Drawdy-Rouse Cemetery

Drawdy-Rouse Cemetery stands on land that was originally part of seventy-seven acres homesteaded by the Drawdy family under the Homestead Act of 1862. Two acres were set aside as a cemetery for the Drawdy family and local pioneers. William Drawdy (1827-1871) and his wife, Mary Ann (Wiggins), came from Georgia to Orange County, Florida, in 1864, and William was the first person buried there. Willis A. Rouse (1825-1877) came from Georgia to Florida by 1856, when he married Eliza Jane Hollaman, and by 1870 they were living in East Orange County. Willis was the first member of the Rouse family buried there. In 1927, the Rouse family added two acres to the cemetery. The cemetery honors early pioneers, including the Drawdy and Rouse families, who were among the early settlers and helped shape and develop Orange County.

Florida · United States