Connell Cemetery
Liberty Hill, Williamson County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Alabama native Sampson Connell, Jr. (b. 1822) came to Texas with his family in 1834. Sampson, his father, and his brother participated at the Battle of San Jacinto in 1836. For his efforts, Sampson received a land grant in Washington County. He moved to Milam COunty where he helped found the San Gabriel Christian Church, later settling in Willaimson County as a farmer and stockman. During the Civil War he served in Capt. Robert Ashford's Co. B, 1st Regiment, 27th Brigade, and later in the local Home Guard. This family cemetery, also known as Bear Creek, was part of his homestead, and his 1873 burial cairn is the oldest known grave. Several relatives and friends are interred in this burial ground that honors a pioneering Texas family.Historic Texas Cemetery-2006
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Alabama native Sampson Connell, Jr. came to Texas as a boy in 1834 and, with his father and brother, fought at the Battle of San Jacinto in 1836, earning a land grant for his service to the young republic. He helped found a church in Milam County before settling in Williamson County as a farmer and stockman, and served in the Confederate army and local Home Guard during the Civil War. This family burial ground, also called Bear Creek, was part of his homestead, its oldest known grave his own 1873 cairn.
Why it matters
The Connell family's graves link the founding fight for Texas independence to the settlement of the frontier, honoring a pioneering family whose lives spanned the republic and statehood.
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Related people
- · Sampson Connell, Jr.
Related events
- · Battle of San Jacinto (1836)
Themes & tags
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