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Stanton Cemetery

Houston County, Houston County, Texas

Marker Inscription

Stanton Cemetery began with the burials, just days apart, of the young daughter (Sarah A.) and infant son (William H.) of William and Nancy Stanton in 1861. The children, victims of a diphtheria epidemic, were buried on family land. The Stanton's other son, Joseph Brown, left handwritten instructions for preserving and protecting the family cemetery in 1917. The last person buried there was David Beavers in 1966. The Stanton Cemetery Association, founded in 1975, owns and maintains the cemetery. Members of the Hill, Beavers, and Stanton families are interred there.

Erected by Texas Historical Commission

The Story

This burial ground opened in grief in 1861, when a diphtheria epidemic took the young daughter and infant son of William and Nancy Stanton within days of each other, and they were laid to rest on family land. Their surviving son later left written instructions to protect the plot, and members of the Hill, Beavers, and Stanton families were buried here into the 1960s. A family association founded in 1975 keeps the cemetery today.

Why it matters

Small family cemeteries like Stanton preserve the toll of epidemic disease and the deep-rooted kinship ties that bound together the pioneer settlements of rural Texas.

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Related people

  • · William Stanton
  • · Nancy Stanton

Themes & tags

Westward ExpansionFrontier HistoryLandmark

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