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Texas
| Features
| Texas Cemeteries
AKA the
"American" Cemetery, Tubbs Cemetery
and (Incorrectly
Identified on 1965 Maps as Lyons Cemetery)
2.8 Miles SE of Schulenburg
on Vacek Loop South
by John Troesser
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Two
native stone markers
TE photos, 2005 |
See Navidad
Baptist Cemetery Historical Marker >
The Navidad Baptist Cemetery was deeded as such in November of 1853.
The church that had adjoined the cemetery has long since been sold
and removed to Schulenburg
where it is now a residence. Had the church remained, the cemetery
would undoubtedly been maintained and wouldn't have become overgrown
and nearly lost. |
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If
you pass the bullet-ridden sign, you've gone too far.
TE
photos, 2005 |
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A letter from
a woman in Arizona asked if we knew anything about the cemetery
receiving a historical marker. Since it's not far from the home
office, we went to investigate (and drove past the cemetery on the
first try). Rounding the curve (marked by the perforated sign) we
knew we had gone too far when we spotted the Corinth
Baptist Church. Fortunately, for us, the Reverend Johnny Moore
was working in the churchyard. We visited with him and were given
a tour of the Corinth
Baptist Cemetery and directions to the Navidad Cemetery.
Warned that
there were dogs in the area - we weren't too surprised when we heard
barking nearby. As the barking got louder and we heard the rustle
of leaves getting nearer - there was a nervous moment when we half-expected
Baskerville mastiffs to come leaping for our throat. What finally
arrived was a friendly, well-behaved daschund.
When we knelt
in greeting - he indeed went for the throat - with his tongue.
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The
Hound of the Navidad
TE photos, 2005 |
| Fayette
County historian Norman Krischke has surveyed the cemetery and
has written a detailed booklet with locations, dates and whatever
inscriptions were on the remaining tombstones. His booklet, available
in the Fayette County Library is our source information for this article. |
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L-
One of the best preserved tombstones
R- The oversized tombstone of William Tubbs that once gave the graveyard
the name Tubbs Cemetery
TE photos, 2005 |
| Our first visit
revealed very little. Some tombstones were marked with orange tape
and some underbrush had been cut. After consulting Mr. Krischke's
booklet, our second visit was much more fruitful. Between our first
and second visits more work had been done. Numbered stakes had been
driven in front of each tombstone - corresponding to the key in Krischke's
book. |
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Glass Family
Marker
Husband
and Wife
TE
photos, 2005
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A
horizontal slab/ marker.
TE
photos, 2005 |
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The
tombstone for Mary Antoinette May
TE photos, 2005 |
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Tombstone
detail.
TE
photos, 2005 |
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A
relic of recent visitation / infestation.
TE
photos, 2005 |
The photos here
are just a sampling of the cemetery stones, No attempt is made to
make a complete record.
We obtained a contact number for the President of the Navidad Baptist
Cemetery Association but received no reply to our request for information
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Our thanks to Norman Krischke for the countless hours he has donated
to the preservation and recording of Fayette
County cemeteries and history. His self-published records have
been and continue to be an invaluable aid to those doing genealogical
research. - Editor |
Photographer's
Note:
Subject: Navidad Baptist Cemetery (Schulenburg, Tx)
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"My
Great, Great Grandfather Dr. Benjamin Franklin Rose is buried there.
He was born in 1809 in Washington DC. He served as a Doctor and Magistrate
in Virginia until he and his family moved to Texas
in 1859 as tensions were rising prior to the Civil War. They settled
on a large piece of land in the forgotten town of Lyons
(just down the street from the cemetery). Dr. Rose served as a country
Physician in Fayette County until his death in 1889. He had 18 children,
my great grandfather being #17." - Detective Anthony Rose |
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Dr. Benjamin
Franklin Rose Grave Marker
Photo courtesy Anthony Rose, September 2012
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Rose Family Plot
Photo courtesy Anthony Rose, September 2012 |
Navidad Baptist
Cemetery
Historical Marker
Photo courtesy Anthony Rose, September 2012 |
Historical
Marker (2240 Vacek Loop, Schulenburg):
Navidad Baptist
Cemetery
In 1853, Seth F.
and Caroline M. Hazel deeded land to trustees of Navidad Baptist Church
and Cemetery. This cemetery served the residents of the pioneer community
of Lyons,
whether or not they were members of the Navidad Baptist Church. The
community was established by the 1840s on land originally granted
in 1831 to Kesiah Crier. In the 1870s, however, most businesses and
members of the community moved north toward the new railroad town
of Schulenburg,
and Lyons
soon ceased to exist, although some residents continued to live in
the area.
The oldest known burial in the cemetery dates to 1853. Many of those
interred here are early Texas pioneers, including relatives of the
Old Three Hundred, the first families Stephen F. Austin settled in
Texas. In addition, veterans of conflicts
dating to the Texas Revolution are buried here. Today, though the
community of Lyons
is gone, the cemetery remains an important reminder of the early town.
The burial ground chronicles the lives of area pioneers.
Historic Texas Cemetery - 2004 |
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Navidad Baptist
Cemetery
Photo courtesy Anthony Rose, September 2012 |
| Texas
Escapes, in its purpose to preserve historic, endangered
and vanishing Texas, asks that anyone wishing to share their local
history, stories, and vintage/historic photos, please contact
us. |
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