Chew Cemetery
Llano, Llano County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Born in West Virginia in 1832, George Oliver Chew came to Texas in 1839. He married Nancy Taylor prior to 1870, and they settled in western Llano County in 1883, purchasing 320 acres of land. This site probably was first used as a family cemetery about 1885 when their infant granddaughter was interred here. The second marked burial was that of a 2-year-old grandson, Osceola Chew, in 1887. George Oliver Chew was interred here in 1901. The Chew family continued to grow, operating a school and later a cotton gin. In 1927 they sold the land to another family, who donated back the one-acre cemetery twenty years later. There are more than 40 known graves in the Chew Cemetery. Both a Confederate and a Union soldier are interred here, as are veterans of other military conflicts. (1999)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
George Oliver Chew, born in West Virginia in 1832, came to Texas as a boy and settled in western Llano County in 1883, buying 320 acres where a family cemetery soon took shape around the graves of two young grandchildren. The Chews built a life on the land, running a school and later a cotton gin, and though they sold the property in 1927, the one-acre cemetery was later donated back. More than forty graves lie here, including both a Confederate and a Union soldier.
Why it matters
Family cemeteries like this one map the westward march of settlement and quietly hold reminders that the Civil War's divisions traveled with Americans onto the frontier.
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Related people
- · George Oliver Chew
- · Nancy Taylor Chew
- · Osceola Chew
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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