DUANE
Duane's take
The way the official marker tells it, here's the story of Hamilton Cemetery — and it's one worth slowing down for. Out here in Jasper County, tucked onto the original townsite of a place called Zavala, sits a cemetery that carries more history than most folks ever stop long enough to notice. The town itself goes way back — founded in 1834 and named for Empresario Lorenzo de Zavala.
Situated on land owned by Thomas B. Huling, families were contracted into the municipality and encouraged to settle near the townsite. Zavala's Colony is one of the oldest settlements in Jasper County, and it had two things going for it that mattered on the frontier: it sat on the Old Beef Trail, and it had the Angelina River running trade through it like a lifeline.
Now, the cemetery — also known as Old Zavala Cemetery, and also known, if you can believe it, as Muster Point — was established by citizens of the Republic of Texas and settlers from the early days of Texas statehood. That name, Muster Point, has a certain weight to it. This was a place people gathered.
One of the first people to take that gathering seriously was a man named John Hamilton. He arrived in Texas in 1836, coming all the way down from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. He fought for the Republic of Texas.
He was, by all accounts, highly educated and well respected in the community — and he didn't keep that education to himself. He advocated for educating children, even going so far as to procure a public teacher for the town. That's a man who thought about the future.
John Hamilton became one of the first citizens to serve as guardian of the cemetery, and that guardianship left a mark. A Daughters of the Republic of Texas Memorial medallion now adorns his tombstone for his service as a defender of the Republic. And he's not alone — memorial medallions for citizens of the Republic of Texas were placed for many of the graves out there.
The first recorded burial at the cemetery is for Margaret Carlock Lowe, in 1840. Her husband, Barnabas — known as Barney — Farr Lowe, had acquired over 3,500 acres in northern Jasper County. Three thousand five hundred acres.
That's a man who was planting roots deep in East Texas soil. Years passed. In 1856, the townsite of Zavala was sold to Mordecai and Elizabeth Primrose.
The town changed hands, as towns do. But the cemetery endured. Eventually, the land where the cemetery stands was procured by Allen B.
Hamilton — with a vision, the marker says plainly, to protect and preserve such a beautiful and historic cemetery. That word, preserve, is the whole story. From John Hamilton standing guard in the early days of a republic that was still figuring out what it was, to Allen B.
Hamilton acquiring the land with that same instinct to hold something worth holding — this place has had people looking after it for a long, long time. Some spots just earn that kind of care.
What the marker says
The Hamilton Cemetery site, also known as Muster Point, is located on the original townsite of Zavala. The town was founded in 1834 and named for Empresario Lorenzo de Zavala. Situated on land owned by Thomas B. Huling, many families were contracted into the municipality and encouraged to settle near the townsite. Zavala’s Colony is one of the oldest settlements in Jasper county, located on the Old Beef Trail and dependent on the Angelina River for trade. Citizens of the Republic of Texas and settlers during the early days of Texas statehood established the Hamilton Cemetery, also known as Old Zavala Cemetery. John Hamilton was one of the first citizens to serve as guardian of the cemetery. Arriving in Texas in 1836 from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, John fought for the Republic of Texas, and was highly educated and well respected in the community. He was an advocate for educating children, even procuring a public teacher for the town. The first recorded burial at the cemetery is for Margaret Carlock Lowe in 1840. Her husband, Barnabas “Barney” Farr Lowe, acquired over 3,500 acres in northern Jasper county. In 1856, the townsite of Zavala was sold to Mordecai and Elizabeth Primrose. Eventually, the land where the cemetery is located was procured by Allen B. Hamilton with a vision to protect and preserve such a beautiful and historic cemetery. A Daughters of the Republic of Texas Memorial medallion adorns the tombstone of John Hamilton for serving as a defender for the Republic of Texas. Memorial medallions for citizens of the Republic of Texas were also placed for many of the graves in the cemetery. HISTORIC TEXAS CEMETERY – 2016