Palacios Cemetery Virtual Tour

Printable Palacios Cemetery Walking Tour

Photos courtesy of Renee Huff
 

     1. James Addison “Ad” Elder (1827-1908) was married to Sallie J. DeHart Elder (1837-1913). He first managed the pavilion—renting bathing suits, selling soda water and supervising dances. He took a correspondence course and became the first veterinarian in the Palacios area. “Ad” bought a Ford car and his niece, Jane, taught him how to drive it.
        
     2. Annie Laura Emmons (1878-1909) married Charley F. Emmons (c1870-____). Charley was a brick mason and they moved to Palacios sometime after 1900. Their daughter, Beatrice, died on October 3, 1909 and Annie died on October 17, 1909. Charley erected their marker with their names on either side.

     3. Cashius M. Claybourn (1860-1936) and Rose Anna Williams Claybourn (1865-1944) moved to Palacios in 1907. Cashius owned a red Pope-Hartford automobile and when he moved it to Palacios on the train, it became the first auto in town. He farmed rice and did carpentry work. Later he established a taxi service and raised cattle.
 
     4. Arthur Edgar “Jerry” Louderback (1883-1965) moved to Texas in 1908, bought land on Turtle Creek and married Eleanor Katherine Harrison (1888-1979) in 1913. In 1919 they started a dairy and Eleanor began teaching at Carancahua.
  
     5. Sidney Johnson Hill (1863-1947) married George Alice Boyd (1863-1935) and their family moved to the Ward Ranch west of Palacios. They had ten children and moved to Palacios so the children could attend school. The Hills then moved to their farm on the Tres Palacios River and Sidney farmed cotton, corn and grain as long as he was able.

     6. Emma Tennessee Shelton Crawford (1861-1938) married John Wesley Crawford (1853-1930) in 1879 and they moved to Palacios in 1912. Their son, Carlton W. Crawford opened a fig preserving business in 1921. He also canned Uncle Ollie’s Hot Tamales, Beans and Stew and finally shrimp.

     7. Joseph Hurta (1878-1926) was born in Austria and married Kathryn “Kate” Muscial (1873-1961) who was born in Poland. They sailed from Bremen, Germany to Galveston, TX on the ship Kohn. Joseph was an engineer and a farmer. They had a farm in Deutschburg, a German colony west of Palacios in Jackson County. Kate died on August 2, 1961, a month before Hurricane Carla made landfall in Palacios.

     8. Margaret Josephine Herman Rowles (1860-1938) married John Richard Rowles (1847-1933) in 1872. They settled at Grimes Landing on the Tres Palacios River near the old town of Tidehaven. The family ranched and farmed and were members of the Episcopal Church.

    9. Charles Edward “Pap” Smith (1852-1931) and his wife, Luella James Smith (1855-1946) moved to Ashby in 1888 where Pap farmed. In 1900 they moved to Matagorda and to Palacios in 1920. Pap was one of the early Palacios merchants.  
  
   10. Jesse Renfro Slone (1858-1936) married Martha B. Smith (1876-1954) and they had 11 children. They moved to Bay City in 1926. Their son, Thomas Earl, founded the Slone Ranch near Palacios where he ranched and raised rice. Tom and his wife, Nellie, donated the land for the Palacios Recreation Center and Little League ball parks.

    11. John Bentler (1861-1939) married Martha E. Rush (1860-1957) in 1883. They moved to Palacios c 1910 where they farmed and John used his carpenter skills to build cabinets and furnishings.

   12. Sarah Jane “Sallie” Rowles Wolf (1881-1946) grew up living on the Tres Palacios River near Deming’s Bridge and attended the Tres Palacios School near Tidehaven. She married Louis Wolf (1875-1956) and they lived on Turtle Creek across from Palacios where they farmed and ranched. She is buried in an above ground tomb. Louis was buried at Cedarvale Cemetery in Bay City.

   13. Bruce Winfred Trull (1881-1957) married Florence Margaret Roberson (1888-1984) and they traveled to Midfield by train. Bruce sold feed and hardware while farming and selling real estate. They bought the Farmers Canal Co. and then moved to Palacios. They prospered and formed the B. W. Trull Foundation for educational, charitable and religious purposes. In 1967 it became The Trull Foundation and continues to contribute to the Palacios Public Library and other endeavors in the Palacios area.

   14. Jessie Pearl Chambers Salsbury (1880-1964) married Guy Alvin Salsbury (1878-1943) in 1911. They moved to Palacios in the same year and Guy headed the Matagorda County Draft Board in WWI. In 1920 they operated a movie theater in Palacios. Jessie was active in the Methodist Church and many community organizations.

   15. Harrison “Harry” Curtis (1861-1941) married Alpha Retta Wright (1864-1942) and they decided to move to Palacios c 1909 after the deaths of 4 of their 5 children. Harry and Bob Sisson opened a grocery store on 5^th and Main. They attended the Methodist Church across from their house.

   16. Phoebe Anna Scott Brotemarkle (1891-1981) married James H. Brotemarkle (1885-1940) in 1911. They moved to Palacios in 1924 traveling in their Model T Ford over dirt roads. James was a cattle broker and opened a butcher shop in the Sisson Grocery Store. Phoebe made beautiful quilts.

    17. Martha Elizabeth “Mattie” Pierce Rockenbaugh (1870-1933) married John Henry Rockenbaugh (1854-1938). After moving to Palacios in 1917, they lived on a farm near the intersection of Hwy 35 and FM 521. John and Martha farmed cotton on the land now known as Tres Palacios Oaks.

   18. Susanna Pfimmer Henry (1852-1931) married John Henry (1842-1915) in 1872 in Canada. The family moved to the US in 1898 and were in Texas by 1900. Their oldest daughter, Eva, married Dr. A. B. Cairnes, and Savana and John moved to Palacios to be with Eva.

   19. Sels B. Buffaloe (1892-1957) was born in Rowlett, TX and married Ruth Beatrice McDonald (1897-1996) in 1911 in Kemp, TX. They were 19 and 14 years old. Sels served in WWII and operated a store on Main Street.

   20. Edward Carl Pasal (1868-1961) married Sara Emeline Doss (1870-1955) in 1895 and they moved to Palacios in 1904. They opened a small hotel with a dining room which sold meals and groceries for visitors who wanted to cook their own meals. Edward was assistant Postmaster for 9 years. He used his carpenter skills to craft the baptismal font and altar chairs which are still in use at the First Presbyterian Church.

   21. Elizabeth A. Patrick Hensel (1845-1920) married Fredrick Hensel (1846-1932) in 1865. They moved to Palacios in 1920 because their youngest daughter, Edna Elizabeth, and her husband, Robert Jay “Bob” Sisson, were living in Palacios.  Elizabeth died the same year they moved to Palacios and Fredrick worked as a traveling salesman.

   22. Robert Jay “Bob” Sisson (1882-1967) married Edna Elizabeth Hensel (1884-1971) in 1906. They moved to Palacios because Bob’s father needed to live in a warmer climate. They opened a grocery store in 1912 and Bob was postmaster for 16 months. The Quality Grocery was reopened in 1936 and Bob operated it until he retired. Edna served on the school board and shared her music with the community.
      
   23. Dr. Joseph Ralph “Doc” Wagner (1870-1957) graduated from medical school in Chicago and in 1906 he moved to Palacios planning to farm rice. When he discovered that Palacios need a doctor, he took the Texas Medical Examination in 1907 and opened practice. He began making house calls with a horse and buggy and advanced to an auto in 1909. His telephone number was 13. In 1960 a new hospital was built in Palacios and was named Wagner General Hospital (now Palacios Community Medical Center). His first wife, Mary “Minnie” Isabella Wagner (1874-1911) is buried beside him.
    

Many stones marking the graves of Vietnamese refugees, who settled in Palacios after 1975, can be seen in Sections B, G & I. Visit the Palacios Cemetery web page for more information on these citizens and many others.