Old Zion Cemetery
Kennard, Houston County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Although the origins of this cemetery are undocumented, local oral history indicates early settler James McCevey buried his slaves at this site. Other accounts say the cemetery was given by the descendants of pioneer Francis B. Connor. The earliest marked burials are those of Lewis Burton (1819-1864) and John Caddenhead (1816-1865). Caroline Payne (d. 1866) is interred on two acres given to the Old Zion Cemetery by her family. Oral history also maintains that William D. Harrison (1814-1868) was buried here because cold weather prevented his interment in Corinth Cemetery. Named for the Old Zion Church which once stood nearby, the cemetery contains 250 marked graves, including those of veterans of the Civil War, World War I, and World War II. (2000)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
The origins of Old Zion Cemetery are tangled in local memory: some say the pioneer James McCevey first buried enslaved people here, others credit the descendants of Francis B. Connor with the gift of land. Its oldest marked graves date to the Civil War years, and one man is said to lie here only because winter cold blocked his burial elsewhere. Named for a vanished church that once stood nearby, the ground holds some 250 marked graves, including veterans of the Civil War and both World Wars.
Why it matters
Rooted in the graves of enslaved people and pioneer families alike, the cemetery preserves the layered and often unwritten history of a 19th-century East Texas community.
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Related people
- · James McCevey
- · Francis B. Connor
- · Lewis Burton
- · Caroline Payne
- · William D. Harrison
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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