| Marker Text |
Elisha H. R. and Sarah (Barrow) Wallis brought their family to this part of Texas from Nachitoches Parish, Louisiana, in 1824. They settled on Wallis Hill in early 1825; their home became a familiar stop for travelers. When their son Elijah died in 1830, he was buried near the house. His was probably the first interment in what became known as the Wallis Hill Cemetery, although his grave is unmarked. When Sarah died in 1841, E. H. R. Wallis marked off land for the family cemetery. Wallis was buried here upon his death in 1846. Over the years, the cemetery was used for extended family members and other early residents, including at least one veteran of the Battle of San Jacinto. There are approximately 25 known graves in the Wallis Hill Cemetery, many of them unmarked. Most date from the 19th century, since by the 1870s, large colonies of ants rendered the land nearly useless for further burials. Abandonment of this graveyard by area residents led to the establishment of the Wallisville Cemetery in 1879. Only a few burials appear to have occurred here after that time. One of the oldest Anglo cemeteries in what is now Chambers County, Wallis Hill Cemetery serves as a reflection of the heritage of the area. |
