Our History - Highlands & Dayton, TX

Rueben White (1795-1848), one of Stephen F. Austin's original "Old 300" colonists, acquired a Mexican land grant here in 1824. White was part of a large extended family that settled this area, later known as White Settlement. Although White's is the earliest recorded burial here, older gravesites are believed to exist. Formerly set aside as the White Family Cemetery in 1850, it eventually became a community cemetery. Interred here are many area pioneers and their descendants and veterans of conflicts, from the Texas Revolution to the War on Terror.

Over the years, new sections of the cemetery were built and dedicated. Sterling-White Cemetery now offers traditional ground burial, lawn crypts, mausoleum crypts, niches for interring cremated remains, and dedicated cremation gardens. The Garden of Honor was dedicated to honor those men and women who have served in the armed forces. Private family hedged estates are being developed; phase one was completed in January 2009.

In 1987, Sterling-White Funeral Home was erected on the cemetery grounds. Today the combination of Sterling-White Funeral Home and Cemetery offers families convenience, cost savings, and a level of service that far exceeds that of the standalone cemetery or funeral home.

Originally known as White Cemetery and Sterling-White Chapel Funeral Home, the two businesses officially combined in 2005 to form one company, Sterling-White Funeral Home and Cemetery. Today all offices for the cemetery and funeral home are located in the funeral home.

Sterling-White Funeral Home and Cemetery is recognized by the State of Texas Historical Society as a Texas Historical Cemetery.