Coker Cemetery

Duane's take

Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'll do my best to do it justice. South Carolina had a son named John — John "Jack" Coker — and in 1834, he pointed himself toward Texas and didn't look back. Now, Texas in 1834 was not exactly a quiet proposition, and sure enough, Jack Coker found himself standing on the field at San Jacinto, fighting in one of the most consequential battles this land has ever seen.

The Republic of Texas took note. In gratitude for his service, they handed Coker a one-third league — that works out to 1,920 acres — stretched out along the banks of Salado Creek, about ten miles north of what would become downtown San Antonio. Green land, good water, and more sky than a man could use alone.

So Jack did what any sensible Texan would do. He wrote home. He wrote to his brothers — Joseph and James — and the message was simple enough: come on out, help me settle this thing.

Both brothers made the trip, and they brought their extended families with them. But here's where the road forks. James looked around and decided Cherokee County suited him just fine, and that's where his family put down roots.

Joseph, though — Joseph kept going. He and his family journeyed on to that land along Salado Creek, and the Coker settlement slowly began to take shape. Slowly.

That word is doing real work there. Because this was raw Texas, and the land had its own opinions. The settlement grew, but in 1857, tragedy arrived without warning, the way it tends to in a tall tale — and in real life.

Loucious Monroe Coker, the six-year-old son of James Harrison and Sarah Coker — she was born a Gann — died from a rattlesnake bite. Six years old. The family buried Loucious on a high knoll near Salado Creek, and they placed a large limestone headstone at the site.

That stone is still there. To this day, it stands as the most prominent memorial in the cemetery, which tells you something about grief and limestone and the way Texans honor the ones they've lost. Jack Coker himself — the man who started all of this, who fought at San Jacinto and claimed the land and wrote the letters — died in 1861 and was buried there too, on that same ground he'd received in gratitude for his service.

Then came 1873. Joseph Coker conveyed a 201-acre tract to his two sons, and in that same transaction, he set aside three acres — conveyed to trustees — for use as, and I'm going to give you his exact words because they're worth hearing, "a neighborhood church, school-house and grave-yard." Three purposes on three acres. A schoolhouse went up not long after.

A Methodist congregation was established in 1885. The school eventually relocated, but the church is still there, standing right next to the cemetery, which might be the most Texas ending to that particular chapter. In 1967, the Coker Cemetery Association incorporated, taking on the formal work of caring for the site.

And today, out there along Salado Creek, ten miles north of downtown San Antonio, the Coker Cemetery stands as a reminder of one family that came from South Carolina, fought for this land, grieved on it, built on it, and never really left it.

What the marker says

South Carolina native John "Jack" Coker came to Texas in 1834 and fought in the Battle of San Jacinto. In gratitude for his service, Coker received from the Republic of Texas a one-third league, which totalled 1,920 acres and was situated along the banks of the Salado Creek, approximately ten miles north of downtown San Antonio. John Coker soon wrote to his brothers Joseph and James to come to Texas and help him to settle his land. While both brothers made the trip to Texas with their extended families, James decided to settle with his family in Cherokee County, Texas; Joseph and his family journeyed on to the land on Salado Creek. The Coker family settlement slowly grew, but tragedy struck in 1857 when Loucious Monroe Coker, six-year-old son of James Harrison and Sarah (Gann) Coker, died from a rattlesnake bite. Loucious was buried on a high knoll near Salado Creek, and a large limestone headstone was placed at the site - the stone remains as the most prominent memorial in the cemetery. John "Jack" Coker died in 1861 and was also buried at the site. In 1873, Joseph Coker conveyed a 201-acre tract to his two sons, and simultaneously conveyed a three-acre portion to trustees for use as "a neighborhood church, school-house and grave-yard." A schoolhouse was soon built and a Methodist congregation was established in 1885. Although the school has relocated, the church remains adjacent to the cemetery. The Coker Cemetery Association incorporated in 1967 in order to care for the site, and today, Coker Cemetery serves as a reminder of an early Texas pioneering family. Historic Texas Cemetery - 2009