Near Port Bolivar in Galveston County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)

Crenshaw Family Cemetery

Photographed by Brian Anderson, October 4, 2020

1. Crenshaw Family Cemetery Marker

Inscription. Virginia native and Civil War veteran James A. Crenshaw wed Henrietta Barker Elliott in Kentucky in 1870. Two years later, with their first child, they moved to Bolivar Peninsula and constructed a two-story house in this vicinity. James, a successful farmer, transported his produce across the water to Galveston markets using his fleet of nine sailboats. The couple eventually had ten children; two young daughters died, one in 1875, the other in 1882, and the family buried them here in a grove of oak trees close to the house.

The family's home survived the 1900 Galveston Hurricane; after the storm, the J.A. Crenshaws left the peninsula. Two sons remained, and daughter Helen Crenshaw wed Dr. Newell W. Atkinson in Edna, Texas, in 1907. The land containing the burial ground remained in family hands, but the iron fencing around the cemetery gradually disappeared except for a portion imbedded in a tree. In 2003, two descendants of Helen and Newell Atkinson donated land, including the burial ground, to the Galveston Independent School District, which maintains the historic cemetery as a link to early Bolivar settlers.

Historic Texas Cemetery - 2004

Erected 2004

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by Texas Historical Commission. (Marker Number 13814.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Cemeteries & Burial Sites • Settlements & Settlers.

Location. 29° 25.633′ N, 94° 41.433′ W. Marker is near Port Bolivar, Texas, in Galveston County. It is on State Highway 87 west of Helen Boulevard, on the right when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 416 State Highway 87, Port Bolivar TX 77650, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Houston Metropolitan Area.

It is also in the American South

and on the Gulf Coast.

Globally, it is in North America,

a Gulf of Mexico state,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain,

the Republic of Texas,

and one of the Confederate States of America.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 9 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Port Bolivar Cemetery (approx. 1½ miles away); Port Bolivar (approx. 1½ miles away); Bolivar Point

Crenshaw Family Cemetery image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Brian Anderson, October 4, 2020

2. Crenshaw Family Cemetery

(approx. 5.8 miles away); Jane Herbert Wilkinson Long (approx. 5.8 miles away); Fort Travis (approx. 5.8 miles away); Fort San Jacinto (approx. 7.4 miles away); SS Selma (approx. 8.2 miles away); Galveston: Gateway to Texas (approx. 8.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Port Bolivar.

Another marker is no longer nearby. Point Bolivar (was approx. 6.1 miles away but has been confirmed missing).

Credits. This page was last revised on October 8, 2020. It was originally submitted on October 8, 2020, by Brian Anderson of New Albany, Ohio. This page has been viewed 1,282 times since then and 87 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on October 8, 2020, by Brian Anderson of New Albany, Ohio.