Newton Cemetery
Midlothian, Ellis County, Texas
Marker Inscription
This family burial ground served the Newton family, early area pioneers. Larkin Newton, who owned this property, came to Texas in 1848 with one of his nephews, Elbert. They followed Elbert's brother, Asa Newton, who settled near present-day Ovilla in 1844. All three settled on land that was part of the Peters Colony empresario grant. Larkin Newton, born in 1794 in South Carolina, was a veteran of the War of 1812. He participated in the Battle of New Orleans, the last major battle in the conflict. At home, Newton was a community leader. He served as a county commissioner in Arkansas (Washington Co.) and Missouri (Barry Co.) before moving to Texas. Once here, he continued to serve in politic, becoming Ellis County commissioner in 1850, shortly after the county formed. Concerned with his family's education, he also built a schoolhouse on his property. This cemetery's oldest dated grave is for Larkin Newton, who died in 1858. His wife, Mary Ann (Wilson), died in 1876 and is also interred here. Four of the couple's eleven children are buried here: Lynie Ann Newton Neely, Confederate veteran John Newton, Zilphia Newton Stiles Mullin and Thomas L. Newton. Several in-laws and a number of grandchildren are also interred in this burial ground. Today, Newton Cemetery remains as a record of a pioneering Ellis County family led by a patriarch who served his community, county and country. Historic Texas Cemetery - 2003
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
This family plot holds the Newtons, Peters Colony pioneers who reached the Ovilla area in the 1840s. Patriarch Larkin Newton, born in South Carolina in 1794, was a War of 1812 veteran who fought at the Battle of New Orleans and served as a county commissioner in three states before settling in Ellis County, where he built a schoolhouse for his family. The oldest grave is his own, from 1858, joined over time by his wife, children, and grandchildren.
Why it matters
The cemetery links the War of 1812 generation to the westward settlement of North Texas under the empresario land grants that peopled the young republic.
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Related people
- · Larkin Newton
Related events
- · Battle of New Orleans
Themes & tags
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