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The City of Bastrop was first laid out between 1830 and 1832. Included in the initial community plat was a twelve-acre cemetery overlooking the colony. Tradition holds that the first known grave was that of Sarah Wells (d. 1831), a child of early colonist "Marty" Wells. The first marked grave is that of Crescentia Augusta Fischer (d. 1841), a German immigrant who contracted yellow fever after landing in Galveston, Texas, and died five days after her arrival in Bastrop. The burial ground is significant as an early Republic of Texas cemetery located in one of the state's early communities. It is also the final resting place of numerous notable Bastrop citizens, including elected state and national officials, and veterans of major military conflicts dating to the War of 1812. Although headstones feature prominent names like Governor Joseph D. Sayers, U.S. Congressman George Washington "Wash" Jones and early African American legislator Robert Kerr, the cemetery is also a link to the many generations of ordinary Bastrop residents, all of whom contributed to Bastrop's rich history in their own way. Historic Texas Cemetery - 2003 |
