Bazette Baptist Church and Cemetery
Bazette, Navarro County, Texas
Marker Inscription
The early farming settlement of Bazette, named for a Baptist preacher, developed before the Civil War. In 1881, postmaster and store owner William Ellison (1840-1906) deeded land at this site for the community's Baptist church. First known as Liberty Missionary Baptist Church, the congregation may have formed as early as the 1860s. In 1890, the deacons purchased adjoining land from J. L. Jennings for the establishment of a cemetery. The oldest marked grave is that of Jhonnie Hiett (1881-1891). The church and cemetery serve as reminders of the area's early history. Texas Sesquicentennial 1836-1986
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
The farming community of Bazette took root before the Civil War, named for a Baptist preacher who worked the area. In 1881 the local postmaster and storekeeper William Ellison deeded land for a Baptist church whose congregation may reach back to the 1860s, and in 1890 the deacons added an adjoining cemetery. The oldest marked grave, a child buried in 1891, still records the settlement's early years.
Why it matters
Rural church-and-cemetery grounds like this one are the connective tissue of nineteenth-century Texas, marking where scattered farm families built the institutions that made a community.
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Related people
- · William Ellison
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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