Historical stories from a cemetery

Cemeteries are history books. Their gravestones are the pages. Cemeteries found most interesting are small family neighborhood cemeteries that are hiding back in pastures that tell stories of a family and perhaps a few neighbors. They were established in the early 1800s as settlers scattered across Texas. Grimes and surrounding counties, the birthplace of Texas, have dozens of these little cemeteries. This story begins with a forgotten man in history - James Lockhart Farquhar. He deserves at least a short chapter in Washington County history, but we had to dig and dig to learn about this man. It all started in a cemetery and it turned out to be a public racially mixed cemetery that Farquhar established in his will, though, by the time of his death in 1873, there were already many different family burials. How many will never be known as over time the cemetery has been ill-kept with many gravestones damaged or literally gone. It literally is a history book with its bound leather cover tattered and some pages torn. This cemetery was stumbled upon when a man, I will call David, was searching for a place to leave the urn of his father’s ashes. We met him for breakfast on a Saturday morning well over 10 years ago. He told us about a cemetery on land his uncle once owned where the “President of Baylor University” was buried. As a youth he had seen the gravestone. Needless to say, that peaked our interest. David led us to the cemetery where we climbed over a fence and fought through thorny brush to discover a scattering of gravestones, a few intact, others with broken pieces scattered about. Search as we did, we found no gravestone for a president of Baylor University. Intrigued, research found that James Farquhar, wife Huldah, and family came to Washington County about 1840 as they appear in the 1842 tax rolls. Farquhar was quick to make friends and generous with his wealth. Anson Jones and Sam Houston became quick friends. Jones lived with the Farquhars while his nearby Barrington Home was built. Houston sent money to him to relay to his wife at Independence. But, most of all, his family life revolved around the Baptist Church and education. In the fall of 1841 he is recorded as elected treasurer at the inception of the Education Society organized by REB Baylor, S. P. Andrews and William Tryon. This group was the forerunner of what would become Baylor University four years later at Independence in February 1845.

Farquhar would be one of 15 original trustees of Baylor to serve until his death in the spring of 1873 and was honored the last several years as “President Pro-Tem of Baylor.” This must have been what friend David saw on a gravestone.

The Farquhars had an eventual family of four daughters and five sons. The Civil War years brought much sadness. His wife Huldah died in 1862, son Cornelius died at the Battle of the Wilderness, son Felix was wounded and returned home to never return and be listed as a deserter. Felix, in 1867, when Union troops ruled Brenham during the Reconstruction Era, was mistakenly shot dead at a Brenham hotel. Son Bannister was shot dead in 1879 by a John Monroe during the culmination of a personal feud. William, the youngest son, married, Emma Walker, sister of Stephen F. Walker, who became a well-known Navasota businessman. Walker first married Josephine, daughter of the Farquhars. Josephine died in April 1892, as a small damaged stone is found in the Farquhar Cemetery. Walker would later marry Mary (Patrick) Bassett, daughter of wellknown Dr. George Patrick of Anderson.

Farquhar’s youngest son, William, disappears during the time of the 20-year U. S. Census gap of 1880 to 1900, with fire burning the 1890 census. He is presumed buried in the Farquhar Cemetery. Wife Emma, listed as a widow, and two sons and a daughter resided in Navasota until their deaths and are buried at Oakland Cemetery.

Farquhar remarried back in 1864 by returning to his previous home in Mississippi to wed his deceased 1st wife’s sister, Dieppe, who would live beyond Farquhar to 1879.

Next Sandbar will be the history of earliest of burials at the Farquhar Cemetery.

(Written by Betty Dunn, Two Rivers Heritage Foundation. See www.tworiversheritagefoundation. org for more information and membership).