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Brothers Ferdinand Michael and Jacob August Dietz arrived in Texas during an immigration wave from Germany in the 1840s and bought 500 acres of the Genobeva Malpaz Survey in Guadalupe County for their farmstead. Another immigration wave, this time from Mexico, occurred in the late 1800s. Several families, including the Arizpe, del Toro and Bermea families, came to work on the Dietz farm. Many families had moved together from the village of Rosales (now Villa Union) in Coahuila. According to oral tradition, a cemetery was established when one of the farmworkers died and there was no place for her to be properly buried. Around the oak trees where the workers rested for lunch, Ferdinand marked off one acre of his farm for a burial ground. The cemetery on the north side of Cibolo Creek was first officially referenced in a 1908 deed.
The cemetery faces east, and the northeast section was originally set aside for infant burials. Many older markers appear hand-made or hand-etched; some include tile inlay or seashell decorations. English and Spanish inscriptions are present. The oldest marker is for Tomas Arizpe, who died in 1925, but there is evidence of earlier burials. In 1973, Ferdinand’s grandson, Ottomar “Pat” Dietz, deeded the cemetery to the Schertz-Cibolo Cemetery Association, and the group purchased two adjacent acres in 1982. While a flood in 1998 swept away most of the original wooden markers, volunteers were able to replace many of the tombstones. Descendants of those buried in the cemetery have gone on to pursue varied careers and opportunities, but they have remained connected to their ancestors and this site through their efforts to maintain the burial ground. The Schertz-Cibolo Cemetery serves as a reminder of the Hispanic farmworkers who helped Guadalupe County to grow and prosper.
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