Abston Cemetery (1988)

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 this area 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. (1988)***

Abston Cemetery is a historical marker in Lavon, Collin County, dedicated in 1988. It is one of 193 historical markers documented in Collin County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 345 historic sites cataloged across the county.

The site sits at 33.0495, -96.4257 near Lavon. The nearest cataloged historic site is Abston Cemetery (cemetery), about 0.1 miles away. Others within a short drive include Thompson Cemetery, Bear Creek Cemetery, and Lavon.

This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5085000076. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.