Pillot Cemetery
Tomball, Harris County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Pillot Cemetery The earliest known settler on Willow Creek was Frenchman Claude Nicholas Pillot (1793-1862), whose family immigrated to the United States in 1832 and to Texas in 1837. He and his wife, Jeanne, established a home and farm in the area, and soon other French settlers joined them. Church services and school classes were held in private homes until permanent structures could be built. This cemetery began as a family burial ground upon the death of August Pillot, 21-year-old son of Claude and Jeanne, in September 1844. The Pillots also provided burial spaces to their friends and neighbors, but the Pillot family plot remains the focal point of the graveyard. The large monument in the center of the plot was manufactured in France and shipped to Cypress for transportation to the cemetery. Although Claude Pillot died in New Orleans after a business trip, Jeanne died at home in 1866 and is buried in the family plot. Although there were a few burials over the next several decades, for the most part the graveyard was untended. In 1959, efforts began to re-establish the site as a community cemetery, and the last known burial took place in 1997. There are approximately 70 graves in the Pillot Cemetery, Including three veterans of the Civil War. Through its burials and tombstones, the cemetery is an important reflection of the area's history. (2002)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Frenchman Claude Nicholas Pillot, whose family emigrated to the United States in 1832 and to Texas in 1837, was the earliest known settler on Willow Creek, drawing other French families to the area. The cemetery began in 1844 with the burial of his young son August, and the family shared plots with friends and neighbors, marking the center with a monument shipped from France. After decades of neglect, the site was revived as a community cemetery in 1959, with about 70 graves including three Civil War veterans.
Why it matters
The Pillot burial ground records a French immigrant community's role in settling early Texas and the diverse origins of its pioneers.
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Related people
- · Claude Nicholas Pillot
- · Jeanne Pillot
Themes & tags
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