Stephen Williams

The Handbook of Texas adds paper-trail detail the plaque leaves out. Williams married Delilah Stallings in 1779 and was mustered out in 1782 when his third enlistment expired. In the winter of 1814-15 he helped guard the Madisonville naval yards. He reached Texas in 1830 as a widower with at least five children, settled first in what became northern Newton County, and later claimed two-thirds of a league and a town lot in Jasper. It names his 1835 captain as James Chessher, where the plaque spells the name Cheshire. He died in April 1839.

What the plaque says

Stephen Williams (May 9, 1760- ca. 1839) Stephen Williams was born in North Carolina and was the fourth child of blacksmith Richard Williams, Jr. In 1778, he enlisted for the first of what would be many times in the armed forces. Enlisting three times in the United States Army, Williams fought in Revolutionary War battles including Briar Creek, Camden, and Eutaw Springs. Following the American Revolutionary War, he moved to St. Helena Parish, Louisiana. When the War of 1812 broke out, he volunteered for service and at age fifty-two served as a sentry. Shortly after the 1829 death of his wife, Delilah, in Louisiana, Williams relocated to Bevil's Settlement in Jasper County, Texas, and received a Mexican land grant. In November 1835 as the Siege of Bexar began, the 75-year-old veteran went armed with his rifle to participate. He served with four grandsons and one son-in-law in Captain Cheshire's Company and became first sergeant, ultimately receiving a Republic of Texas land grant for his service. Williams returned to Bevil's Settlement, where he died circa 1839. He was buried on his homesite, and he remained there for almost 100 years. Williams was one of many Texas heroes to be reinterred in the State Cemetery during the time of the Texas Centennial celebration in 1936, and a Texas Centennial grave monument was erected at his original burial site. In 1991, the grave marker was relocated to allow for increased visibility and accessibility. Although moved from its original location, the monument remains on land that was owned by Williams. (1991)

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Martin Dies, Jr. State Park — 14 mi
  A 705-acre state park on Steinhagen Reservoir at the meeting of the Neches and Angelina rivers, with about 14 miles of paddling trails through sloughs and more than 200 campsites.

More markers nearby

• Site of J.H. Rowe School — 3.6 mi
• Jasper "News-Boy" — 4.0 mi
• Jasper County, C. S. A. — 4.0 mi
• Jasper County Courthouse — 4.0 mi