Nestled between Russell and Spring Creeks, the community of Bethany emerged when a group of families from Kentucky settled on the rich grazing land in 1852. They had heard about the prosperity of the area from relatives who had already made the arduous journey to Texas. Among these families were R.W. (1832-1898) and his wife Elizabeth “Lizzie” (Mathews) Carpenter. After the Civil War, another Kentuckian, William Nelson Bush (1833-1907), settled a couple of miles to the east. The settlers practiced their faith in various locations until a church building could be built. In July 1877, Bush bought four acres of land for the sanctuary and cemetery and sold it in September to R.W. Carpenter and E.F. Elkin, who were elders of the community’s Christian church. The community selected the name “Bethany” for the church, which was the genesis of the community’s name. In addition to raising seven sons, Lizzie and R.W. Carpenter also welcomed three orphans into their home: Matthew, Alvin and Richard Clark. Matthew’s infant son, Walter Clark, died in January 1877 and is the first to be interred at Bethany Cemetery. The next was the Carpenters’ only daughter, Mary Katie (1877-1878). The headstones of several of the children, including Mary Katie’s, feature a sleeping lamb. In total, there are 22 Carpenter, nine Clark and 11 Mathews family members buried at Bethany Cemetery. This extended family group accounts for 42 of the more than 125 marked burials. The other graves represent the rest of the community’s families. The cemetery features a section of African American burials with only four marked graves. Bethany Cemetery is the last reminder of this early community. Though their lives were difficult, these settlers left a rich history. (HTC 2002)