Masonic Cemetery
Gonzales, Gonzales County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Masonic Cemetery The Gonzales Masonic Lodge No. 30 A.F. & A.M., chartered January 1847, purchased 11 acres here for use as a cemetery in 1849, adding to the property in 1903. Two graves, those of Calligula Walker (d. 1846) and Allen Walker (d. 1848), predate the lodge's ownership of the site. Since that time, notable burials include those of Texas Revolution veterans Jesse Davis, Edward Dickinson, Charles Mason, William Matthews, Eli Mitchell, Thomas Polk, Andrew Ponton and Amasa turner. Others buried here include three men who served as Texas Masonic grand masters--J.F. Miller, B.R. Abernethy and W.M. Fly--as well as prominent local businessmen. Historic Texas Cemetery - 2002
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
The Gonzales Masonic Lodge No. 30 bought eleven acres here in 1849 for a cemetery, though two graves already predated the lodge's ownership. Buried among the grounds are veterans of the Texas Revolution—men like Andrew Ponton and Amasa Turner—along with three Texas Masonic grand masters and prominent local citizens. The lodge expanded the site in 1903.
Why it matters
The cemetery links Gonzales, the "cradle of the Texas Revolution," to the fraternal and civic networks that shaped early Texas towns.
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Related people
- · Amasa Turner
- · Andrew Ponton
- · Eli Mitchell
- · J. F. Miller
Related events
- · Texas Revolution
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
Eli Mitchell
Gonzales, TX
Eli Mitchell was among the Anglo-American colonists drawn into the Texas independence movement in the 1830s, serving as a delegate to the 1833 Convention that pressed Mexico for reform. When fighting erupted at Gonzales in 1835 — the "come and take it" opening clash of the Texas Revolution — he took up arms and supplied the fledgling Texian army.
Dr. Thomas Polk
Gonzales, TX
This grave marker honors Dr. Thomas Polk, born in 1792, who served the Texan cause during the fight for independence from Mexico. He aided the men who fought at the Siege of Bexar in late 1835 and through the decisive San Jacinto Campaign of 1836. The bronze Star and Wreath denotes a citizen recognized by the State of Texas for service during the revolution.
Dr. John Turner Tinsley
Gonzales, TX
Dr. John Turner Tinsley left Tennessee for Gonzales in 1834, settling in the town on the eve of revolution. A physician who also served as alderman, mayor, and justice of the peace, he took part in the 1835 Battle of Gonzales—the 'Come and Take It' clash that opened the Texas Revolution—and helped Sam Houston's army during the panicked civilian flight known as the Runaway Scrape.
Jesse Kencheloe Davis
Gonzales, TX
Jesse Kencheloe Davis was an Alabama-born soldier who fought at the Battle of San Jacinto in 1836, the decisive clash that won Texas its independence from Mexico. He lived out his years in Gonzales County — the very town remembered as the flashpoint of the Texas Revolution — and is buried here with his wife Eliza.