Tombstone Tuesday: Dr. David Sayers Family Plot, Fairview Cemetery, Bastrop, Texas

The grandparents and some of the siblings of my great uncle Philip Edgar Sayers Sr. are buried in the historic Fairview Cemetery in Bastrop, Texas, in Section E(B).

Philip's grandfather was Dr. David Scott, 1811-1886, a physician born May 27, 1811, at Reed Island Creek in Wythe County, Virginia.  He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania medical school on March 26, 1835.  Late in 1840, he moved to Grenada, Mississippi, and married Mary Thomas Peete (1821-1847).  They had two sons, Joseph Draper Sayers (1841-1929) and William Branch Sayers (1843-1898) - more on them in future posts.

According to a source published in 1899, David and his two sons moved to Bastrop County, Texas, in December 1851, where he continued his practice of medicine.

Above:  Illustration of Dr. David Sayers, 21 January 1899, for the inauguration of his son Joseph Draper Sayers as Governor of Texas.  Cain, Thomas C. The Bastrop Advertiser (Bastrop, Tex.), Vol. 46, No. 46, Ed. 1 Saturday, January 21, 1899, newspaper, January 21, 1899; Bastrop, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth205431/m1/6/: accessed August 26, 2020), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Bastrop Public Library.

Below:  Obituary for Dr. David Sayers, July 10, 1886. Cain, Thomas C. The Bastrop Advertiser (Bastrop, Tex.), Vol. 29, No. 27, Ed. 1 Saturday, July 10, 1886, newspaper, July 10, 1886; Bastrop, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth204952/m1/2/: accessed August 26, 2020), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Bastrop Public Library.

Here is his grave marker at Fairview Cemetery - this photo is courtesy Gail Davis from FindAGrave.  The flag in the background is in the plot for his son, Texas Governor Joseph Draper Sayers.

Detail from Dr. Sayers' monument - this and all following cemetery and grave marker photos are by Gerry Beathard from FindAGrave and are used with his permission.

This side (pictured above) reads,

"In memory of Dr. David Sayers, born May 27, 1811 Died July 2, 1886

The afflicted poor never appealed to him. in vain."

The symbol above appears to be the keystone emblem signifying a Mark Master Mason.

This side (pictured above) includes the classic compass symbol of Freemasonry and the words, "His desires were regulated and his passions kept within due bounds with all mankind."  This is a Masonic teaching associated with the compass symbol.

This side (pictured above) has the words, "His conduct was in harmony with the principles of morality and virtue," and the Masonic square at the top, which symbolizes morality.

The final side (pictured above) has the words, "His life exemplified truth, and adorned humanity and his death illustrated the Christian's faith," and what I think is the Masonic 24-inch gauge symbol at the top.


Below is a picture of the David Sayers plot in the Bastrop Fairview Cemetery.  As you can see, there are a number of other graves within the gated, fenced-in area.




The cemetery is now operated by the City of Bastrop, which sent me a guide to the graves in this area of Section E(B) (pictured below, click on the image to make it larger).  The fence for the David Sayers plot is represented by the green box below.  The purple box outlines the fenced area of the Joseph Draper Sayers plot, which I'll discuss in a future post.

Dr. David Sayers' second wife. Indiana "Inda" Scott Sayers, 1828-1877, is buried next to him.  They married on February 8, 1854, in Bastrop County. and had four children who survived into adulthood:  Jessie Alison Sayers (1859–1939), Elizabeth ("Lizzie" or "Lilly") Scott Sayers Sayers (1863–1918; yes, she married a Sayers), Thomas Green Sayers (1865-1910, Phil Sayers' father), and Sam Scott Sayers (1867–1935).  More about Jessie, Elizabeth, and Sam in future posts.




Here is Inda's obituary:

Austin Weekly Statesman. (Austin, Tex.), Vol. 16, No. 27, Ed. 1 Thursday, May 26, 1887, newspaper, May 26, 1887; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth278075/m1/5/?q=sayers: accessed August 26, 2020), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.

On the other side of Dr. David Sayers' obelisk are four markers for four Sayers children who died young.  David Sayers, 1861-1865, was likely the doctor's and Inda's firstborn son.

Family stories said Thomas Green Sayers had a twin sister - that must have been Kate, also born in 1865:

It's not clear who the next two Mary Sayers belonged to.  Dr. David Sayers' first wife Mary died in 1847, and he did not marry Inda until 1854.  Perhaps he had another wife between Mary and Inda, with two daughters by her?  Or perhaps these are the children of some other unknown Sayers who came to Texas.

The other graves within the fence include David's and Inda's children Jessie Alison Sayers and Sam Scott Sayers, Sam's wife Dot McLavy Sayers (more on these three in future posts), Inda's sisters Mary Elizabeth Scott (1826-1880) and Martha Scott Fourshee, as well as three apparently unrelated persons:  stagecoach operator Constant K. Hall (1818-1873), his daughter Kate K. Hall (1845-1863), and his father-in-law James Leverich Hedenberg (1790-1862).  There's an empty spot next to Kate that could have the unmarked remains of her mother, Constant's wife, and James's daughter Margaret Matilda Hedenberg Hall (c.1816-26 Feb 1895).  And Dr. Sayers may have purchased his home from Constant (C. K.) Hall.

© Amanda Pape - 2020 - e-mail me!