Looking for Duval County Cemeteries

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Last Supper monument is a prominent feature at the Realitos Cemetery.

POSTED BY: CARDENAS.AE@GMAIL.COM MAY 16, 2020

Periodically, I get an email from someone looking for a cemetery in Duval County. Most times, I can’t help them. There are quite a few cemeteries in Duval County, most of them are located in private land. But recently I ran across a website that may be a gold mine for all of you looking for an out of the way cemetery.

The website Findagrave.com lists 92 cemeteries in Duval County. You can search for a cemetery by going to the website’s link or directly to their search engine here. Cemeteries range from the Adami Ranch Cemetery in Freer to the Yzaguirre Ranch Cemetery in Concepcion and everywhere in between.

In addition to the name, each listing provides memorials, gravestone information, and many have a map showing the cemetery’s location in GPS coordinates. You can use those coordinates to get directions on Google maps. One helpful feature is that you can add your loved one’s information to the site so that others can benefit from your efforts.

The information depends on the size of the cemetery and how active people have been in contributing. For example, the Adami Cemetery has only five entries and only one photograph. It does not have a map but you can add one if you know where it is. The Ysaguirre Cemetery has 20 memorials and they all have photos. It also provides a map of the cemetery’s location.

The site has a lot more features and is very user friendly. As I surmise that the site depends on members to provide information. I encourage you to visit it.

Another site that is not as extensive as Findagrave and that has not been updated since 2011, is the RootsWeb site which you can visit here. It only has a little more than half the number of cemeteries as Finadagrave. I did not compare the two lists extensively so one may have some cemeteries that the other does not. If you don’t find the cemetery you are looking for in one site, check the other.

One feature that this site has is a pictorial list of headstone emblems with pictures and explanations. For example this emblem:

with the XP, The Chi-Rho, overlapped is one of the oldest Christian symbols. The letters X and P are the first two letters of the Greek word for Christ. Another symbol (at right) which is quite common in some Duval County cemeteries, is the Woodmen of the World (WOW) – one of the first fraternal benefit societies in the United States. 

There are quite a few symbols listed for religious, military, and fraternal organizations.

Finally, there is a Facebook group dedicated to Duval County Texas Family Ranch Cemeteries and you can go to it here. It is a public group and you can browse their posts and join the group so you can post directly to it. You can share your findings or simply ask a question of the group members.

My apologies for not posting in a while but I have been working on my book. I’ll blog again as soon as I can.

 

18 COMMENTSON "LOOKING FOR DUVAL COUNTY CEMETERIES"

  1. Anna Olivarez | August 27, 2020 at 11:56 pm | Reply
    Hi! Just about to sign off when I came across your webpage. Thank you for sharing your information, including the comments. It was less than an hour ago that I came across Saturnino and Victoriana Vera’s pics and some Find A Grave info. They are my grandmother’s Uncle and Aunt! One day I’d like to drive down to that area just to check out where some of my family roots are from. Thanks again, and hope you are able to concentrate on working on your book!

    • cardenas.ae@gmail.com | August 28, 2020 at 9:26 am | Reply
      Thank you, Anna. Glad you got something worthwhile from the blog. Yes, I have been a little distracted from my book but my plans are to hit it hard beginning TODAY! Thanks for the encouragement.

  2. Angelita Ibanez | August 1, 2020 at 8:36 pm | Reply
    wonderful information love you blessings good luck

  3. Irma Holtkamp | May 18, 2020 at 7:47 pm | Reply
    There is a list of Duval County, Texas cemeteries on the TXGenWeb site: https://sites.rootsweb.com/~txduval/cemeteries.html

  4. Alonzo Byington | May 18, 2020 at 12:01 pm | Reply
    Alfredo, I’ve been using this site for many years when doing research on Ancestry.com.
    When I don’t have a picture of a descendant I copy the headstone from the cemetery and use that as the picture. Great site.

  5. Armida Gonzalez | May 18, 2020 at 8:26 am | Reply
    There is a Vera Cemetery in Rios on County Road 221 and FM 1329. From the Saturnino and Victoriana Martinez Vera Branch. It’s on a private ranch.
    Also a Vera Aguilar cemetery in Rios County Road 223 and 1329. Private Ranch as well. There are only 5 people buried there right now.

    • cardenas.ae@gmail.com | May 18, 2020 at 10:33 am | Reply
      Thank you, Armida. neither of these two cemeteries is on the Findagrave.com website. Be sure to sign in to their site and add them to the list. I’m sure others will appreciate it.

      • Fannie C Hewgley | May 18, 2020 at 11:07 am | Reply
        You and your readers are doing us new searchers a great service and I thank you. I have done exhaustive unsuccessful research looking for my great grandmother, CAMILA GARZA VILLREAL GARCIA, death record/grave; she passed approximately in 1890-91 and was born in Camargo in 1845. I am hoping to check newfound cemeteries in the hope that they were back in US when she passed. Thank you.

  6. Fannie C Hewgley | May 17, 2020 at 6:36 pm | Reply
    I think I read somewhere that there was a small group of Jewish people in Texas. Glad that King was kind enough to start the cemetery for them. My dna test shows I have some Jewish blood, so I a bit grateful. But, as a Cavazos, I am not a fan of King nor his memory.

    • cardenas.ae@gmail.com | May 18, 2020 at 10:30 am | Reply
      Thank you, Fannie. I am in discussion with someone about publishing a book on the Tejano Jewish community. Be on the lookout for a possible announcement later on.

  7. Lisa Montague | May 17, 2020 at 12:26 pm | Reply
    The Jewish Cemetery that was established for the Jewish Community in South Texas is in Corpus Christi. It began with land donated by Captain King of the King Ranch. Many people from San Diego, TX are buried there. Various members of the Henry family and their relatives are there. It can only be visited by appointment. It’s on the list of Texas Historic Places.

  8. Fannie Cavazos Hewgley | May 17, 2020 at 8:45 am | Reply
    Thank you so much. I am looking forward to researching the cemeteries mentioned in this article as I have ancestors in the area. I especially like “user friendly” and being able to add information. God bless you

cardenas.ae@gmail.com | May 17, 2020 at 10:51 am | Reply
Thank you, Fannie. Good luck in your search. Blessings.

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