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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, The Westcott Cemetery Association and Harris County |
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Historical Commission are celebrating the dedication of the |
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Historic Texas Cemetery Medallion and name plaque for the McDaniel |
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Street Cemetery on April 19, 2025; and |
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WHEREAS, In the 1850s, Richard Westcott, a future Harris |
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County commissioner, bought nearly 700 acres of land and |
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established a homestead; following the death of his wife, Almira, |
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in 1869, he began to give parcels from that property to his |
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children; Jennie Gammon Westcott Kendall was eventually given the |
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land on which the family cemetery was located, and four years later, |
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she made the graveyard available for community use; and |
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WHEREAS, Jennie Kendall eventually sold some of the land from |
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her parcel to a small group of neighbors, including the McDaniel, |
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McDonald, Cours, Farmer, and Schuller families; the remainder of |
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her land became part of the cemetery; John Farmer, who owned the |
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property just west of the cemetery, added another three quarters of |
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an acre of burial grounds, and McDaniel Street became the southern |
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boundary of the cemetery; in order to fund cemetery upkeep, |
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Mr. Farmer ultimately sold other land that he owned; and |
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WHEREAS, In the 1960s, the cemetery became inactive, but |
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volunteers continued to maintain it until at least 2005; Pastor |
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David L. Smith of New Bethlehem Missionary Baptist Church led |
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cleanup efforts between 2013 and 2018, when the Westcott Cemetery |
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Association was formed by three descendants of the early settlers; |
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the nonprofit organization received legal conservatorship in 2021 |
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and the name McDaniel Street Cemetery was adopted; the group has |
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since undertaken such conservation measures as mapping graves, |
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repairing markers, and installing fencing, and it has partnered |
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with the Texas Historical Commission and the Harris County |
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Historical Commission in its endeavors; and |
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WHEREAS, The McDaniel Street Cemetery is the final resting |
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place for settlers who braved many hardships while forging a |
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close-knit community, and this marker is a fitting tribute to the |
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resilience of these men and women and to the commitment of their |
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descendants who have worked to preserve this site; now, therefore, |
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be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 89th Texas |
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Legislature hereby commemorate the dedication of the Historic Texas |
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Cemetery Medallion and name plaque for the McDaniel Street Cemetery |
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and commend all those involved in securing this designation. |
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Walle |
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Speaker of the House |
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I certify that H.R. No. 830 was adopted by the House on May |
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23, 2025, by a non-record vote. |
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______________________________ |
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Chief Clerk of the House |
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