Amos Cemetery

Duane's take

Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'll do my best to honor every word. The Amos family came to Texas before 1860. Think about that for a moment.

Before the Civil War, before Reconstruction, before any of what came after, this family had already put down roots in Texas soil. And they were not finished. Not by a long stretch.

In 1881, Thomas Amos and his son-in-law, Duncan Kosse, also recorded as Cossey, made a move. They bought 130 acres in a place called Kohrville. One hundred and thirty acres.

That is not a small gesture. That is a statement of intention. And Kohrville, in time, became exactly what they apparently set out to build: a self-sufficient African American community.

The Amos family grew, and they prospered. And when a family like that grows and prospers, they tend to think about the people coming up behind them. So they established the Kohrville School in 1893, and then the Pilgrim Branch Baptist Church in 1898.

A place to learn, and a place to worship. The bones of a community, right there. Now, Thomas Amos also did something quieter, something that speaks to a certain kind of foresight.

He set aside one acre for a cemetery. Then in 1906, he bought another 1.6 acres west of the road, part of which is also used for burials. The earliest marked grave in that cemetery belongs to Minnie Williams Kosse, born 1891, died 1915.

World War One veterans rest there. Pastors. Kohrville school teachers.

Freemasons. People who built something, taught something, believed in something. And for a long time, the cemetery stood as cemeteries do: quietly, holding its history, waiting to see if anyone would come tend to it.

Someone did. In October of 2007, descendants of the Amos family formed the Kohrville Community Amos Cemetery Association. Their purpose, stated plainly, was to ensure that this cherished link to the past would be maintained with dignity.

That phrase, cherished link to the past, that is not bureaucratic language. That is a family talking about their people. The Amos family came to Texas before 1860, and more than a century and a half later, their descendants are still showing up.

That is how you keep a story alive.

What the marker says

The Amos family came to Texas before 1860. In 1881, Thomas Amos and his son-in-law, Duncan Kosse (Cossey), bought 130 acres in Kohrville, which became a self-sufficient African American community. The Amos family grew and prospered, leading them to establish the nearby Kohrville School (1893) and Pilgrim Branch Baptist Church (1898). Thomas set aside one acre for a cemetery, and in 1906 he bought 1.6 acres west of the road, part of which is also used for burials. The earliest marked grave is that of Minnie Williams Kosse (1891-1915). Noteworthy burials include WWI veterans, pastors, Kohrville school teachers, and Freemasons. Descendants formed the Kohrville Community Amos Cemetery Association in October 2007 to ensure that this cherished link to the past would be maintained with dignity. Historic Texas Cemetery – 2011