Rector Chapel Cemetery
La Vernia, Wilson County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Rector Chapel Cemetery William Robert Wiseman (1816-1888) was a successful farmer and owned the first cotton gin in La Vernia. William Claiborne Rector (1805-1873), a hero of San Jacinto, farmed, served as postmaster and provided horses for the local stage line. The two men were close friends and together organized the Cibolo Presbyterian Church in 1852. Following Rector's death in 1873, a new chapel was built on Wiseman's farm; he named it after his good friend and, in 1877, set aside four acres "for church and burying purposes." The chapel was moved to La Vernia in 1891, but these gravestones remain, a record of La Vernia's rich heritage. Historic Texas Cemetery-2002
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
This cemetery grew from the friendship of two early La Vernia settlers: William Wiseman, who ran the town's first cotton gin, and William Claiborne Rector, a veteran of the Battle of San Jacinto who farmed, carried the mail, and supplied horses for the stage line. Together they organized the Cibolo Presbyterian Church in 1852, and after Rector's death Wiseman built a new chapel on his farm named in his friend's honor, setting aside four acres in 1877 for worship and burial. Though the chapel itself was moved to town in 1891, the weathered gravestones still mark the community's founding generation.
Why it matters
Rector Chapel preserves the memory of the Anglo-Texan pioneers—one of them a San Jacinto veteran—who settled the Cibolo frontier in the years after Texas won its independence.
Plan your visit
NearbyMake a day of it — museums, food, and places to stay near this marker.
Attractions
- Green Acres Golf and Games12.5 mi away
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Related people
- · William Robert Wiseman
- · William Claiborne Rector
Related events
- · Battle of San Jacinto
Themes & tags
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