Houston-Lea Family Cemetery
Independence, Washington County, Texas
Marker Inscription
When the widow of Sam Houston died of yellow fever during the epidemic of 1867, the danger of contagion made it impossible to carry her to Huntsville for burial beside her husband. She lies here, with her mother, Mrs. Nancy Lea, near the sites of their last homes and the old church they both loved.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
When Margaret Lea Houston, widow of Sam Houston, died in the yellow fever epidemic of 1867, fear of contagion made it impossible to carry her body to Huntsville to lie beside her famous husband. She was buried here instead, near her mother Nancy Lea and the church and homes both women loved. The little family cemetery preserves the resting place of a woman who quietly shaped one of Texas's towering figures.
Why it matters
The grave is a poignant reminder of how nineteenth-century epidemics dictated even the burials of the prominent, and of the influential women standing behind Texas's founding generation.
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Related people
- · Margaret Lea Houston
- · Nancy Lea
- · Sam Houston
Related events
- · 1867 yellow fever epidemic
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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