San Antonio, Bexar County
South Carolina native John "Jack" Coker came to Texas in 1834 and fought in the Battle of San Jacinto. In gratitude for his service, Coker received from the Republic of Texas a one-third league, which totalled 1,920 acres and was situated along the banks of the Salado Creek, approximately ten miles north of downtown San Antonio. John Coker soon wrote to his brothers Joseph and James to come to Texas and help him to settle his land. While both brothers made the trip to Texas with their extended families, James decided to settle with his family in Cherokee County, Texas; Joseph and his family journeyed on to the land on Salado Creek. The Coker family settlement slowly grew, but tragedy struck in 1857 when Loucious Monroe Coker, six-year-old son of James Harrison and Sarah (Gann) Coker, died from a rattlesnake bite. Loucious was buried on a high knoll near Salado Creek, and a large limestone headstone was placed at the site - the stone remains as the most prominent memorial in the cemetery. John "Jack" Coker died in 1861 and was also buried at the site. In 1873, Joseph Coker conveyed a 201-acre tract to his two sons, and simultaneously conveyed a three-acre portion to trustees for use as "a neighborhood church, school-house and grave-yard." A schoolhouse was soon built and a Methodist congregation was established in 1885. Although the school has relocated, the church remains adjacent to the cemetery. The Coker Cemetery Association incorporated in 1967 in order to care for the site, and today, Coker Cemetery serves as a reminder of an early Texas pioneering family. Historic Texas Cemetery - 2009