Some Notable Persons
in
First Street Cemetery
of
Waco, Texas
Compiled
by
T. Bradford Willis, DDS, MSD
2008
Some Notable Persons in First Street Cemetery, Waco, Texas1
Frank Adams, 1865-1906. A Knight of Tabor, International Order of Twelve, 333-777.
Husband of Emma Adams, 1857-1906.
William M. Anderson, 1831-1882. A native of Virginia. Came to Waco ca. 1855. A furniture dealer and undertaker. A member of Waco Lodge no. 92, A.F. and A.M.
Clementine Jones Arnold, 1815-1855. Wife of Bentley D Arnold. Moved to Waco ca. 1851. In 1855, Bentley D Arnold opened a brick yard in East Waco. In 1858, he was elected a county commissioner and served as a deacon of First Baptist Church. He was an officer in the 1850s of Waco Lodge no. 92, A.F. and A.M.
Fred J. Axling, ca. 1836-1876. A native of Sweden. Member of J. H. Gurley Lodge, no. 337, A.F. and A.M. Member of the Hook and Ladder Company, no. 1, of the Waco Fire Department.
Thomas Hudson Barron, 1796-1874. Listed in Austin’s 1831 registry of families. Was a Texas Ranger captain in charge of establishing Fort Fisher in 1837. Built Waco’s first steam mill in 1850s. Texas Historical marker.
Walter Wyatt Bennett, 1819-1860. Moved to Texas ca. 1855. A pioneer of Bold Springs in McLennan County. (His grave marker was missing at the time of the 1962 survey.)
Margaret Jane Keister Beville, 1844-1893. Moved to Waco in 1870. Her husband, Dr. Alexander Archer Beville, was Waco’s first dentist. Her son, Dr. Alexander Jacob Beville, returned to Waco to practice dentistry after his graduation from the Dental Dept. of the University of Maryland. Buried in Odd Fellows Cemetery. (Her grave marker was missing at the time of the 1962 cemetery survey.)
Mary Azalete Gurley Blocker, 1825-1902. A native of Alabama. Wife of Richard Furman Blocker and daughter of Davis R. and Patience Gurley. Came to Texas ca. 1863.
Richard Furman Blocker, 1824-1861. Attended La Grange College. Moved to Waco Village to practice law in 1851. Richard F. Blocker and Edwards J. Gurley formed the first law firm in Waco.
Matilda Brown, 1802-1888. A native of Louisiana and a black midwife. (Her grave marker was found during the excavations for the Texas Ranger Headquarters building in 2008.)
Robert Brown, 1873-1906. A Knight of Tabor, International Order of Twelve, 333-777.
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1Compiled by T. Bradford Willis, DDS, MSD
William Calmes Buck, 1790-1872. Ordained in the Baptist church in 1812. Veteran of the War of 1812. Editor of the Western Pioneer and Baptist Banner. Served in the Confederate Army as a missionary. Came to Texas in 1866.
Willis Field Buck, 1845-1888. Son of Rev. William C. Buck. Served in 42nd Alabama Regiment during the Civil War. Graduated in 1867 from Louisville Medical College. Was McLennan county physician with Dr. Halbert in 1877. Married Nannie Harrison, daughter of Dr. Richard Harrison. Member of Waco Lodge no. 92, A.F. and A.M.
George Ewing Burney, 1814-1878. Elected to the Arkansas legislature. In 1847, he migrated to Texas and settled in Milam County. Elected to the Texas legislature in 1848, he introduced the bill creating McLennan, Bell, and Falls counties. In 1850, became a resident of Waco, and later served in Texas Senate. He introduced bills granting charters to Waco Bridge Co., Waco Tap Railroad, and Waco Manufacturing Co.
W.D. Chambers, 1833-1892. Graduated from Louisville College of Law in Kentucky and entered the practice of law at Waco in 1853. Member of the 21st Regiment, Texas Volunteer Cavalry. Served as mayor of Waco from 1860 to 1861. Later served as district judge in Waco in 1870.
John Christianson, ca. 1838-1888. First tailor in Waco. Member of the Scandinavian Lutheran Church. (His gravemarker was missing at the time of the 1962 cemetery survey.)
Alexander Michael Clingman, 1830-1870. A Civil War veteran. Graduated in 1860 from Eclectic Medical College in Cincinnati, Ohio. One of the founders of Waco Medical Association. Member of Waco Lodge no. 92, A.F. and A.M.
William Swan Clinton, 1827-1912. Moved to McLennan County in 1856. A Confederate veteran and served as a deputy sheriff of McLennan County in 1866.
Edward D. Conger, 1835-1890. A Civil War veteran. Came to McLennan County in 1871. With his two brothers, bought the Miguel Rabajo grant of land in northern McLennan County. Brought the first registered Durham cattle to Texas. Owned an ice factory in Waco. Later appointed postmaster at Waco.
James F. Davis, 1824-1885. Studied law under N. S. Brown, Governor of Tennessee. Came to Waco in 1850 and entered practice of law in 1851. Elected chief justice of McLennan County in 1852. Was a partner for a while with Judge A. J. Evans and later with Dr. Thomas Moore. Was a trustee of Fifth Street Methodist Church.
Thomas E. Davis, ca.1856-1898. Son of James F. Davis. Native Wacoan and Baylor University supporter. Shot William Cowper Brann, editor of The Iconoclast, on April 1, 1898. Davis’s feud with Brann may be related to attacks on Baylor in The Iconoclast. (His grave marker was missing at the time of the 1962 cemetery survey.)
Ann Evans Denison, 1838-1856. A native of Georgia. Wife of Frank L. Denison who moved to Waco in 1854 and began his practice of law. Frank Denison founded and published The Register. He was a Confederate veteran.
Aunt Martha Downs, ca. 1841-1895. A philanthropist. Funeral at Saint James Methodist Church of Waco, attended by 2000 mourners, white and black. (Her grave marker was missing at the time of the 1962 cemetery survey.)
Baylis Wood Earle, 1805-1859. A native of South Carolina. Received his M.D. degree from Transylvania College in Kentucky. Moved to Waco ca. 1857 and built what is known today as the Earle-Harrison House.
W. D. Eastland, 1826-1877. A native of Alabama. Pioneer physician. Member of Waco Lodge no. 92, A.F. and A.M.
Andrew Jackson Evans, 1831-1897. Came to Waco in 1850. Served as district judge from 1868-1870. Also served as the U.S. district attorney for the Western District of Texas, circa 1876.
John T. Flint, 1827-1897. Traveled from New York to Ohio to study law in private law offices. Moved to Waco and established the banking house of Flint and Chamberlin in 1866 and the law firm of Flint, Chamberlin, and Graham. President of Waco Bridge Company which built Waco suspension bridge. Served as a Texas legislator in 1861. Confederate veteran.
Robert Willis Flournoy, 1828-1877. A native of Georgia. A Methodist minister, served churches in Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas. Came to Texas ca. 1874.
Samuel Johan Forsgard, 1828-1912. Came to Texas in 1855 during the first wave of Swedish immigration. Established a bakery, restaurant, and confectionary business. Civil War veteran. Established Ambold’s Sporting Goods Company. Texas Historical marker.
William Aldridge Fort, 1826-1878. Graduate of La Grange College in 1846. Came to Waco ca. 1850. Served in Confederate Army during the Civil War. He and George Jackson opened a private bank which later became Waco National Bank. His home at 503 S. 4th Street is now a house museum. He was later re-interred in Oakwood Cemetery.
Davis Robert Gurley, 1792-1861. Attended Meadhill School in Wayne Co., North Carolina. Moved to Waco ca. 1852. Bought 1,600 acres of Brazos River bottomland for growing cotton, corn, and wheat. Built a gristmill, gin, saddleshop, and blacksmith’s shop on his plantation.
Patience Bland Smith Gurley, 1797-1885. Wife of Davis Gurley and pioneer Wacoan. She died at Liberty Hall, the Gurley plantation.
James Henry Gurley, 1829-1865. Charter member of Bosque (now Waco) Lodge no. 92, A.F. & A.M. Second Masonic lodge in Waco named in his memory. Attended La Grange College. Came to Waco and engaged in general mercantile business. Later developed a large plantation. Married Lucy Barnard, ca. 1830-1869, sister of George Barnard.
S. B. Hamlett, ca. 1846-1908. Came to Waco in 1870s. Enlisted at 15 years of age in the Confederate Army. Pioneer Waco physician. Member of Waco Medical Association. A member of Waco Lodge, no. 92, A.F. and A.M. His wife, Jennie, died Aug. 31, 1877.
James Edward Harrison, 1815-1875. General in the Confederate Army. A member of the Mississippi senate. In 1857, purchased a six thousand acre tract in McLennan and Falls counties and built “Tehuacana Retreat,” the Harrison plantation. By 1861, served on the boards of Trinity River Male High School and First Baptist Church of Waco. Able to speak Choctaw and Creek languages. Served on the board of Waco University and served as first president of the Baptist General Association of Texas.
Richard Harrison, 1821-1876. One of a trio of brothers who all gained rank of general in Confederate Army. Attended Kentucky Medical College. Was a physician prior to his army service. Moved to Texas in 1866. A trustee of Waco University. Texas Historical marker.
John T. Harrison, 1862-1911. Son of General Richard Harrison. In 1880, received his A.B. degree from Baylor University and received his B.L. degree from St. Louis Law School. Formed a law practice with A. M. Harris. Elected justice of the peace in 1880 and 1890.
Thomas Harrison, 1823-1891. In 1843, moved to Brazoria, Texas, and practiced law. In 1855, moved to Waco, where he was a deacon of First Baptist Church and a trustee of Trinity River Male High School. A general in the Civil War. Elected district judge in 1866 and served as trustee of Waco University. He was later re-interred in Oakwood Cemetery.
J. B. Hayes, died 1876. Erected first brick building in East Waco. Served as president of the Hook and Ladder Company, no. 1.
Walter Helm, 1850-1885. A native of Tennessee. Waco pioneer. Graduate of Waco University in 1869.
F. M. Henschel, Sr., 1822-1893. A native of Germany. A Methodist minister.
John P. Houston, 1831-1871. Graduated in 1853 from University of Louisville Medical College. Joined Waco Medical Association in 1867. Practiced with Dr. J. H. Caldwell. Civil War veteran.
Mattie Hays Howe, 1831-1900. Wife of Dr. Samuel D. Howe. Came to Waco ca. 1860 from Kentucky.
Samuel D. Howe, 1837-1871. A native of Kentucky. Confederate veteran and pioneer Waco physician.
Andrew J. Ish, 1830-1915. Graduate of Emory and Henry College in 1849. A colonel in the Civil War. Moved to McLennan County in 1867. Charter member of Central Presbyterian Church.
William Danforth Ish, 1839-1877. A native of Tennessee. Came to Texas in 1859. Member of L. S. Ross company of rangers in 1860. A Confederate veteran.
Telephus Telemachus Louis Augustus Albartus Johnson, 1822-1875. Moved to Waco in 1852 and became one of the wealthiest men in Waco. Originally interred in the large red brick mausoleum near the entrance to First Street Cemetery. Later re-interred in Oakwood Cemetery.
Fountain Jones, ca. 1829-1878. A native of Louisiana. A homeopathic physician. Came to Texas in 1874. Member of Waco Lodge no. 92, A.F. and A.M.
Mary A. E. Folts Jurney, ca. 1829-1876. Came to Waco in 1854. Wife of J. C. Jurney, a Confederate veteran.
Reuben Kaufman, ca. 1836-1912. Served as sexton of Hebrew Rest Cemetery. Helped his son move some graves from First Street Cemetery to Oakwood Cemetery.
Nancy J. Cooper Kellum, 1826-1855. Married in 1843 in Mississippi to William R. Kellum. Moved to McLennan County, circa 1854. In 1867, started Kellum and Sparks general merchandise.
Robert Brown Lambdin, 1821-1891. Founded Waco’s first newspaper, The Waco Era in 1854. Civil War veteran.
William McKendree Lambdin, 1811-1867. Came to Waco ca. 1857. President of Waco Female College. Methodist minister at churches in Bosqueville, Houston and Waco. Texas Historical marker.
Henry C. Lazenby, Moved to Waco circa 1866. A Confederate veteran. His son, Robert Sherman Lazenby, produced Circle-A ginger ale in Waco in 1884. The soft drink was regulation in the Army and Navy during the Spanish-American War. Robert Sherman Lazenby established the Dr. Pepper Company.
Jacob Long, 1811-1878. Served as district judge, city recorder, and mayor from 1872-1874. Was an officer in Waco Lodge no. 92, A.F. and A.M., from 1863-1866.
Mary A. Long, 1817-1899. Wife of Jacob Long, former Waco mayor. Came to Waco ca. 1859.
Mary Rebecca Majors, 1831-1858. Wife of William P.S. Majors. Born in Philadelphia. Waco pioneer. Husband was a Confederate veteran.
Jacob Gustor Meissner, 1839-1902. A native of Germany. Came to Waco ca. 1862. A member of the Odd Fellows.
Daniel Moore, 1801-1873. Son of John Moore, a veteran of the American Revolution. Came to Fort Gates in Bell County in 1853. Served as first county treasurer of Coryell County from 1854-1856. Moved to McLennan County in 1859. Owned first blacksmith shop in Robinson.
Elizabeth Davis Moore, 1809-1878. A native of South Carolina and wife of Daniel Moore. Pioneer of McLennan County.
James Yancey Moore, 1811-1869. Waco pioneer. Came to Waco in 1856.
Shepart Mullins, ca. 1828-1871. Born a slave in Lawrence County, Alabama. Came to Texas in 1854. Purchased land in and around Waco between 1865-1870. In 1867 served on the platform committee of the first Republican party convention in Texas. Member of Texas Constitutional Convention of 1868-69. From 1869-1873 served as McLennan county commissioner. Elected to Texas House of Representatives in 1869.
James M. Norris, 1819-1874. Read law in the office of Humphrey and Avery at Columbus, Mississippi, and in 1841 moved to Washington County, Texas. He served as a colonel in the Civil War and later practiced law in Waco for seven years.
Mary M. Arnold Nowlin, ca. 1835-1858. Wife of J. W. Nowlin who settled in Waco in 1850. An attorney, he was first associated with Richard Coke and later with M. D. Herring. The firm of Nowlin and Herring became a prominent practice in McLennan County. He was a charter member of Bosque (now Waco) Lodge no. 92, A.F. and A.M.
Charles B. Pearre, 1834-1908. Attended Dickinson College in Pennsylvania. Came to Waco in 1854. Elected city attorney in 1856. Member of Terry’s Texas Rangers. A major in the Civil War. In 1866 elected district attorney for Nineteenth Judicial District. In 1884 appointed U.S. district attorney for the northern district of Texas.
Caroline Peters, ca. 1824-1851. Wife of Hutson Peters. He was a charter member of Bosque (now Waco) Lodge no. 92, A.F. and A.M., and held Masonic offices from 1852 to 1856. He served as McLennan County tax collector from 1857 to 1865. Her grave marker is the oldest known marker in the cemetery.
Conrad Peters, 1833-1875. First cobbler in Waco. Immigrated to Texas from Berlin, Germany, before the Civil War. Made boots and shoes for the Confederate soldiers.
James C. Pettigrew, ca. 1816-1892. Moved to Victoria County, Texas ca. 1837. Came to Waco in 1851 where he constructed many early buildings. Member of Waco Lodge, no. 92, A.F. and A.M., and the Odd Fellows. Charter member of Central Presbyterian Church. (His grave marker was missing at the time of the 1962 cemetery survey.)
Margaret Lattimer Pettigrew, ca. 1828-1907. Waco Pioneer. Came to Waco in 1851. Charter member of Central Presbyterian Church. (Her grave marker was missing at the time of the 1962 cemetery survey.)
George W. Prather, 1806-1874. Ordained a deacon in the Methodist church in 1847. Moved to Texas in 1854 and bought 3,000 acres along the South Bosque River. One of the original investors in Waco Bridge Co.
Lucretia Lambdin Prather, 1813-1875. Wife of Rev. George W. Prather and pioneer Wacoan.
James Harvey Richey, 1829-1886. A Methodist minister for 30 years. Moved to Waco in 1867. Was McLennan County tax collector from 1876-1882. Member of the Knights of Honor.
Armstead Ross, 1821-1883. Slave and companion of Shapley Ross. Came to Texas with Ross in 1839. Assisted in building the first house in Waco. Worked as an independent drayman. Was entrusted with responsibility of caring for the Ross family while Shapley Ross was absent on Indian expeditions and during the Civil War. Was one of the original twenty-one settlers in Waco Village.
Thomas J. Selman, 1834-1885. Came to Texas in 1850 and settled in Waco in 1851. Joined Lone Star Guards and served in Hood’s brigade in 1861. Elected captain of his company. Was first superintendent of the Waco suspension bridge. He was later re-interred in Oakwood Cemetery.
Mary Martin Somervell, 1812-1893. Wife of Judge Willis L. Somervell, 1811-1864. Waco pioneers during the Civil War.
James K. Street, 1837-1914. Moved to Texas in 1854. Served in Confederate Army and later moved to Waco where he became a newspaper publisher and editor. Established Street’s Monthly and was editor of the Central Texan. During the 1880s had charge of Waco Examiner. A member of Masonic and Odd Fellow fraternities.
Agnes Keziah Gurley Taylor, 1830-1878. A native of Alabama and daughter of Davis R. and Patience Smith Gurley. Wife of Rev. Howell L. Taylor.
Howell L. Taylor, 1828-1886. A native of Tennessee. Attended La Grange College. Came to Texas in 1863. A Methodist minister. A Confederate veteran.
.
James H. Torbett, 1823-1913. A native of Virginia. One of the first settlers in Waco. In 1845, served two years in a U.S. regiment during the Mexican War and was with the army of occupation in Mexico City. Civil War veteran. In Waco, served as an alderman, deputy district clerk, and city recorder.
Sarah A. Herndon Torbett, 1831-1898. A native of Georgia. Wife of James H. Torbett. Resident of McLennan County since 1852. Died in Marlin, Falls County, Texas.
Benjamin Walker, 1819-1870. Ordained an elder in 1843 by Salem Baptist Church. Came to Waco in 1866 and was first pastor of East Waco Baptist Church. (His grave marker was missing at the time of the 1962 survey.)
Almira G. Wallace, ca. 1835-1903. Wife of James D. Wallace. Came to Waco in 1857. He served as county treasurer from 1878-1890. (Her grave marker was missing at the time of the 1962 survey.)
Tempie Williams, 1867-1910. Wife of Columbus Williams. Grave marker has the following inscription: S. M. T., Knights and Daughters of Tabor, and International Order of Twelve.
Shed Willis, ca. 1817-1903. Slave of Judge Nicholas William Battle. Moved to Waco in 1855. A blacksmith. Served on the city council for two terms after the Civil War. (His grave marker was missing at the time of the 1962 survey.)
John A. Winn, ca. 1816-1870. Waco pioneer. Served as Waco mayor pro-tem in 1860. A charter member of Waco’s I.O.O.F. Lodge in 1854, and a member of Waco Lodge no. 92, A.F. and A.M.
References
Allen, Johnnie Patterson
n.d. Parish Partners.
Central Texas Genealogical Society
1965 McLennan County, Texas, Cemetery Records, Vol. I.
Conger, Roger N.
1952 A Century of Fraternity Waco Lodge No. 92 A.F. and A.M. Waco, Texas
1852-1952.
Kelley, Dayton
1972 The Handbook of Waco and McLennan County, Texas. Texian Press.
McSwain, Betty Ann McCartney
1976 The Bench and Bar of Waco and McLennan County. Texian Press.
Meynard, Virginia
1981 The Venturers: The Hampton, Harrison, and Earle Families of Virginia,
South Carolina, and Texas. Southern Historical Press.
Scott, Margaret Rothrock
1990 A Story of the Pastors and People of Central Presbyterian Church/Waco,
Texas 1869-1989, Thanks be to God. Nortex Press, Austin.
Tyler, Ron
1996 The New Handbook of Texas. Texas State Historical Association.
Usry, John M.
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Genealogical Society.
Walker, J. L., and C. P. Lumpkin
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House.
Wilkes, William O.
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