First Burials in Matagorda Cemetery, Benjamin Wightman and Esther Randall Wightman
Matagorda, Matagorda County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Parents of Elias R. Wightman, grantee of the Matagorda town league, from Republic of Mexico. Benjamin and Esther Wightman, natives of Connecticut, lived in Wightman Town, Herkimer County, N. Y., before joining (1828) colony brought here by their son of "Little Zoe", the first sailing vessel ever to enter port of Matagorda. (1972)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Benjamin and Esther Wightman, Connecticut natives who had lived in New York's Herkimer County, followed their son Elias to Texas in 1828, arriving aboard "Little Zoe," the first sailing vessel to enter the port of Matagorda. Elias held the grant to the Matagorda town league under the Republic of Mexico, and his parents' graves became the first burials in the town cemetery.
Why it matters
Their journey marks the maritime beginnings of an American colony on the Gulf coast, when settlers arrived by sea to build towns on the Mexican frontier.
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Related people
- · Benjamin Wightman
- · Esther Randall Wightman
- · Elias R. Wightman
Themes & tags
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