HistoricSiteMarkers
Early Republic

Schlobohm Cemetery

Houston, Harris County, Texas

Marker Inscription

This historic family burial ground marks the homestead of a veteran of the Texas revolution and early settler of HarrisCounty. Johann Schlobohm (1807- 1882) was born in the Hanover region of Germany, and was in New Orleans by March 15, 1936, when he enlisted in Zavalla Guards, 2nd Regiment Volunteer Infantry. His group arrived in Galveston before the battle of San Jacinto, and after the battle they were placed as guard over Mexican General Santa Anna. Johann (John Slaburn) continued to serve in the Texian army in Company D, First Regiment, Permanent Volunteers from April 1836 to November 1837. Schlobohm married Charlotte Caroline Kleibrink (1823-1886) in 1850 at the home of his neighbor and comrade-in-arms Peter Dykeman. In 1856, the Schlobohms bought 82 acres along Greens Bayou and built their home here, expanding their farm to 246 acres in 1858. The family cemetery began with burial of their daughter Fredericka in 1873. John and Caroline had eight children; six of them are interred here with their families and descendants. A quarter-acre of land was officially dedicated for the family cemetery in 1895, and expanded eight years later to a full acre. Members of the Schlobohm and Nicol families were caretakers of the graveyard for many years. At a family reunion in 1988, descendants formed the Schlobohm Cemetery Association, which has since maintained the property. At least ten veterans are buried here, including confederate veteran John Milton Morin and those who served in both world wars and later conflicts. Granite, marble and bronze grave markers are prominent. The 82-acre homestead was still forested and undeveloped in the early 21st century, 150 years after the Schlobohm family settled here. Historic Texas Cemetery - 2007

Erected by Texas Historical Commission

The Story

This family burial ground marks the homestead of Johann Schlobohm (1807–1882), a Hanover-born German immigrant who enlisted in New Orleans in 1836 and reached Texas in time to help guard the captured General Santa Anna after the Battle of San Jacinto. After further service in the Texian army, he married Charlotte Caroline Kleibrink in 1850 and in 1856 bought 82 acres along Greens Bayou, where the cemetery began with his daughter Fredericka's burial in 1873. At least ten veterans rest here—spanning the Texas Revolution, the Confederacy, and both world wars—among generations of Schlobohm descendants who still tend the graves.

Why it matters

The cemetery ties one immigrant soldier of Texas independence to the land his family held for 150 years, a durable link between the founding of the Texas Republic and the German settlers who helped build early Harris County.

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Related people

  • · Johann Schlobohm
  • · Charlotte Caroline Kleibrink
  • · John Milton Morin

Related events

  • · Battle of San Jacinto (1836)

Themes & tags

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