In the late 1830s, Texas Rangers camped on a hill west of present Cumby in a grove of black jack oak trees, and settlers established the nearby community of Black Jack Grove for protection. Later renamed Cumby, it grew into a trade center in the late 19th century. In the 1850s, James M. and Mary Long settled along Turkey Creek in the small community of Crossroads, south of Black Jack Grove. Tradition holds that around 1860 they set aside land for the burial of a girl who died while her family was passing through the area. By 1865, James had rewed to Susan Luttrell, and Mary Long's grave may be among those now unmarked. The first marked grave is that of John M. Webb, who died in 1869. Other early marked graves include those of Civil War veterans and Woodmen of the World members, and several burials are indicated by small concrete markers that replaced original bois d'arc posts. Enlarged in the 1970s, the burial ground remains a reminder of generations of area settlers.