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In continuous use since 1903, this cemetery is the final resting place of Rancho San José founder José Antonio Lopéz (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 Ciudad Miguel 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 ranching cattle.
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
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