Newton Cemetery

Duane's take

Here's what the official marker has to say, and I'll tell it to you the way it deserves to be told. This is Newton Cemetery, out in Ellis County, and the story buried here goes back a long ways, all the way to South Carolina, to a war most folks only know from the songs. Larkin Newton was born in 1794, down in South Carolina.

By the time he was a young man, the young United States was already scrapping with the British again, the War of 1812, and Larkin Newton was right in the middle of it. He was there at the Battle of New Orleans. The last major battle of the whole conflict.

History turning on a hinge, and Larkin Newton was one of the men holding it. Now, a man like that doesn't sit still long. After the war, he became a county commissioner in Washington County, Arkansas.

Then he moved on and served as county commissioner again, this time in Barry County, Missouri. Two states, two counties, the same steady hand guiding public business. You start to see a pattern forming.

Then Texas called, the way Texas has always had a way of calling people. Elbert Newton, one of Larkin's nephews, made the trip to Texas alongside his uncle in 1848. But they were following somebody.

Elbert's brother, Asa Newton, had already come ahead and settled near present-day Ovilla back in 1844. All three of them, Asa, Elbert, and Larkin, put down roots on land that was part of the Peters Colony empresario grant. Pioneer country, in every sense of the word.

Larkin owned the property. And true to his nature, he didn't just farm it and call it done. He built a schoolhouse on that land, because he was concerned with his family's education.

And he stepped right back into public life, becoming Ellis County commissioner in 1850, shortly after the county itself had formed. A new county needed steady hands, and Larkin Newton had proven his more than once. He died in 1858.

The oldest dated grave in this cemetery is his. His wife, Mary Ann, born a Wilson, followed him in 1876, and she's interred here too. Eleven children came from that union.

Four of them rest in this ground alongside their parents: Lynie Ann Newton Neely, Confederate veteran John Newton, Zilphia Newton Stiles Mullin, and Thomas L. Newton. Several in-laws are here as well, and a number of grandchildren, all gathered together in the quiet of Ellis County.

A veteran of New Orleans. A commissioner in three states. A man who built a schoolhouse because he believed the next generation deserved better than ignorance.

Larkin Newton lived a life that stretched from the battlefields of 1812 all the way to the young soil of Texas, and when it was over, his family kept coming, kept settlin' in beside him. Newton Cemetery is still here. Still keeping the record.

That's not nothing. That's the whole story.

What the marker says

This family burial ground served the Newton family, early area pioneers. Larkin Newton, who owned this property, came to Texas in 1848 with one of his nephews, Elbert. They followed Elbert's brother, Asa Newton, who settled near present-day Ovilla in 1844. All three settled on land that was part of the Peters Colony empresario grant. Larkin Newton, born in 1794 in South Carolina, was a veteran of the War of 1812. He participated in the Battle of New Orleans, the last major battle in the conflict. At home, Newton was a community leader. He served as a county commissioner in Arkansas (Washington Co.) and Missouri (Barry Co.) before moving to Texas. Once here, he continued to serve in politic, becoming Ellis County commissioner in 1850, shortly after the county formed. Concerned with his family's education, he also built a schoolhouse on his property. This cemetery's oldest dated grave is for Larkin Newton, who died in 1858. His wife, Mary Ann (Wilson), died in 1876 and is also interred here. Four of the couple's eleven children are buried here: Lynie Ann Newton Neely, Confederate veteran John Newton, Zilphia Newton Stiles Mullin and Thomas L. Newton. Several in-laws and a number of grandchildren are also interred in this burial ground. Today, Newton Cemetery remains as a record of a pioneering Ellis County family led by a patriarch who served his community, county and country. Historic Texas Cemetery - 2003