is still owned by the VFW.

Laid to rest in the cemetery are veterans of foreign wars, including Robert Martin, Sr., a veteran of the Mexican War. Dayton Martin is the only veteran buried at the cemetery that was killed in action in a war. He was killed in the Pacific theater of operations, World War II, U.S. Navy

The oldest citizens buried in the cemetery are Elizabeth Beebe, 100 years old, and Nell Hodgson, 98 years old.

The large cedar tree located in the middle of the cemetery was planted as a seedling over the grave of a young girl, name unknown, around 1900.

The cemetery was vandalized in the 1970s causing some graves to be lost forever, as many wooden headstone markers were destroyed and some stolen.

The location of the cemetery is on Highway 96 and is approximately one mile north of Highway 299.

Please contact us for burial information or sites.