Antonio López Family Cemetery

Our family cemetery marker arrived in San José yesterday, and no time was wasted in installing it. Chico López, Beto Peña, and Eladio Barrera wrangled the 125-pound cast-aluminum marker, setting it in cement just inside the main gate where it will be seen by all as they first enter the cemetery and won’t become surrounded by gravesites over time. Many thanks to Beto Gonzalez and family for donating the cement and to Gracie and Russell Gruber for photos!

With this marker, our family and our heritage are “on the books” as part of the rich history of Texas. As the Texas Historical Commission (THC) notes, “Cemeteries are important keys to Texas’ past. They are reminders of settlement patterns and reveal information about historic events, religion, lifestyles, and genealogy.” Our historical marker is one of only about 13 in Duval County to date, but will hopefully inspire other families to seek recognition for their historical cemeteries.

Below is the full text of our marker written by the THC using information in our application. We hope that a formal dedication ceremony and party can be arranged in the not-too-distant future; stay tuned—more information will be shared as a plan emerges. In the meantime, wherever you may be when you read this, please take a moment to raise your mug of coffee (or something stronger!) and feel a sense of pride for doing what you could to make this family project happen with your support, time, energy, and/or money. Here’s to José Antonio López, his family and descendants, and to all of you who are reading this now!

ANTONIO LÓPEZ FAMILY CEMETERY

IN CONTINUOUS USE SINCE 1903, THIS CEMETERY IS THE FINAL RESTING PLACE OF RANCHO SAN JOSÉ FOUNDER JOSÉ ANTONIO LÓPEZ (1830-1903), KNOWN AS ANTONIO, ALONG WITH GENERATIONS OF HIS DESCENDANTS AND THEIR FAMILIES. ANTONIO AND HIS WIFE, MARÍA DE LOS SANTOS GONZÁLEZ (b. 1832), EMIGRATED FROM SAN PEDRO (NOW CIUDÁD MIGUÉL ALEMÁN), MEXICO, IN 1866. THE FAMILY EVENTUALLY SETTLED HERE ON NEARLY 1,300 ACRES PURCHASED IN 1875, FIRST TRAPPING WILD HORSES AND RAISING SHEEP, THEN LATER FARMING COTTON AND CATTLE RANCHING.  

MARÍA DIED SOMETIME BETWEEN 1878 AND 1884. ANTONIO CONTINUED TO DEVELOP RANCHO SAN JOSÉ WITH HELP FROM HIS ADULT CHILDREN, AND HE MARRIED DOMINGA PEÑA IN 1886. IN 1903, ANTONIO DIED, DIVIDING HIS LAND BETWEEN HIS CHILDREN AND WIFE. PER FAMILY LORE, EACH CONTRIBUTED A SMALL PORTION OF THEIR INHERITED ACREAGE TO FULFILL ANTONIO’S WISH OF CREATING THIS FAMILY CEMETERY. HE WAS BURIED HERE ON HIS BELOVED RANCHO SAN JOSÉ. 

A CHAIN-LINK FENCE DEMARCATES THE ORIGINAL ONE-ACRE BURIAL GROUND SET ASIDE BY ANTONIO’S HEIRS AT THE SOUTHWEST CORNER OF HIS HOMESTEAD, WHICH WAS OFFICIALLY RECORDED IN 1924 BY SON MARGARITO. INTERRED HERE WITH THEIR FATHER ARE CHILDREN JESÚS, PEDRO, MARGARITO, GREGORIA (SÁENZ), MARÍA (GARCÍA) AND JOSÉ MORENO, AND SECOND WIFE DOMINGA PEÑA. ANTONIO’S FIRST WIFE AND SONS, FRANCISCO AND FERMÁN, REST IN OTHER FAMILIAL CEMETERIES. IN 1964, THE CEMETERY WAS EXPANDED BY 1.75 ACRES DONATED BY GRANDSON ROSENDO LÓPEZ. AS THE FINAL RESTING PLACE FOR RANCHO SAN JOSÉ’S FOUNDER AND HIS DESCENDANTS, THE ANTONIO LÓPEZ FAMILY CEMETERY REMAINS A TANGIBLE REMINDER OF THE HERITAGE OF THE AREA.

HISTORIC TEXAS CEMETERY — 2018

MARKER IS PROPERTY OF THE STATE OF TEXAS

(Note that 2018 was when we received the historic cemetery designation, which was a pre-requisite before we could apply for the actual marker.)