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MONTGOMERY- BUSH  FAMILY CEMETERY

AUSTIN COUNTY, TEXAS

 

 

 

 

 

Latest Update:  24 Jan 2013

Click Here for Log of Modifications

certificate

click to enlarge

Montgomery Cemetery

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Drusilla Cochran Sheldon, the energetic and forceful lady behind this project, passed away 20 July 2012 in Corpus Christi, TX.  We are so saddened to lose her, but so very thankful to have known her and been inspired by her.  Click here for her obituary.

 

 

The cemetery is on the former homesite of McGrady and Minerva (Lucas) Montgomery, near the old town of Sempronius in Austin County, Texas.  McGrady fought in the Battle of San Jacinto and served in the Texas Army for several months following the war.  He returned to his home in Gibson County, Indiana, married and had five of his six children, before returning to Texas in 1852, bringing his wife, his children and his parents, Isaac and Martha (McClure) Montgomery.

 

The Dedication Ceremony was held on Saturday, 15 September 2007 at 2 pm with at least 94 in attendance.  We had great weather.  Troy and Merlene Byler did a fantastic job of preparing the place for the dedication ceremony.  Drusilla Cochran Sheldon conducted a very impressive ceremony.

 

Click Here for the program of the ceremony

Click Here for a list of attendees at the ceremony

Click Here for pictures taken at the ceremony

 

 

 

Click Here for the Pledge of Allegiance to the State Flag of Texas

 

 


 

 

 

Brief History of the Land:

In December 1852, McGrady Montgomery bought 271 acres from N.W. Bush and wife Judith A. Bush for $1900.00 as part of the “league of lands granted to James Steefshinsen [Stephenson].”  The last sentence in the deed specifies “It’s expressly understood that fifty feet including the burying ground each way is Reserved to the Said Bush & unsold.”  In 1895, after the deaths of McGrady and Minerva Montgomery, their son Fielding Lucas Montgomery sold the land to John Berger for $2695.00, describing it in the deed as 269-1/2 acres being “a portion of my parents old homestead...and also being a portion of the old N.W. Bush homestead...of which..one (1) acre is hereby reserved from this sale to be located so as to include the old family graveyard.”  In 1933, Malinda Berger sold the same tract to Fritz Kramer.  In 2002, Johnnie E. and Lillie Mae Kramer sold 45.793 acres of that tract to W.T. Byler, designated as including “an old family graveyard.”

 

The cemetery is located at 30° 03’ 34” N and 96° 16’ 45” W.  [slight change made 10/5/2015]

 

Click Here for Road Map to the Cemetery

 

Click Here for an Aerial View of the Cemetery    [change made 10/5/2015]

 

Click Here for an Aerial View that includes Kenney and Cochran Cemetery

 

Click Here for Driving Directions to the Cemetery

 

Military and Public Service of the Interred:

Several individuals buried here are known to have served in Military or Public Service.

    *Isaac Montgomery – Veteran of War of 1812

    *McGrady Montgomery – Veteran of Texas Revolutionary War

  **James Waddie Crump – Veteran of the Confederacy

    *Judith A. (Thacker) Bush – Citizen of the Republic of Texas

    *Robert Brice McNutt – Citizen of the Republic of Texas

    *Malinda (Collins) Cochran – Citizen of the Republic of Texas

     John Q. Wallis – first Mayor of Chappell Hill (1856-57)

     Nathaniel Richardson Crump – fourth Mayor of Chappell Hill (1859-61)

Also memorialized here are two brothers of James Waddie Crump:

   **William H. Crump – Veteran of the Confederacy, who died and was buried in Houston in 1862.

   **George P. Crump – Veteran of the Confederacy, who was buried in Lavaca County.

 

    * = gravemarker medallion commemorating service

   ** = Confederate gravestone commemorating service

 

Historic Designation:

The Texas Historical Commission has designated the cemetery as an Historic Texas Cemetery.

 

Recent History of the Principal Marker:

A four-sided spire shaped marker (obelisk) was originally erected here for McGrady, Minerva, Isaac and Martha.  There was no fence around the graveyard, and cattle were knocking down, trampling and damaging the stones.  Sometime in the 1980’s Erette Reese Red, a great granddaughter of McGrady and Minerva Montgomery, had this marker moved to a farm she owned where it could be protected.  She had the marker repaired and cleaned as the top portion had been broken off (regretting that a better job of repair was not possible).  In 1996, Erette’s nephew, Jay Reese Jones, had it moved to the Masonic Cemetery in Chappell Hill, a few miles from the Montgomery Family Cemetery, in Washington County, Texas.  During the restoration of the cemetery, the repair on the obelisk was redone, and the marker was reset on its original base.  It is now the most outstanding memorial in this historic cemetery.

 

 


 

 

 

 

Restoration Effort:

On 30 June 1996, Drusilla Cochran Sheldon, a great granddaughter of McGrady and Minerva Montgomery, photographed all four sides and transcribed the inscriptions of the Montgomery obelisk, which was the beginning of several years of effort and expense in restoring the neglected Montgomery Family Cemetery.

 

The officers of the Montgomery-Bush Cemetery Association are:

    Drusilla Cochran Sheldon – president (click name to email)

    Robert Paxton Pinkney – vice president

    Gaye McNutt – secretary

    Curtis Thomas Cochran – treasurer

    W. T. Byler – member-at-large of executive committee

Special efforts made by:

    Mark van Hudson and Linda Reed – dedicated volunteer cemetery preservationists

        who began recovering and identifying grave markers in 2000

    W. T. Byler – present owner of the property who has supported the effort and

        provided materials and constructed the wrought iron fence around the cemetery

    Kevin McWilliams of McWilliams Monument Co. in Hempstead, Texas

        repaired, cleaned and reset the gravemarkers

    Joy Neely (of Bellville Historical Society) – assistance in application for Historic Texas Cemetery designation

Grave Marker Medallions provided by:

    Drusilla Cochran Sheldon:  Veteran of the War of 1812 – on grave of Isaac Montgomery

    Clara Driscoll Chapter of DRT:  Veteran of Texas Revolution – on grave of McGrady Montgomery

    Janet Suggs Mangin:  Citizen of Republic of Texas – on grave of Judith A. (Thacker) Bush

    Gaye McNutt:  Citizen of Republic of Texas – on grave of Robert Brice McNutt

    Irad McGrady Cochran:  Citizen of Republic of Texas – on grave of Malinda (Collins) Cochran

Confederate Gravestones (obtained by Peggy Tombs from Veterans Administration):

    on grave of James Waddie Crump

    in remembrance of William H. Crump (buried in inaccessible cemetery)

    in remembrance of George Patrick Crump (buried in cemetery easily accessible to vandals)

Monetary contributions:

    Montgomery – Cochran (Nehemiah) Family: 

        Curtis Thomas Cochran, Florene Cochran Trust Fund, Dr. Irad McGrady Cochran, James Murphy Cochran,

        John Fielding Cochran Jr. Trust Fund, Susan Sheldon Crysler, Jack Clifton Jordan, Rev. Cathy Cochran Mordicai,

        Mary White Peticolas, Drusilla Chase Sheldon, Drusilla Cochran Sheldon, Joan Cochran Terrell, Bradley Rhodes Gifford

        grandchildren & great grandchildren of John Fielding Cochran Sr.

    Montgomery – Crump Family:

        Kathy Copeland, J. Ford Griggs, Elizabeth Morris, Peggy Tombs, William Lucas Crump Jr.

    Montgomery – Reese Family:

        Pat Tottenham Johnson, Kathyrine Reese Jones, Kathyrine Jones Simank

    Bush Family (Taglioni Cochran):

        John Bush, Julia Suggs Cazayous, Eula Bush Chance, Claudia Heidbreder, Loma Chance Hobson, Janet Mangin,

        Kenneth Mann Jr., Robert Paxton Pinckney, Becky McDonald Walenciak

    Collins Family (Taglioni Cochran):

        Annabel Clemons Crow

    McNutt Family:

        Frank Andrew Klahn, Gaye McNutt, Tom C. McNutt, Connie McNutt Stone, Linda Sue McNutt Wyatt

Others:

    Clara Driscoll Chapter of DRT

 


 

 

Cemetery%20plat

 

 

 

Click Here for a Diagram of Family Relationships

 

 

 

 


 

Site

     Click on pictures below to see larger ones

 

 

1

 

Montgomery, Isaac marker

 

In Memory of

Isaac

Montgomery

Born

Oct. 25

1776

Died

July 15,

1861

Aged 84 Yrs, 9

M’s, 20 D’s

 

1

 

Montgomery, Martha gravemarker

 

In Memory of

Martha

Montgomery

Born

Sept. 10

1780

Died

Oct. 10

1867

Aged 87 Yrs, 1 Mo.

 

 

1

 

Montgomery, McGrady gravemarker

 

In Memory of

McGrady

Montgomery

Born

May 23

1812

Died

Sept. 19

1878

Aged 66 Yrs, 3

M’s, 26 D’s

 

1

 

Montgomery, Minerva gravemarker

 

In Memory of

Minerva

Montgomery

Born

Aug. 10

1822

Died

Feb. 17,

1883

Aged 60 Yrs, 6 M’s, 7 D’s

 

1

 

Montgomery, Isaac footstone

Footstone: 

I.M.

Isaac Montgomery

father of McGrady

26 Oct 1776 – 15 Jul 1861

1

 

Montgomery, Minerva footstone

Footstone: 

M.M.

Minerva (Lucas) Montgomery

wife of McGrady

10 Aug 1822 – 17 Feb 1883

1

 

Montgomery, McGrady footstone

Footstone: 

M.G.M.

McGrady Montgomery

23 May 1812 – 19 Sep 1878

1

 

Montgomery, Martha footstone

Footstone: 

M.M.

Martha (McClure) Montgomery

wife of Isaac

10 Sep 1780 – 10 Oct 1867

2

 

Bush, Judith tombstone

Judith A., Wife of N.W. Bush

Born in Virginia Feb 15, 1813

Departed this life Jan 10, 1861

 

Judith (Thacker) Bush

Her husband, Nathan W. Bush, is buried in the Cochran Cemetery, Buckhorn, Austin Co, Texas.

Judith and Nathan’s son, George Howard Bush, married Tagiloni Cochran, a sister of Nehemiah Cochran (husband of Florence Montgomery).

3

 

Bush, Zillah headstone

Zillah N., Wife of W.T. Bush

11 Aug 1820 – 21 Aug 1857

Zillah N. Sherrill married William Tandy Bush,

a brother of Nathan W. Bush and Eustatia A. Bush

4

 

Pearson, Eustatia headstone

Eustatia A., Wife of W.H. Pearson

Born Oct 1, 1826

Departed this life Aug 29, 1850

Eustatia A. Bush, sister of Nathan W., William Tandy, and Elizabeth Bush,  married W.H. Pearson (who was listed in the 1860 census for the Buckhorn Precinct on pg 27 as “Pierson”, Planter, age 42, born in Tenn).

5

 

McNutt, Sarah tombstone 2

Sarah J. McNutt

Born April 10, 1850

Died Jan 10, 1863

Sarah J. McNutt, daughter of R.B. McNutt

Fatally burned while standing in front of open fire.

5

 

McNutt, Sarah footstone

Footstone:

S.J.Mc.N.

Sarah J. McNutt

6

 

McNutt, RB tombstone

R.B. McNutt

Born Feb 3, 1826

Departed this life July 11, 1860

Aged 34 yrs. 5 mos. 8 days

Robert Brice McNutt married Elizabeth Bush,

 sister of Nathan W. Bush.

McNutt family – pioneer settlers in Buckhorn area

 per “Record of Southwest Texas” pg. 566

6

 

Footstone RBM

Footstone:

R.B.M.

Robert Brice McNutt

7

 

Bell, Eddie and Frankie tombstone

Table Top Slab:

In Memory of

Eddie

who died Oct 24th

Aged 7 days

Frankie

who died Dec 30th

Aged 1 yrs. & 7 mos.

1855

Daughter and Son of

W.W. and A.M. Bell

Oh! Strangers, pity us

For we loved them.

Father & Mother

 

 

8

 

Footstone:

J.Q.W.

(headstone missing, but base located)

Jonathan Q. Wallis

Listed on the 1850 Austin County census mortality schedule as died Nov 1850 of yellow fever.

Age 30, born KY

“Cemeteries of Austin County” has death as 1859.

9

 

McNutt, Mary Frances tombstone

In Memory of

Mary Frances

Wife of John McNeese

Died Apr 10, 1864

Age 26 yrs. 1 mo. 28 ds.

Mary Frances Collins married first John Q. Wallis

  and second John L. McNeese on 6 May 1863

 

 

 

Mary Frances, John Howard and Malinda are children of John W. Collins and Malinda (Bush) Collins

10

 

Collins, John H stones

John H. Collins

Born Feb 26, 1849

Died Sept 12, 1871

Aged 22 Y, 7 M, 14 D

 

Footstone:

J.H.C.

John Howard Collins,

first husband of Taglioni Cochran,

sister of Nehemiah Cochran.

Taglioni m(2) George Howard Bush,

son of Nathan A. Bush

 and Judith A. (Thacker) Bush

11

 

Cochran, Malinda headstone

In memory of

Malinda

Wife of

N. Cochran

Died

Nov. 15, 1869,

Aged

24 Yrs. 1 mo & 10 ds.

Malinda (Collins) Cochran

first wife of Nehemiah Cochran

11

 

Cochran, Malinda footstone

Footstone:

M.C.

Malinda (Collins) Cochran

13

 

Cochran, Sarah Lue tombstone

Gone Home

Sarah Lue,

Dau. Of

N & F Cochran

Born

May 27, 1881

Died Nov 20, 1881

Sleep on sweet Daughter

And take this rest.

God called thee home,

He thought it best.

Daughter of Nehemiah Cochran

 and Florence (Montgomery) Cochran

Granddaughter of McGrady Montgomery

 and Minerva (Lucas) Montgomery

14

 

Collins, John P footstone

Footstone:

J.P.C.

John Price Collins

son of Kinchen Collins

 and Mary (Cochran) Collins

 

 

 

Two grave markers of fieldstone encased in cement and one of soft cement were uncovered in close proximity to each other in 2002 by Mark vanHudson.  All markings have disappeared.  These are presumed to be the markers for three individuals who family members reported as having been buried in the family graveyard on the Montgomery farm.

 

 

15

 

Nathaniel Richardson Crump

Born abt 1811 in Virginia

Father of James W. Crump

16

 

Harriett Ingram (Deggs) (or Diggs) Crump

Born in Virginia

Wife of Nathaniel Richardson Crump

 and mother of James W. Crump

19

 

James Waddie Crump

10 Jan 1845 – 22 Jan 1889

Husband of America Montgomery,

who was a daughter of McGrady and Minerva Montgomery

 

 

James died six weeks after the birth of a daughter, and his parents died soon after that.

America M. Crump lived until 1940, and was buried in the Oak Knoll Cemetery in Bellville, Austin Co, Texas.

 

 


 

 

 

 

Some pictures of the Montgomery Family Cemetery site before restoration

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Webpage copyrighted 2006 by William Lucas Crump Jr. (click name to email)