Jackson Family Cemetery

Stephen Jackson (1803-1860), a settler in the Lorenzo de Zavala colony, was granted one league (4,428 acres) of land in this area in 1835. Jackson built his home near this site and cleared pastures for cattle and horses on most of the land. The grant also included palmetto thickets shielding numerous mineral springs and lakes of sulphurous water. Settlers frequented the lakes seeking cures, and a small community grew near Jackson's home. In 1851 he sold this land but in 1856 acquired a controlling interest in the spa that had developed nearby (then located about 5 mi. NW). As late as 1878, Jackson's daughter Minerva (1838-1911) and her husband James A. Merchant (1836-1886) were operating the spa's hotel. Jackson died in 1860 and was buried near his home. In 1871 his widow Susan Choate Jackson (1807-1873) designated four acres of her homestead as a cemetery, including her husband's grave. She was subsequently buried here, along with five of their children. Other members of the Sour Lake community have been buried here, as well as numerous descendants of Stephen Jackson. Surnames of Jackson family descendants represented here include Frazier, Guedry, Herring, Merchant, Mowbray, Moye and Pietzcker. Texas Sesquicentennial 1836-1986

Jackson Family Cemetery is a historical marker in Sour Lake, Hardin County, dedicated in 1986. It is one of 23 historical markers documented in Hardin County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 93 historic sites cataloged across the county.

The site sits at 30.1441, -94.4078 near Sour Lake. The nearest cataloged historic site is Jackson Family (cemetery), about 0.1 miles away. Others within a short drive include Rodgers-Mobray Family Cemetery, Sour Lake, C.S.A., and Stephen Jackson.

This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5199011160. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.