ARMSTRONG PLANTATION and ARMSTRONG-BAUGH CEMETERY
AS TOLD By HENRY HANSON
Brazoria County Land Records show George Armstrong bought 320acres in the Polly Chance league from William B. Sweeny in 1839. This is supported by the 1839 Brazoria County tax records where George Armstrong was taxed on 320 acres, a wagon, 4 mules, 4 slaves and a gold watch. This was the beginning of the George Armstrong Plantation in Chance’s Prairie, now known as the Old Ocean area.
George Armstrong original 320 acres
In 1857 George Armstrong purchased 500 plus Polly Chance acres from the widow of William B. Sweeny. In 1868 George Armstrong bought another 870 wooded Polly Chance acres from John Sweeny Jr. Between 1874 and 1875 George Armstrong and John Sweeny Jr. basically swapped the 870 acres of wooded land for equal amount of prairie acreage. This amounted to around 1700 total plantation acres.
The 1850 Federal Census listed George Armstrong with his younger brother David Armstrong, an overseer James Bond and a carpenter by the name of O.D. Shannon, in his household. It appears that George is building or remodeling his house. At this time there were also the nearby plantations of John Sweeny Jr., Samuel Sweeny, Thomas Sweeny Jordan Sweeny, John Sweeny Sr. and James Eliot Black who was also operating a ferry on the San Bernard River.
In the fall of 1850, probably after the cotton crop was harvested, George Armstrong returned to Williamson County, Tennessee and on 10 October 1850 married Ann Lucas Baugh, daughter of William and Amarilla Lucas Baugh. After the honeymoon, they returned to Texas and it is speculated that they were accompanied by slaves who carried the Baugh name which is carried on to this day by their descendants.
Brazoria County Deed Records show that George Armstrong loaned money nine different times where people put up land as collateral, one lien indicated a man put up a 400 acre cotton crop for $90.
The plantation remained with George Armstrong until his death sometime between 1874 and 1875. The date of his death was abstracted by the fact that he was listed as head of the household in the tax roll of 1874 and Mrs. Ann Armstrong was head of household in the 1875 tax roll.
George Armstrong Plantation at time of his death
Ann Armstrong retained most of the plantation until her death on January 4, 1909, however she did sell a portion of it prior to her death.
Land at Ann Armstrong's death
Ann is buried in the Columbia Cemetery in West Columbia. Her last will and Testament asked that the land be sold and listed twelve people to receive a payment which included two former servants. The remainder was to be given to the Methodist Church of West Columbia.
The Armstrong plantation was purchased in 1934 by Harrison and Abercrombie Companies, later owned by Amoco, and in 1998 Amoco sold it to Phillips Petroleum Company.
Phillips, knowing there was a cemetery on the property, asked team leader Henry Hanson to research, document and preserve it.
Henry involved Maurice Grovey whose grandparents were Nellie Baugh/Thomas Jefferson Grovey. Nellie was the daughter of Jessie Baugh and Louise Glapey Baugh. Maurice also enlisted Connie Kennedy who lived next to Ronnie Griffins hardware store (second location). Connie had attended one of the last funerals and burials at that cemetery sometime during the 1930s.
The research discovered that burials took place between 1857 and 1930.
In 1855 George and Ann started a family with a daughter Eunice born on the Chance’s Prairie plantation. The second child William B. Armstrong was born in December of 1857 and died seven days later. The death and burial of William appears to be the first burial on the plantation, in what is now known as the “Armstrong-Baugh Cemetery”.
William B Armstrong (1857-1857)
| On the 2nd of August of 1859, Ann gave birth to John Allen Armstrong. John Allen died the 3rd February 1866 and for many years his foot stone marked JAA was all that identified his burial. |
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| Missing tombstone. JAA=John Allen Armstrong (1859-1866) |
| Gina Scott read a Brazoria County News article published on the 26th of June 2014 about the Armstrong Baugh Cemetery in Old Ocean. Gina had wondered for years about an old tombstone her grandfather found decades ago on his property in West Columbia. She made contact with Beverly Stinson a member of the County Cemetery Association and it was thought the tombstone would return to the cemetery near Old Ocean. |
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| At this time the tombstone has not returned. The “Sweeny History Digital Preservation Committee” has contacted Phillips 66 and direct descendants of George Armstrong about holding a ceremony at the cemetery at some future date and resetting the stone. We have hopes this little boy's tombstone can soon be returned to his gravesite and would very much appreciate any information that could help in making this happen. |
Thomas Armstrong was born in 1862 in Chance’s Prairie and died in 1886 in Chance’s Prairie and is buried in the Armstrong – Baugh Cemetery.
Thomas Armstrong (1862-1886)
PERHAPS ANOTHER MISSING TOMBSTONE???
George Armstrong most likely died on his plantation in Chance’s Prairie and Henry believes he is buried in the Armstrong-Baugh Cemetery even though there is not a tombstone to indicate such. After Henry first cleaned the cemetery, the next spring four lilies came out and bloomed in about the same location of each burial plot of the three boys which led him to believe that the fourth lily marked the spot where George was buried. Was his tombstone stolen like that of his son John Allen to the right of his grave?????? If so, maybe one day it will return.
L-R Debra Mayberry Bess, Cleo Baugh Grimes, Henry Hanson, Maurice Grovey, Marilyn Davis and Zealous Mayberry.
Prior to Henry’s retirement from Phillips, the Baugh family held a family reunion and asked him to make the arrangements to enter Phillips property to view the cemetery. During this visit to the cemetery Henry pointed out that it was possible to see graves by the depressions in the ground and he asked the family to submit a list of those that they knew were buried at the Armstrong-Baugh Cemetery. The family submitted the following list:
BAUGH RELATIVES BURIED IN ARMSTRONG-BAUGH CEMETERY (17)
Baugh, Austin b.1874
Baugh, Elvenia b.1895
Baugh, Frances b. 1862
Baugh, Henderson
Baugh, Ishman b. 1905
Baugh, Jesse b. November b.1830 d. 1900
Baugh, Louise Glapey b. 1842
Baugh, Martha Grovey b. 1878
Baugh, Tennessee b. 1866
Baugh, William “Buck” b. September 1875
Grimes, Ollie Grovey b. 1905
Grovey, Archie b. 1915
Grovey, Hattie b. 1878
Grovey, Sylvester b. March 12, 1898
Harris, Caleb b. March 1847
Harris, Gussie Baugh b January 1896
Harris, Caleb b. 1909
OTHERS BURIED IN ARMSTRONG-BAUGH CEMETERY
Duggan, Patrick F. (b. 1840 and died November 13, 1867) was the Freedmen’s Bureau Agent for Brazoria County. While visiting the Armstrong and John Sweeny Jr. plantations to settle labor contracts between the planters and laborers, he contacted yellow fever and died at the Sweeny place. (picture below) Duggan had served in the Union Army throughout the Civil War. He enlisted in May 1861 as a private in the 3rd Vermont Infantry and was discharged in Galveston in 1866 with the rank of first lieutenant in the 10th U.S. Colored Troops. Although his grave is unmarked, his epitaph might well be taken from Amon Underwood’s letter advising bureau officials of Duggan’s death: “He showed a desire to administer equal justice between white and black.” (National Archives Freedmen’s Bureau Records and Military Records)
Image Courtesy Brazoria County Historical Museum
John Sweeny Jr home built 1836-1837 by slave labor
See See Armstrong Family Tree Here
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