Jane Chandler Gill Memorial

"One Of The Oldest Anglo Burials In Texas"

A Short Life Ended At Jonesboro, Texas

The text of the small marker, visible above the gravestone, reads:

Jane Chandler-Gill
January 1, 1782-September 20, 1816
An Englishwoman who died soon afteer settling in Jonesboro.
Her grave is one of Texas' oldest Caucasian burials.
Recorded 1973

Jonesboro was once a thriving port on the Red River in Northeast Texas. According to The Handbook of Texas Online, Jonesboro (which is sometimes given as Jonesborough) and Pecan Point, Texas "share the distinction of being the first Anglo-American settlements in Texas." According to the same source, the town was named for one Henry Jones, who travelled along the Red River as early as 1815. By 1817 several families were located in the area and - no doubt due to its value as a river port - it eventually gained some importance, even becoming the county seat of Miller County, Arkansas, before the present borders and boundaries of our states came into existence.

Jonesboro had quite a history, a history which has remained surprisingly obscure. It was the western port of call in the days when steamboats ran up and down the fickle rivers. It contributed a company of volunteers for the Texas Revolution. It was the place where such figures as presidential envoy Sam Houston and the adventurer David Crockett first set foot on Texas soil. Many people first entered Texas through this port to disperse all throughout the land. It must have been quite a lively place, though its existence was short.

At some point in time a young Englishwoman named Jane Gill arrived in Jonesboro and in that place she ended her days for reason or reasons now lost to history. By 1841, the town in which she was buried was losing its importance due to the expansion of the western frontier and the fact that nearby Clarksville, Texas had gained prominence as the seat of Red River County. In 1843, a flood destroyed the town and the river shifted its course a mile to the north. In 1950, again according to The Handbook of Texas Online, "nothing remained of Jonesborough save a half dozen cottonwood stumps leaning over the former bank of the river where, traditionally, steamboats were tied up in the period of major activity, 1832-43."

According to an online article quoted by many websites but originally written by historian Robin Jett (http://www.redriverhistorian.com), Mrs. Gill's grave marker "is the only original remnant of Jonesboro. A farmer found it in his field nearby as he was plowing."

In an another article author Judge J.D. Lovett speaks of the "location of the Jane Chandler Gill grave which appears to show the date of interment as 1816; although 1816 is the apparent date on the tombstone, later research indicates she was interred in 1846, still a very early White American burial; also note that this grave was moved from its original site in 1966 and placed into the new Sam Houston Park. In order to end conflict with the landowner, who denied access to the Gill grave, donated the tract of land on the FM road for Sam Houston Park. Relations with the landowner have improved considerably since 1966;" [sic] Note:The tombstone clearly shows an interment of 1816.

Trail Notes & Complete Monument Text  I  The Poem  I  Pictures Of The Headstone

Created With MS Paint.exe & Notepad.exe
© Ruinedmetropolis.com 2006-2008, All rights reserved.