Bennett Cemetery
Sweet Home, Lavaca County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Stephen Bennett (1789-1874), a veteran of the War of 1812, and his wife Mary Ann "Polly" Breazeal Bennett (1798-1877), were born in South Carolina and lived many years in Alabama. They led a wagon train to Washington County in the Republic of Texas about 1841. They soon relocated to a part of Gonzales County which later became Lavaca County. Stephen Bennett became a successful farmer and prominent citizen. The first burial on this site is believed to have taken place in 1846 when Stephen and Polly Bennett buried their oldest daughter, Sarah Bennett (1819-1846). Other family members, friends and neighbors had been buried here by 1871 when the Bennetts deeded one acre of their homestead to their seven surviving children for use as a burial ground. The oldest marked burials are those of Lucy L. Dyer (1830-1873) and William M. McMurrey (1806-1873). The Bennett children left their mark on Lavaca County as prominent physicians, cattlemen, soldiers, county officials, Masons and teachers. After the youngest daughter, Mary A. Bennett McCutcheon, died in 1884, the family land was passed to her two sons, Willis McCutcheon, Jr., and B. B. McCutcheon. They later sold a portion of the family land, legally setting aside two and one-half acres for the cemetery. The last known Bennett relative to be buried here was William L. Tolleson (1851-1915). The last known interment on this site took place in 1977. The graveyard also has been known as Pioneer Cemetery, McCutcheon Cemetery, Sweet Home (City) Cemetery, and Bennett-Tolleson Pioneer Cemetery. (1999) Historic Texas Cemetery medallion. (2002)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Stephen Bennett, a War of 1812 veteran born in South Carolina, led a wagon train with his wife Polly to the Republic of Texas around 1841, settling in what became Lavaca County. The cemetery began in 1846 with the burial of their daughter Sarah, and in 1871 the Bennetts deeded an acre to their children for a family burial ground. Their descendants became physicians, cattlemen, county officials, Masons, and teachers, and the graveyard—known by many names over the years—held its last interment in 1977.
Why it matters
This pioneer cemetery traces a single family's rise to prominence across the founding decades of the Republic and state of Texas.
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Related people
- · Stephen Bennett
- · Mary Ann 'Polly' Breazeal Bennett
- · Sarah Bennett
Themes & tags
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