Samuel Calhoun Cemetery

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about the Samuel Calhoun Cemetery, out in Walker County. Now, some men leave a mark on the land, and some men leave a mark so deep that generations of their own blood end up buried right there in the soil. Samuel Calhoun was that kind of man.

He was born in Abbeville, South Carolina, in 1788. By the time the War of 1812 came calling, he was already the kind of fellow who rode rather than walked, earning the rank of Captain of Cavalry for the State of Georgia. That tells you something about a man right there.

But Samuel Calhoun wasn't done moving. He came to Texas in 1845, and when he got here, he didn't just settle. He bought land, land sitting inside the Gordiana Badillo and Jose Ortega grants, right in this very area.

And he lived near a place called Calhoun Ferry. Whether the ferry took his name or he took the ferry's, well, the marker doesn't say, and I'm not one to speculate. Now, Samuel Calhoun had a full life when it came to family.

His first wife was Elizabeth Finney, and she gave him six children before she died in 1836. Martha Ann, Mary, Antonette, John H., Catherine, and William. That's a household right there.

His second wife was Catherine O'Brien, and together they had Ella and Louis. And those sons, those boys who carried the Calhoun name, they went to war. The Mexican War.

The Civil War. The marker notes it plain and simple, sons in both. You can sit with that a moment.

Samuel Calhoun himself lived until 1871. And then something unusual happened. In 1872, his tomb was brought to Cincinnati by steamer.

The boat's name was the Wren. Not a name you'd expect to carry such cargo, but there it is. The cemetery he established, though, stayed right here.

And generations of his descendants are buried in it. A man who rode as a cavalry captain, crossed into Texas, put down roots in old land grants, raised eight children by two wives, and sent sons off to two different wars. The Wren carried his tomb away, but the ground here remembers the rest.

What the marker says

Established by Samuel Calhoun (1788-1871), native of Abbeville, S.C.; Captain of Cavalry, State of Georgia, during War of 1812. He came to Texas 1845. Bought land in Gordiana Badillo and Jose Ortega grants, in this area. Lived near Calhoun Ferry. Children by his first wife Elizabeth Finney (who died 1836): Martha Ann, Mary, Antonette, John H., Catherine, William. By second wife Catherine O'Brien: Ella and Louis. Had sons in Mexican War and Civil War. Generations of descendants are buried here. Calhoun's tomb was brought (1872) to Cincinnati by steamer "Wren". (1969)