Howell Cemetery
Newton, Newton County, Texas
Marker Inscription
The family of James William (1805-1876) and Louisa Cheshire (1816-1899) Howell came to this area from Alabama in 1872. Family members bought adjoining land, and the settlement, named Howell, was granted a post office in 1889. One Howell son, Marmaduke, introduced the concept of terrace farming to Texas in 1882. A one-acre plot of land was designated a cemetery in 1876. The oldest marked grave is that of a Howell grandson, Robert Lee Howell (1871-1875). The cemetery was deeded to Howell descendants by one of James and Louisa's sons in 1914. Texas Sesquicentennial 1836-1986
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
James William and Louisa Cheshire Howell brought their family from Alabama in 1872, and their kin bought up adjoining land until the settlement of Howell earned a post office in 1889. Son Marmaduke is credited with introducing terrace farming to Texas in 1882, a soil-saving practice on the region's rolling land. A one-acre cemetery was set aside in 1876 — its oldest marked grave a Howell grandchild who died in 1875 — and later deeded to the family's descendants.
Why it matters
The Howell settlement shows how extended kin networks colonized post–Civil War Texas, bringing not just people but farming techniques that reshaped how the land was worked.
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Related people
- · James William Howell
- · Louisa Cheshire Howell
- · Marmaduke Howell
Themes & tags
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