Abston Cemetery

           

    ABSTON CEMETERY

JOHN ABSTON (1761-1856), A SOLDIER IN THE AMERICAN
REVOLUTION, WAS A NATIVE OF VIRGINIA. IN THE 1830S ABSTON
AND HIS FAMILY MOVED TO MISSOURI. IN 1853 HE MOVED
TO COLLIN COUNTY, TEXAS, WITH THE FAMILY OF HIS SON
JESSE. FOLLOWING JESSE’S DEATH THAT YEAR, THE FAMILY
MOVED FARTHER SOUTH IN THE COUNTY. JOHN ABSTON AND
JESSE ABSTON’S WIDOW, SARAH, PURCHASED LAND IN THISAREA IN 1854.
A SMALL PLOT OF LAND WAS SET ASIDE AS A FAMILY
BURIAL GROUND. JOHN ABSTON’S BURIAL HERE IN 1856 WAS
THE FIRST IN THE CEMETERY. THERE ARE THIRTY-SEVEN
MARKED GRAVES, INCLUDING THOSE OF SEVERAL GENERATIONS
OF THE ABSTON AND RELATED FAMILIES. ALL BUT ONE OF
THE STONES BEAR 19TH-CENTURY DEATH DATES.
ACCORDING TO FAMILY TRADITION, SARAH ABSTON AT ONE
TIME GAVE A SMALL HOUSE AND A PARCEL OF LAND TO A
FORMER SLAVE, ELIAS BELLEW, WITH THE AGREEMENT THAT
HE WOULD MAINTAIN THE CEMETERY. AS A RESULT, THE
GRAVEYARD HAS ALSO BEEN REFERRED TO AS THE OLD
BELLEW CEMETERY.
DESCENDANTS OF THOSE INTERRED IN THIS CEMETERY
STILL RESIDE IN COLLIN COUNTY. THE GRAVEYARD STANDS
AS A REMINDER OF THE AREA’S HERITAGE.
Texas Historical Marker   1988

(See annotated information for transcription credit below )

 An interesting Note about this cemetery is some graves where moved here in the 1980s by a family member, meaning only the Tombstone were moved and not the bodies, the bodies are still interred in the Stimson cemetery in Allen , texas. The graves Isaac Stimson, Rachel Stimson and a Little girl last name Atkinson.  The location of Stimson Cemetery is lost currently and or debated.

 

Isaac Stimson

Rachel Stimson

Something Interesting about the two stones above is they are stones for empy graves. The bodies are still interred at Stimson cemetery in Allen, Texas also in Collin county. its wrong to move a cemetery.

 

 

 

 

 

John Abston the only known revolutionary War hero buried in North Texas. Below is a link to his Find a grave.

Assorted Links and Information For Abston Cemetery Listed Below

Abston cemetery is located near lake Lavon, behind a rest area off of Highway , 
Click Here for Google directions. Note: Comes up in new window called Lakeview, but its the same one.
 Historical Marker  (Information Credit goes to Joy Gough ) Cemeteries of Collin County, Texas, by Joy Gough
Click here for website) 
BUT the photos of Abston are mine, I took them. 
 For the Cemetery Website Click Here
For Abston Cemetery Find a Grave Click Here
Find A Grave
Isaac Stimson (moved grave) Find a grave Memorial Click Here
Rachel Stimson (also moved) Find a Grave Memorial click Here
Click On  this link For John Abston Find a grave memorial 
Also some more history on the cemetery (click the link below) provided by the webstie for the John Abston Chapter of the Daughters of the American revolution
click here for their website