Scurlock Cemetery
Geneva, Sabine County, Texas
Marker Inscription
This cemetery is named for North Carolina native William Scurlock (1807-1885), a veteran of the Texas Revolution, who is buried here. He and his brother Mial migrated to Texas in 1834 and constructed a log cabin in this vicinity. The following year they enlisted in the Texas Revolutionary army. Known as the "Man with the Charmed Life," William served in the Siege of Bexar, the Battle of Agua Dulce, and participated in the Matamoros Expedition. Captured by Mexican forces at Goliad and used as a medical assistant, he escaped the massacre of Col. James W. Fannin's troops. He later eluded his captors and fought at the Battle of San Jacinto. Mial Scurlock was killed at the fall of the Alamo. After the war Capt. Scurlock served in the Republic of Texas Congress (1839-40) and fought in the Mexican War (1846-48) before settling here. His wife Frances (1821-1902) was the daughter of William A. and Phenaty Thompson, pioneer settlers of the area. The earliest marked grave here is that of their son George, who died in 1864. Also buried here is Confederate veteran W. J. Walton (1838-1916). Captured at Jonesboro, Georgia, in 1864, he spent the remainder of the Civil War in an Illinois military prison.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
This cemetery honors North Carolina native William Scurlock, a Texas Revolution veteran remembered as the 'Man with the Charmed Life.' He and his brother Mial settled here in 1834, enlisted the next year, and William survived the Siege of Bexar, the Matamoros Expedition, and escape from the Goliad Massacre before fighting at San Jacinto; Mial died at the Alamo. William later sat in the Republic's Congress, fought in the Mexican War, and settled here, where he lies alongside Confederate veteran W. J. Walton.
Why it matters
Few family plots hold survivors of so many pivotal fights—from the Alamo and Goliad to San Jacinto and beyond—making this a living roster of the wars that made and defended Texas.
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Related people
- · William Scurlock
- · Mial Scurlock
- · Frances Scurlock
- · W. J. Walton
Related events
- · Siege of Bexar
- · Battle of San Jacinto
- · Goliad Massacre
- · Battle of the Alamo
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
Mial Scurlock
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