Location: Episcopal Cemetery, Galveston—HbTx, record of burial place of Walter Grover, 1960, historian. Tx Funeral Serv. Com., no details. THC Atlas: “Born the son of a ship captain in Rhode Island, Samuel Williams was apprenticed to his uncle in Baltimore after 1810 to learn business skills. After 1816 he lived in Buenos Aires, where he learned Spanish and its related culture. By 1819 he was working in New Orleans, where he might have met empresario Stephen F. Austin. Williams came to Austin's Texas colony in 1823, and became the empresario's translator and clerk. For his services and immigrant status, Williams received 11 leagues (48, 712 acres) of land. He married Sarah P. Scott in 1828; They had nine children. Williams and Thomas F. McKinney founded a mercantile firm in 1833 in Quintana at the mouth of the Brazos River. Williams had traveled to the United States in 1835 to sell bank stock when he learned of fighting in Texas. Using the partnership's credit, he made purchases for the Texas army. Williams and McKinney incurred expenses of $99,000 supporting the Texas revolution. By 1838 Williams was helping the Texas navy build seven ships. His firm had moved to Galveston, where the partners promoted development of the city with Michel Branamour Menard. Williams opened a bank in Galveston in 1848, and lived in this home until his death. He is buried in Galveston's Episcopal Cemetery. Texas Sesquicentennial 1836-1986 --Texas Atlas “THC site visit MB 1/15/04: Large formal cem in old Galveston cem complex on Broadway Blvd. at corner of 40th and Ave K. Very formal markers, diversity over time, carnes, vaults, mausoleums, sculptures. Concerete sidewalks among raised terraces. Some evergreen landscaping. Scattered floral decorative materials. Steel perimeter fence, gates locked at night. Approx 2.20 acres. GPS 29.17.35.373116 –94.48.41.19720W.
To address the problem of cemetery destruction and to record as many cemeteries as possible, the
Texas Historical Commission offers the Historic Texas Cemetery designation.
The Historic
Texas Cemetery designation was developed in 1998 to help protect historic cemeteries by
recording cemetery boundaries in county deed records to alert present and future owners of land adjacent
to the cemetery of its existence. Every county in Texas has at least one cemetery designated as a Historic
Texas Cemetery through this program. The HTC designation is the first step toward preservation of a historic cemetery.
A cemetery is eligible for designation if it is at least 50 years old and is deemed worthy of recognition
for its historical associations. The very nature of a cemetery being a landmark of a family’s or community’s
presence is considered to validate the criteria of historical associations. Any individual, organization, or
agency may submit a request for designation.