DUANE
Duane's take
Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about the Bryan-Neyland Cemetery in Liberty County. Now, a cemetery might seem like a quiet place to begin a story — and it is quiet out there, sure enough — but don't let that fool you. The ground at the Bryan-Neyland Cemetery holds more history per square foot than most courthouses in the state of Texas.
It goes by a few names, depending on who you ask: the Bryan-Williams Cemetery, the Kersting Cemetery, or the Bryan-Neyland. But whatever you call it, what's resting underneath is something else. The oldest grave belongs to a woman named Elizabeth Watkins, whose stone is dated 1853.
That's your anchor. Everything else builds from there. Not far from her lies Luke Bryan, born 1807, died 1869 — a veteran of the Battle of San Jacinto and, later, the sheriff of Liberty County.
That's a man who fought for the republic and then came home to keep the peace. His brother Pryor Bryan, born 1810, died 1873, fought in both the Texas Revolution and the Civil War. Pryor married Mary A.
Merriman, born 1817, died 1861, and both of them are buried here too. Now, Pryor and Mary had a daughter named Laura, born 1847, died 1927, and Laura married a Captain Watson D. Williams — born 1838, died 1881 — of the Confederate Army.
After the war, Williams became a publisher and businessman in Liberty. Successful enough that his name got folded right into the cemetery's own title. Two of the Williams children are buried here alongside their parents.
Jessie, born 1871, died 1882 — the marker tells us plainly she was eleven years old. That's a grief that doesn't need any decoration. And then there's Wilda, born 1873, died 1928, described as a musician, who married Liberty County Judge William Neyland — born 1869, died 1899 — in 1895.
Their son Watson, born 1898, died 1963, grew up to become a world-renowned painter. A musician's son. A judge's son.
World-renowned. That family carried something. Also buried here is Eugenia Mouton, born 1841, died 1915 — authoress, publisher, and half-sister of W.
D. Williams. The ground keeps connecting these families back to one another, thread by thread.
And then there's Isaiah C. Day, born 1812, died 1879, businessman and rancher. The marker tells us the town of Dayton — formerly called West Liberty — is named for him.
And "Miss Yettie" Kersting, born 1863, died 1941, remembered on the marker as a beloved Liberty businesswoman and benefactress. The cemetery even carries her name in one of its aliases. That's the kind of reputation that outlasts a person.
Few graves, the marker says. But the Liberty Cemetery Association gives them full care. And standing there, reading those names — Bryan, Williams, Neyland, Mouton, Day, Kersting — you start to understand that Liberty County's whole story is right here, pressed into a quiet piece of ground, waiting on anyone patient enough to listen.
What the marker says
Also known as the Bryan-Williams Cemetery or the Kersting Cemetery, this family burial ground is the resting place for some of Liberty County's most prominent citizens. One of the oldest graves is that of Luke Bryan (1807-69), veteran of the Battle of San Jacinto and later Liberty County sheriff. His brother Pryor Bryan (1810-73), who fought in the Texas Revolution and Civil War, married Mary A. Merriman (1817-61). Both are buried here along with daughter Laura (1847-1927) and her husband Capt. Watson D. Williams (1838-81) of the Confederate Army, later a successful publisher and Liberty businessman. Two Williams children are buried here: Jessie (1871-82) who died at age 11; and Wilda (1873-1928), a musician, who married Liberty County Judge William Neyland (1869-99) in 1895. Their son Watson (1898-1963) became a world-renowned painter. Others buried here include Eugenia Mouton (1841-1915), authoress, publisher, and half-sister of W. D. Williams; Isaiah C. Day (1812-79), the businessman and rancher for whom the town of Dayton (formerly West Liberty) is named; "Miss Yettie" Kersting (1863-1941), beloved Liberty businesswoman and benefactress; and Elizabeth Watkins whose 1853 grave is the oldest in the cemetery. Although few in number, the graves are given full care by the Liberty Cemetery Association. (1981) Historic Texas Cemetery.