Gonzales County, Texas
This cemetery is near to the Old Moulton Cemetery geographically. The cemetery is on a farm owned for some time by two brothers named Adolph and Frankie Filip/Phillips. It has probably changed hands several times by now. The present owner, I think, is a man who I believe lives in Baytown or Port Arthur. He has a fenced enclosure out there and has some different kinds of chickens. There is a small shed like building; no house when we were there. He comes on weekends. He happened to be there the time we went but I cannot recall his name. My family has known about this cemetery for many years as it is on the land originally owned by my ancestor Thomas Walker and his wife Sarah Frances A. Wilson. The last burial there was in 1908. There are only five known graves inside iron fences. The present owner keeps the cemetery kindly and well and told me he hopes to be buried there when he dies because it is so peaceful. We visited the cemetery in 1997 and took photos of the stones. There are only the five graves. Earl Walker Koch's grave is in its own little fenced enclosure, and the other four are together inside a bigger iron fence.
My family has been in Texas since Stephen F Austin's 300 colonists, and in the Lavaca Co/Gonzales Co area since the 1850's.
This group of Walkers came to the Gonzales/Lavaca Co area from Tippah Co MS but were originally from Mecklinberg Co NC. They passed thru GA in between NC and MS. There were several brothers and sisters. Some are interred at the Old Moulton Cemetery. Some are interred on their original land and I have not located their graves. The family consisted of the father and mother, James Walker and Jane Barkley, their son Thomas who is buried in Walker Cemetery, Jame's brothers Goldsmith, John, and Samuel Walker. Goldsmith and John are buried in Old Moulton Cemetery but I do not know where Samuel is buried. Also they had a sister, Dovina Minerva Walker who married William George Leazer who is interred at Moulton Cemetery.
The Walker Cemetery on the Phillips land contains:
1. Thomas Walker born 8 November 1825
died 28 May 1878 "Blessed are the dead who die in
the Lord" There is a circle carved on top of the stone with the letters going
clockwise (starting at the 12 oclock position) HTWSSTKS I have no idea what
it means.
Thomas was the son of James Walker and Jane Barkley. James Walker died in 1852 and was
buried on his land, which was part of the George Blair League. I have not located a grave
inscription for him, or for Jane, who remarried in 1854 to John Pierce. She died after 1860.
2. Sarah Frances A. Wilson Walker (she was Thomas Walker's wife)
Her stone says: In memory of our mother Frances Wilson Walker born December 26, 1829 died
January 17, 1901 There is a poem at the bottom
We believe she was the child of Robert Wilson and Mary Osborn but have not proved it.
She was born in Georgia
3. Mary Willson
This was Frances' widowed mother who lived with them before they came to
Texas. Her stone says:
Sacred to the memory of Mary Willson died June 5, 1878 aged 72 years 9 months
4. Earl Walker Koch
Earl was the daughter of Thomas and Frances Walker.
Her tombstone says:
Earl wife of M.J. Koch (Micheal J. Koch) born August 27, 1867 died January 26, 1881
5. Ida Mary Hereford Walker
born July 24, 1858, died March 6, 1908
Ida Mary was the daughter-in-law of Thomas and Frances Walker. She was the child of Andrew
Chunn Hereford and Mary Ann Strickland of Colorado County Texas. She married Thomas' son,
Daniel Franklin Walker. She was my direct ancestor. Daniel Franklin left the area after she died
and went to Wichita Falls with several of his brothers. He is buried there.
I do not know anything about the old Walker Negro Cemetery but suspect that the people buried
there may have been the former slaves of Goldsmith Walker and his wife Cynthia Ann Spears.
Goldsmith Walker and his wife had no children of their own, apparently. Goldsmith gave land in
his will dated May 7, 1883 to his "former slaves". This land was known as the Sowel Slack Tract
and was on Peach Creek in Fayette Co. He also gave them part of the F. George League. These
people took the Walker name as their surname. They were:
Jerry Walker
Eliza Walker
Henry Walker
Pink Walker
Amos Walker
Edom Walker
Mary Petit
Lewis Walker
Pris, the former wife of Jerry Walker.
The rest of his estate went to his wife and their adopted child, Thomas McCommas.