The VanPelts of Uvalde County

Capt. T. M. G. (Malcolm) Van Pelt was one of the early settlers to the Frio Canyon, a long wide valley with the Frio River running through it's center. He was born in Charlotte, Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, in July of 1831. His great-grandfather was a soldier in the war of the revolution.

He came to Texas in 1853 and settled first at Gonzales, then moved to Prairie Lea in Caldwell County in 1854. He bought cattle there and drove them to the Hondo River in 1855. In 1860 he moved and settled in Frio Canyon, Uvalde County. He had a fine ranch and farm fronting the river. At this time, the area of the Frio Canyon was regularly raided by Indian war parties. Capt. Van Pelt was an experienced Indian fighter but was also said to have been always running over with fun and practical jokes.

T. M. G. VANPELT BORN JULY 15, 1831 DIED DEC. 10, 1910

C. E. VANPELT (California Elizabeth Elam VanPelt) BORN JAN. 1, 1836 DIED NOV. 21, 1914

Joseph M. Van Pelt, the son of Malcolm Van Pelt and California Elizabeth Elam, was born at Prairie Lea, Caldwell County, Texas, on the last day of May, 1857. That was a noted year to old Texans, and called by some of them the "starving year." It was a year of great drought, when no crops were made, and many families went without bread for weeks at a time.

When Joe was about 3 years old the Van Pelts moved to Frio Canyon. One of the first things Joe became familiar with as he grew up was moccasin tracks and the almost constant alarm of Indians in the settlement. Indian tracks were often seen in the field where they had stolen potatoes and roasting ears. He went on many dangerous scouting trips after Indians when quite young.

J. M. VANPELT MAY 31, 1857 AUG. 22, 1912 At Rest

This post is in memory of my childhood friend, Norman VanPelt, descendant of these Texas pioneers, who is now buried among them in the Concan Cemetery.

Source - Early Settlers and Indian fighters of Southwest Texas by Andrew Jackson Sowell, Pub. by Ben C. Jones & Company, 1900

Mt. Pisgah

There is a historical marker on Farm Road 542, three miles south of Oakwood in Leon County, Texas, commemorating the Mt. Pisgah Cemetery which is believed to be one of the oldest cemeteries in the county. The cemetery is on Ringgold Creek two miles beyond the marker and south of Hwy 542. According to the historical marker the earliest marked grave is that of two year old John W. Orenbaum who died in 1854. As early as 1860 a school was established in the vicinity, in a log building on the Heatly tract.

ADELA ANN wife of JAMES COSTON daughter of H. M. & ELIZABETH JOHNSON DIED Oct. 26, 1867 AGED 18 years 5 months & 5 d's

MATTHEW VANN Born Mar. 15, 1819 Died Oct. 5, 1887

J. H. RICHMOND Dec. 12, 1890 Aug. 14, 1919 Blessed are the pure in heart

There are numerous graves marked only with field stones in Mt. Pisgah. Many early pioneers and veterans of the Texas Revolution are said to be buried in the unmarked graves.

Beaver Dam Cemetery

The above marker was erected at the Beaver Dam Cemetery in memory of the family of John W. Bell who came to Texas from Alabama in the 1850's and settled near Beaver Dam Creek and the small community of Russell in the Trinity River bottoms of Leon County, Texas.

UTA BELL BORN Dec. 3, 1848 DIED Apr. 16, 1919 Another link is broken In our household band But a chain is forming in a better land

THOMAS I. JONES BORN Dec. 13, 1872 DIED Aug.a 24, 1916

HORTENSE S. Wife of W. H. McMillan BORN Aug. 8, 1864 DIED Oct. 31, 1891

Infant Daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Willie Rawls Born Oct. 26, 1914

Pilgrim Cemetery - Elkhart, Texas

Daniel Parker and a group of settlers from Crawford County, Illinois came to Texas in 1833, establishing the newly organized Pilgrim Regular Predestinarian Baptist Church with its adjacent cemetery. The log church pictured above is a replica of the original built in 1848 a short distance from the present day community of Elkhart in Anderson County, Texas. Pilgrim Church is reportedly the first Baptist church in Texas.

REV. DANIEL PARKER

Pioneer Baptist Minister
Born in Virginia
April 6, 1761
Died December 3, 1844

His Wife
PATSY DIXON PARKER
Born January 17, 1783
Died December 1, 1846

Daniel Parker's brother James was granted a league of land north of present Groesbeck, Texas on April 1, 1835. There he and other members of the Parker family established a fort on the headwaters of the Navasota River in current Limestone County. On May 19, 1836, the Parker family became famous when the inhabitants of the fort were massacred by Comanche indians. Daniel's brothers Silas and Benjamin Parker along with their father John were killed and five family members were taken as hostages. One of those hostages, Cynthia Ann Parker, lived with the Comanches for approximately 25 years and married chief Peta Nocoma. Cynthia Ann Parker and Peta Nocoma were parents of the famous Comanche chief Quanah Parker.

ELIZA KENNEDY Sep. 3, 1819 Dec. 24, 1881 At Rest

Our Mother REBECCA BIRD Wife of J. W. WILSON 1857 - 1923

RACHEL Daughter of DANIAL PARKER Wife of MILES BENNETT Sept. 27, 1821 Dec. 23, 1843 First Person Buried in this Cemetery

Read more about the Parkers at the Handbook of Texas Online.

Vanderpoole Cemetery

The small Texas community of Vanderpoole is situated in the valley created by the Sabinal River in Bandera County. It was originally settled in the 1850's and has survived even after being abandoned for a time during the 1860's because of Comanche raids. Vanderpoole is only a few miles from the Lost Maples State Natural Area in the Texas hill country.

MARY JANE DANNER SEPT. 16, 1857 JULY 20, 1919 We knew no sorrow knew no grief Till they bright face was missed.

ALEXANDER DANNER NOV. 11, 1853 NOV. 27, 1916 Our darling one hath gone before, To greet us on The blissful shore.

IN MEMORY OF E. C. HALL B Nov 3 1819 D Feb 8 1893 Erected to her sweet memory by those who loved her, her children.

R.F. RATLIFF BORN JAN. 22, 1865 DIED JULY 18, 1917 My trust is in God.

MRS. M. D. CHANEY BORN May 13, 1833 DIED JULY 11, 1905

Read more about Vanderpoole, Texas at the Handbook of Texas Online.