Davidson Family Cemetery

DAVIDSON FAMILY CEMETERY

WILLIAM L. DAVIDSON (1777-1861), JANE STUART (FLEMING) DAVIDSON (1787-1869) AND THEIR CHILDREN CAME TO TEXAS IN 1851 FROM MISSISSIPPI AND SETTLED IN BRAZOS COUNTY. AROUND 1857, THEY MOVED TO NAVARRO COUNTY. THAT SAME YEAR, DAVIDSON PURCHASED TWO TRACTS OF LAND FROM WILLIAM M. LOVE IN SOUTHEASTERN NAVARRO COUNTY TOTALING 830 ACRES AND BEGAN TO FARM THE LAND. HIS SONS, WALKER YOUNG DAVIDSON AND ROBERT STUART DAVIDSON, ALSO PURCHASED LAND FROM WILLIAM M. LOVE AS WELL AS MORE LAND IN THE AREA OVER THE YEARS. BOTH SONS SERVED IN CO. H, 20TH TEXAS CAVALRY, BASS REGIMENT DURING THE CIVIL WAR. THE DAVIDSONS WERE SUCCESSFUL SHEEP FARMERS AND RANCHERS, AND WERE KNOWN BY THE LARGER CATTLE RANCHERS OF THE AREA AS “GRANGERS.” IT IS BELIEVED THAT THEY WERE LIKELY MEMBERS OF THE NATIONAL GRANGE OF THE ORDER OF PATRONS OF HUSBANDRY, A FRATERNAL ORGANIZATION OF AMERICAN FARMERS.

IN 1861, A PORTION OF THE DAVIDSON LAND WAS SET ASIDE AS A FAMILY BURIAL SITE ON THE TRACT DEEDED TO ROBERT STUART DAVIDSON. THE FIRST KNOWN BURIAL IS THAT OF MARY ANN (1860-1861), THE DAUGHTER OF WALKER YOUNG DAVIDSON AND ANN E. DAVIDSON. BOTH WILLIAM L. DAVIDSON AND JANE STUART DAVIDSON ARE BURIED HERE. IN ADDITION, ROBERT STUART DAVIDSON (1833-1880) IS BURIED HERE ALONG WITH THE WIFE OF WALKER YOUNG DAVIDSON, ANN ELIZA (1840-1883), AND HER DAUGHTER, MISSOURI ELIZA (1861-1871). WALKER YOUNG IS BURIED IN THE NEARBY EUREKA CEMETERY. THIS SMALL FAMILY BURIAL GROUND IS FENCED AND FEATURES STONE MARKERS AND OBELISKS. IT IS A REMINDER OF EARLY PIONEER SETTLERS TO THE EUREKA COMMUNITY AND NAVARRO COUNTY.

HISTORIC TEXAS CEMETERY – 2003

MARKER IS PROPERTY OF THE STATE OF TEXAS.