William Gammel
Posted by: Raven
N 29° 45.983 W 095° 23.322
15R E 269043 N 3295290
A marker by the grave of Ellis Benson in Washington cemetery, Houston. He was a veteran of the Texas revolution and several subsequent fights defending the new Republic. Until 2006, there was a confusion as to where he was really buried.
Waymark Code: WMJZ6B
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 01/20/2014
Views: 5
An interesting background on the TWO existing markers placed in the city of Houston on behalf of James Gammell, Per the "James Gammell Chronicles" website: (
visit link)
"In 1936, the State of Texas erected individual monuments at Founders Memorial Park (formerly City Cemetery) in Houston, commemorating the service of twenty-six veterans of the Texas Revolution. One of those monuments honored William Gammell for having fought at the Battle of San Jacinto. Since the actual gravesites of many of the veterans were unknown, the monuments were placed in random positions throughout the park.
Years later, possibly as late as 2008, further research showed that William was actually buried in Washington Cemetery, and that his original stone still existed. It turns out that he was never buried in Founders Park, but the cenotaph remains there to this day. The small plaque beside it gives the explanation:
Later research shows William Gammell (Oct. 18, 1812 – Apr. 10, 1869) was buried in the Masonic Cemetery (now Sam Houston Park) on Apr. 11, 1869, and reinterred in the German Society Cemetery (now Washington Cemetery) on Jan. 22, 1900. His wife, Jane McDaniel Gammell (Mar. 28, 1825 – Nov. 12, 1908), was interred in the German Society Cemetery on Nov. 13, 1908. Texas Historical Commision 2009
William and his wife, Jane McDaniel, are both buried in Washington Cemetery in Houston. Grouped together are two headstones and a plaque. The small stone bearing the Masonic symbol is William’s original gravestone. The large stone likely marks Jane’s burial plot. The plaque, which was placed there in 2009 by the State of Texas Historical Commission, gives quite a detailed account of William’s life [...]".
The detailed account can be found in the "Marker Text" waymark section below.