French Cemetery
Dayton, Liberty County, Texas
Marker Inscription
According to local tradition, this cemetery derives its name from a group of French settlers who were killed and buried near the site sometime during the 18th century. Although no physical evidence of the French burials has been found, the name has been in common use for more than 100 years. Referred to in the mid-1800s as the Pruett Family Cemetery, the graveyard is located on land acquired by Beasley Pruett from the Mexican government in 1824. Upon his death in 1835, Pruett was buried on his land grant in a now-unmarked grave. The earliest marked grave here, dated 1860, is that of Martha Day, a daughter-in-law of Beasley Pruett. Other early Liberty County settlers and Pruett family descendants buried here include Reason Green (1800-1868), who held several 19th-century public offices; surnames of other prominent citizens buried here include Brashear and Linney. Veterans of four wars and the Korean Conflict are interred here. In 1946, landowners W. T. Jamison, Sr. (1878-1962) and J. N. Coleman (1882-1948) formally set aside these two acres of the French Cemetery as part of the sale of the surrounding land. The graveyard remains an important reflection of Liberty County history. Texas Sesquicentennial 1836 - 1986
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Local tradition holds that this cemetery took its name from a party of French settlers said to have been killed and buried nearby in the 18th century, though no physical trace of them survives. The documented history begins with Beasley Pruett, who received the surrounding land from the Mexican government in 1824 and was buried here after his death in 1835; the oldest marked grave dates to 1860. Generations of Liberty County settlers, public officials, and veterans of several wars lie within its two acres.
Why it matters
The graveyard layers legend, Mexican-era land grants, and more than a century of settler and veteran burials into a single ground, reflecting the long, tangled roots of a Texas county.
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Related people
- · Beasley Pruett
- · Reason Green
- · Martha Day
Themes & tags
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