H.R. No. 949



R E S O L U T I O N
	WHEREAS, The citizens of Newton County are marking an 
important occasion in the history of their community as they 
celebrate the dedication of a historical marker at the Wilson 
Chapel Cemetery on April 19, 2003; and
	WHEREAS, Wilson Chapel Cemetery is located about four miles 
south of the city of Newton, in the Woods Community, at the 
intersection of county roads 4002 and 4004; named for the Reverend 
Francis Wilson, a notable East Texas preacher before and during the 
Civil War, the cemetery is situated on land where an early Methodist 
church was established by David McMahon, son of the Reverend Friend 
McMahon, Sr., a pioneer local Methodist minister; and
	WHEREAS, Also known as Woods Cemetery or Irvine Cemetery, it 
is the site of four marked and several unmarked graves; those known 
to be buried in Wilson Chapel Cemetery include David McMahon, the 
first Newton County attorney and founder of the chapel; his 
brother, the Reverend Friend McMahon, Jr., a Methodist minister and 
farmer whose burial was probably the first in the cemetery; 
Josephus Somerville Irvine, a Civil War veteran, Methodist 
minister, and early county organizer who is thought to have been the 
youngest soldier, at 16, at the Battle of San Jacinto; and Edward G. 
Didham, an English army captain and one of the first local teachers; 
and
	WHEREAS, The Wilson Chapel Cemetery is of great significance 
to Newton County residents as a vital link to their forebears and 
the rich history of East Texas, and the dedication of a historical 
marker is truly an event to celebrate; now, therefore, be it
	RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 78th Texas 
Legislature hereby congratulate the citizens of Newton County on 
the placement of a historical marker at the Wilson Chapel Cemetery; 
and, be it further
	RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be 
prepared for the citizenry of Newton County as an expression of high 
regard by the Texas House of Representatives.

                                                                        Hamilton

                                                  ______________________________
                                                       Speaker of the House     

	I certify that H.R. No. 949 was adopted by the House on May 
16, 2003, by a non-record vote.

                                                  ______________________________
                                                     Chief Clerk of the House