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Early Republic

Robert S. Patton Family Cemetery

Houston County, Houston County, Texas

Marker Inscription

Arriving in Texas in December 1834, Robert S. Patton (1816-1864) received a land grant and was among Houston County's earliest settlers. He married Louisa J. Conner (1827-1878) in 1838. They were the parents of thirteen children, six of whom are buried in this family graveyard. The oldest marked grave is that of W.W. Warren (1801-1860), a relative of Louisa Patton. In addition to the family members, the cemetery also contains the grave of a Patton family slave. The last burial occurred here in 1898.

Erected by Texas Historical Commission

The Story

Robert S. Patton reached Texas in December 1834, received a land grant, and became one of Houston County's earliest Anglo settlers, raising thirteen children with his wife Louisa. This family graveyard holds six of those children, a relative whose 1860 grave is the oldest marked here, and the grave of a person the family enslaved. The last burial took place in 1898.

Why it matters

The cemetery quietly documents both the settlement of frontier Texas and the presence of slavery within it, preserving evidence of lives that formal records too often erased.

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Related people

  • ยท Robert S. Patton
  • ยท Louisa J. Conner Patton
  • ยท W.W. Warren

Themes & tags

Westward ExpansionAfrican American HistoryFrontier HistoryMemorial

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