Bennett Cemetery Three miles east of Streetman, TX lies the Bennett Cemetery...somewhere.
Once the final resting place of a Texas San Jacinto Lt. Col and his family....now lost.......
- The
History
The Bennett Cemetery contains the
remains of not only Joseph L Bennett but other family members as well.
In addition, there are several others interred there as well. The
original J.L. Bennett headright straddles both Freestone and Navarro
Counties cutting the grant right through the middle as shown here in
this 1888 Freestone County Map.
Map of Freestone County 3/xx/1888
Publisher: Texas General Land Office
Draftsman: F. G. Blau
Estimated Location as of Oct 2009 - Navarro County.
Map of Freestone County 3/xx/1888
Publisher: Texas General Land Office
Draftsman: F. G. Blau
Estimated Location as of Oct 2009 - Navarro County.
- The burials
No one
knows the exact number of Bennett
kin and others buried in the cemetery. Previous reports place the
number anywhere from 25 -50.
Known burials from all information are as follows:
- Col Joseph L Bennett abt 1800-October 30, 1848
- Elizabeth Bennett (Seaborne) wife
- Seborn J Bennett (son)
- Clark Wallace
- Joseph Clark
- Joe Steward
- Ruben Washington Key
- The desecration
Around 1971, Sherrif Sonny
Sessions of Freestone County had received a report of destruction
occuring at the Bennett
Cemetery. By the time he arrived, it was apparently too
late. Accompanied by Constable Cherry, he saw evidence
of
disturbed headstones,
and large brush piles.
Read about Sherriff Session's account here:
http://files.usgwarchives.org/tx/freestone/reflect/bennett.txt
- What is being done?
Currently,
efforts are being made to contact the current landowner (property has
changed hands since 1971). The goal is to have the
Bennett Cemetery designated as a Texas
Historic Cemetery.
This will require an onsite visit for photographing, locating plots
etc. There are probably no
remaining headstones, so other means will be needed to determine the
burial locations.
- What are the laws regarding a cemetery
on private property? Access?
Section
711.041 of the Health and
Safety Code states that any person who wishes to visit a cemetery that
has no public ingress or
egress shall have the rights for visitation during reasonable hours and
for purposes associated with cemetery visits. The owner of the lands
surrounding the cemetery may designate the routes for reasonable access.
UPDATED: Effective Sept 1 2009 - Code has been revised. Bill Young has written an overview of these changes here:
http://www.corsicanadailysun.com/columns/local_story_284152450.html
UPDATED: Effective Sept 1 2009 - Code has been revised. Bill Young has written an overview of these changes here:
http://www.corsicanadailysun.com/columns/local_story_284152450.html