Davenport Cemetery

Davenport Cemetery

(Historical Marker Text)

William Davenport was born in 1820 Saltville Township, Virginia.  His family later lived in Kentucky before settling in present day Kaufman County, Texas in 1843.  There William met and married Mary Ware, daughter of Texas Revolutionary veteran, William Ware.  William and Mary built a home south of Cibolo Creek soon after purchasing land here in 1851, part of the Vincente Micheli survey.  When Mary died the following year, William buried her near their home establishing a community burial ground in 1853.  William married Nancy D. Young whose father John was a veteran of the War of 1812 and was also later buried in Davenport Cemetery. 

William Davenport was a leader in the community of Selma.  William, Robert Evans, and John C. Miller established the first public school in 1859, furnishing funds, supplies, and labor to build a one-room school house where William’s children were among the first pupils.  William A. Mason also helped build a limestone combination schoolhouse, church and Masonic hall in Selma in 1872.  William was Captain of a local militia that organized to protect settlers from Indian attacks.  He was also an enterprising rancher with land in Bexar, Comal, Bandera and Kerr counties.

The International and Great Northern Railway established Davenport Station (later Bracken) near the ranch in the 1880’s and a Davenport School operated nearby in Comal County.  William’s land extended to the present Randolph Air Force Base, and an auxiliary runway named Davenport Field was located near the cemetery.  Captain William Davenport died in 1901 and is buried here along with other respected pioneers.  Nancy died in 1934 and is the last to be buried in Davenport Cemetery.

Historic Texas Cemetery 2004

Marker Is Property of the State of Texas