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Nueces County, Texas - Cemeteries


Compiled by Dr. Charles Ward &
Dr. Brooks Noel in their book,                              
"Cemetery Data of Nueces County, Texas"
Published by Coastal Bend Genealogical Society, 1991

Banquete
The Banquete Cemetery is located near Banquete Creeek at the end of a 0.2 mile paved road that runs north from County Road #40 (Rabb Road) from a point about 0.8 of a mile east of of the intersection of County Road #40 and 4th Street in Banquete, TX, in the far north west area of Nueces County.  Begun with its first burieal in 1863, the cemetery includes Confederate soldiers and members of prominent Banquete families of Bennett, Wright, Elliff, Fussellman, Saunder, Madray, Mounger, Quillin,  Alvarado, Dubose, Hunter, Martinez, Ortiz, Ramirez and Wilkerson.  The earliest birthdate found on any of the 470 tombstones was 1803.
Hebrew Rest
This cemetery is located on Brownlee Street between Agnes and Laredo Streets in Corpus Christi. The one acre for the cemetery was deeded by noted rancher Richerd King, founder of the King Ranch, in 1875 to serve the Jewish settlers of the area.  Prior to that the nearest Jewish cemetery was in Gonzales, TX , about 140 miles away.  This is a neat, well tended cemetery, maintained since 1961 by the Temple Beth El of Corpus Christi.  Some of the notable family names among the 185 markers identified here are Lichtensteins, Gugenheims, Weils, Henrys, Richman, David Hirsch, and Emanuel Morris.  Currently the Hebrew section of Seaside Memorial Park is the usual place of interment for members of the Jewish community, with only an occasional burial in Hebrew Rest.  The Texas Historical Society placed a marker here in 1981.

Holy Cross
Located at Up River Road and Palm Drive just off Leopard and directly across the street from Miller High School in Corpus Christi.  Mrs. Katherine Bray, who is buried in section K, donated to the Catholic Church 10 acres of land which she had purchased from H.L. Kinney in 1851 for the price of one dollar.  In 1866 she deeded two acres to Rev. John Gonnard and the Catholic Church, then in  1869 she sold the remainder of the property to Right Reverend C.M. Dubose, Bishop of Texas.(Deed Book I, pages 289-290) 

The oldest part of the cemetery was known as Mt. Calvary.  It is now included in, or known as, the Old Holy Cross Cemetery.  Some older cemetery maps show that it was closed by law at one time due to s yellow fever epidemic.  Many of the  tombstones bear record of tragedies in the local history such as diseases, the Civil War, and the hurricane of 1919, and reflect birthplaces of England, Ireland, and Mexico. The names of approximately 6450 people buried in this cemetery were determined.  The earliest birth date found on a tombstone was 1797, and the earliest death date was 1855.  Some of the older family names include Dunn, Gollihar, Mercer, Connard, David, Cody, Mussett, Shaw, Carroll, Alvarado, Rodriguez, Sanchez, Jimenez, and Ybannes.

New Bayview
The New Bayview Cemetery is located at the corner of Kennedy and Johns Streets in the Hillcrest section north of IH-37 in Corpus Christi.  The Knights of Pythias Cemetery adjoins this tract on the northwest corner, but only about a fifty by sixty foot section remains, with only five tomhstones there.  The rest is covered by a housing development.  The County Cemetery, which was formerly part of New Bayview, is at the corner of  Kennedy and Nueces Streets.  The New Bayview Cemetery was to be the showcase for the Bayview Cemetey Association.  Units were sold as family plots with borders around them.  Some of the borders are still present, but many of the tombstones are missing.  At one time this riverfront side of town was the "Country Club" area of the city, but between 1914 and 1929 many of the bodies and tombstones were transferred to Rose Hill Cemetery. (See below) Over the last several decades of the twentieth century the area has deteriorated.  The cemetery is no longer active, but is currently maintained by the City Parks and Recreation Department, and is now separated in the middle by Williams Park.

The names of approximately 760 people were identified as buried here.  The earliest birth date found on a tombstone was 1813, and the earliest death date was 1886; however this person was transferred from Oso Cemetery in 1909.  Early citizens buried in this cemetery include George A. Von Blucher, Perry and Rachel Doddridge, Sidney Gail Borden, and Capt. S.W. Fullerton.
Aberdeen - Sunshine - Royal Palm - St. James
1900-09

General order of establishment of other cemeteries in Nueces County is as follows:

Aberdeen Cemetery is located at Santa Fe and Roberts Streets in Corpus Christi.  It is inside the present Seaside Memorial Park,  to the east of the Santa Fe Street intrance, and parallel to Roberts Street, and abuts Seaside's Baby Land section on the south.  Aberdeen Cemetery served the Aberdeen Community from the early 1900's to the 1950's.  Aberdeen Community had it's own school system from 1901 until 1958, however, from 1942 to 1958 it was part of the Sundeen School District.  It is now part of the City of Corpus Christi. 

Seaside Memorial Park now maintains the cemetery, but apparently burial lists for it have been lost.  The compilers were able to to determine the names of approximately 420 people who were buried in this cemetery.  The earliest birth date found on a tombstone was 1820, and the earliest death date was 1903.  Some of the older families buried here include the Longs, Gregorys, Bowers, Neeleys, Clarks, Floyds, O'Neals, Lairds, Ropers, and Wilkeys.

The Sunshine Cemetery is on Texas Highway # 357 (Rodd Field Road)at the Wooldridge Road intersection , about 1.2 miles south of Padre Island Drive in Corpus Christi.  It was in the old community of Encinal (also called Sunshine), which is now part of the city of Corpus Christi.  It contains about one acre out of the eastern corner of lots # 1 and # 2 in section # 19 of Flour Bluff and Encinal Farm and Garden Tracts (Deed Book # 1010, Page 180).

At one time the old Sunshine Common School District (1887-1942) extended from roughly Everhart Road on the west, Saratoga on the south, to McArdle on the north and Oso Bay on the east.  Today the only physical remnants of the community are the cemetery and post office.   Although in poor condition for a number of years, the fence tract is now well kept   by  the Sunshine Cemetery Association which has been reactivated.  A Texas Historical Society marker was placed in the cemetery in 1985.

The names of approximately 60 people were determined to have been buried in this cemetery, 2 with the earliest birth date found on a tombstone to be 1843, and the earliest death date 1903.  Some of the older families buried here include the Parrys, Fondrens, Wares, Bolands, Haneys, Capehearts, Herreras, and Davilas.

Royal Palm Cemetery is located on the east side of Park Road # 53 on Padre Island approximately 1.1 miles south of Highway #361 within the city limits of Port Aransas, Nueces County, Texas.  It is bordered by Sea Isle Street on the north and Royal Palm Drive on the south.  Sea Secret Street divides the cemetery into two sections.  Mr. Jed Brundrette surveyed and dedicated the site as a cemetery in 1913. (Map Book 3, Page 2).

Dr. Ward and Mr. Noel were able to determine the names of approximately 225 people buried in this cemetery. The earliest birth date found on a tombstone was 1816, and the earliest death date was 1903.  Some of the older families buried there were the Frandoligs, Dryers, Milinas, McBrides, Mathews, Mathisens, Thompsons, Olsens, Simses, Walters, and Roberts.

Duncan, Driscoll, St. Anthony's (Violet, Texas), Restland, Robstown, Rose Hill, St. Paul
1910-19

Duncan Cemetery is a private cemetery located in Flour Bluff, Corpus Christi, Texas at 2701 Debra Lane, across the street from the new Flour Bluff Junior High School.  It sits atop the bluff from which Flour Bluff gets its name, and overlooks the Laguna Madre.  The fenced .33 acre was deeded to Ed S. Duncan by the Flour Bluff Common School District # 22 in 1916, from Lot 19 section 54 of the Flour Bluff and Encinal Farm and Garden Tracts.  It is well maintained by the Duncan family, and is still active.

Approximately 95 persons were determined as buried in this cemetery, with the earliest birth date on a tombstone being 1877 and the earliest death date being 1921. Some victims of the 1919 hurricane were buried here, however, their tombstones were not found.  In addition to the Duncan family, other older families buried here include the Lewises, Moulters, Vannoys, Arnolds, Halloways, Grahams, Barkers, Joneses, Indhals, Rousseaus, and Tuckers.

The Driscoll Cemetery is located west of the city of Driscoll, Texas on Farm Road # 665, about 0.8 of a mile from its intersection with U. S. Highway # 77.  The one acre tract was established by Colonel Robert Driscoll, Sr. in 1910.  The compilers were able to determine the names of approximately 25 people buried in this cemetery.  The earliest birth date found on a tombstone was 1845, and the earliest death date was 1916.  In 1989 the owner of the cemetery told the Coastal Bend Genealogical Society Cemetery Committee that the cemetery started in 1916 with the burial of his twin brother.  One grave is that of a Confederate Army soldier.

St. Anthony's Cemetery is adjacent to St. Anthony's Catholic Church in the community of Violet at the intersection of State Highway #44 and County Road #61 near Oso Creek.  Entrance to the cemetery is down a 400 foot or so road running  east between the church and other church buildings, and beside the museum.  The main cemetery is on the south side of this road, and the "Little Cemetery" is on the north.

In 1909 Louis Petrus donated ten acres of land to Reverend Peter Verdaguer, the Vicar Apostolic of Brownsville, TX and his successors in office, for a Roman Catholic Church, school house, and cemetery (Deed Book 58, Pages 328-329).  It is described as Lot 6, Tract 9 of the Cushman and Petrus Survey. (Map Record Book A, Pages 553-555).  In 1911 one acre of this tract was set aside for a cemetery, and another half acre was set aside for a Mexican-American cemetery, called the "Little Cemetery".

Names of approximately 220 people were determined to be buried in the main cemetery.   Very few tombstones were found in the "Little Cemetery", but it was reported to be full.  The earliest birthdate found on a tombstone was 1831, and the earliest death date was 1913.
The cemetery is still in use, and maintained by the Catholic church.  Regular church services are still held.  A Texas Historical marker was placed near the church in 1977. Some of the larger families buried here include
Bernsen, Hoelscher, Kassner, Ordner, Ranly, Schwirtlich, and Stock.

Restland Memory Park, (also known as Bishop Cemetery #2 ) is located in Bishop, Texas on Sixth Street (County Road #6 ) 0.4 of a mile east of the U.S. Highway # 77 Bypass.   This ten acre cemetery is the second oldest in Bishop, but has more people buried in it than any other in Bishop  It was deeded by H. A. and Clara Scharlach to the Bishop Cemetery Association in 1917.  In 1920 twenty-one bodies were transferred in from Biship Cemetery # 1 (now knownd as St. James Cemetery, which see above).  It is an active, perpetual care cemetery, with a number of family plots with borders, and some verylarge markers.  However, most of the markers are single or double tombstones.

Dr. Ward and Mr. Noel were able to determine the names of approximately 1025 people who were buried or planned to be buried in this cemetery. The earliest birth date found on a tombstone was 1846, and the earliest death date was 1912.  F. Z. Bishop, who founded the town of Bishop on a part of the Driscoll Ranch in 1910 was buried in this cemetery in 1950. 
Families found include Adams, Bahn, Boswell, Butts, Davis, Johnson, Martin, Spiegelhaur, and Whitten.

The Robstown Cemetery, located at the intersection of U. S. Highway #77 and Texas Highway #44 in the City of Robstown, is managed by four seperate organizations: the Robstown Cemetery Association, St. Anthony's Catholic Church of Robstown, the Robstown Colored Folks Community Cemetery Association, and the Mexican Ministerial Alliance, a Protestant organization. It encompasses a somewhat pie-shaped area of about 15 acres total. The names of approximately 3925 people were found buried at this location.

Robstown Cemetery was first surveyed in 1909.  It contains 2.8 acres, and in 1918 was deeded to the Robstown Cemetery Association.  The names of approximately 1515 persons were determined to have been buried in this section. The earliest birth date found on a tombstone was 1821, and the earliest death date was 1911.  This is a permanent care cemetery and is well maintained by the Association.

In 1924,  Reverend J. Canales of the St. Anthony's Church in Robstown received 5.0 acres of  land for a cemetery from the Dunlaps.  In the 1960's the Church exchanged part of this tract to the Robstown Cemetery Association for Section L which is located on the east side of U. S. Highway #  77.   In 1970 St. Anthony's Catholic Church started a new perpetual-care section, with all of the markers bronze and horizontal.  Approximately 2025 people were determined to have been buried in both the old and new sections of St. Anthony's.  The earliest birthdate found on a tombstone in this section was in 1856, and the earliest death date found was 1921.  The older section has extremely long rowsand needs maintenance, but the new section is in good condition.

The Robstown Colored Folks Community section contains 0.48 of an acre.  It was deeded to the Association by the Rogers and Tigerts in 1935 (Deed Book259, Page 143).  There were approximately 60 persons determined to have been buried in this part of the Robstown cemetery.  At the time of the recording, this cemetery was found to be overgrown with weeds and high grass.  The earliest birth date found was 1851, and the earliest death date was 1934.

The Mexican Ministerial Alliance section consists of about 1.65 acres.  It is owned by the Robstown Cemetery Association, but managed by the Mexican Ministerial Alliance. Section B is part of the Swetlick tract deeded to the Robstown Cemetery Association in 1933.  It is sometimes called the Christian Cemetery.  Section C is a part of the original tract deeded in 1918, and is sometimes called the Old City Cemetery.  Dr. Ward and Mr. Noel were able to determine the names of approximately 325 people who were buried in this cemetery, with the earliest birthdate being 1843, and the earliest death date being 1913.

Chapman Ranch,  Flinn, and Rancho Plomo
1920-1929

The Chapman Ranch Cemetery is located 2.3 miles west of the Chapman Ranch Post Office, adjacent to Farm  Road  # 70.  Consisting of  an estimated 1.37 acres, it is in a vast open field, amid a solitary clump of trees 100 yards south of the road.
Although  no deed records were found for this cemetery, it  is preseumed to be on the 35,000 acres of land bought from the King Ranch by Phillip Chapman in 1919.  Now seemingly uninhabited, the town of Chapman Ranch was founded in 1925.
From the tombstones of the 55 people buried in this  cemetery, the earliest birthdate was1892, and the earliest death date was 1926. The cemetery is fenced, but no longer active, and is not regularly maintained
.

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