Champion Cemetery
Cedar Park, Williamson County, Texas
Marker Inscription
John (Jack) Champion (1817-1908) was a native of York County, South Carolina. He moved to Texas by 1850, the year he and Naomi Jane Standefer (1834-1862) were issued a marriage license in Williamson County. In 1854, Champion bought more than 200 acres at the headwaters of Brushy Creek. He later served in the Civil War and, briefly, as County Sheriff. The grave of Naomi, the mother of seven of Champion's nineteen children, is the oldest of the four marked graves in the pioneer family's cemetery. Surveys indicate the presence of at least five unmarked graves. Historic Texas Cemetery - 2002
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
John "Jack" Champion left York County, South Carolina, and had reached Texas by 1850, when he and Naomi Jane Standefer were licensed to marry in Williamson County. In 1854 he bought more than 200 acres at the headwaters of Brushy Creek, later serving in the Civil War and briefly as county sheriff. Naomi, who died in 1862 as mother to seven of his nineteen children, lies in the oldest of the family plot's marked graves, among several more that are unmarked.
Why it matters
The little family graveyard is a tangible link to the pioneer settlers who claimed and farmed central Texas prairie in the decades before and during the Civil War.
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Related people
- · John (Jack) Champion
- · Naomi Jane Standefer
Themes & tags
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