Phillips Family Cemetery
West Columbia vicinity, Brazoria County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Zeno Phillips, one of Stephen F. Austin's "Old 300" colonists, acquired land here in 1829. Zeno and his brothers John Clark, Sidney, and James Ray (J. R.) Phillips, served in the Republic of Texas Army. The cemetery began with the burial of Zeno and John C. Phillips in 1835. J. R., who inherited part of the property (known as Waverly Place), and members of his family are buried here. Descendants of J. R. Phillips sold the land in 1887. According to local tradition at one time Phillips Cemetery contained about a dozen large granite tombstones, a number of smaller grave markers, and an iron fence. (1995)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Zeno Phillips was one of Stephen F. Austin's "Old Three Hundred," the first legal Anglo-American colonists in Texas, and he and his brothers took up land here and served in the Republic of Texas Army. The cemetery began in 1835 with the burials of Zeno and his brother John. Later generations of the family were laid to rest at Waverly Place before the land passed out of Phillips hands in 1887.
Why it matters
As the resting place of Austin colonists and Republic of Texas soldiers, the cemetery anchors the very beginnings of Anglo settlement and independence in Texas.
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Related people
- · Zeno Phillips
- · J. R. Phillips
Related events
- · Old Three Hundred
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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