Liberty County Historical Commission Facebook Post
December 28, 2023
December 28, 2023
·
LIBERTY COUNTY, TX CEMETERY HISTORIES
CATHOLIC CEMETERY – LIBERTY
AKA IMMACULATE CONCEPTION CATHOLIC CEMETERY
In 1853, twenty-two years after Francisco Madero founded the Villa de la Santissima Trinidad de la Libertad, now the town of Liberty, the Rev. Petrus Marie LaCour came to this area. A native of France, he served as the first pastor of the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church. Acting on behalf of the Galveston Diocese, he purchased the present site (now the corner of Grand Avenue and Bowie Street) the same year from Pickney L. and Therese A. Palmer as a burial ground for Catholic settlers of the county. It is thought a few gravesites were located here when the land was designated a Catholic cemetery. Many of the early graves are those of pioneer French Creole settlers, members of related families that migrated to the region from Louisiana in the mid-nineteenth century. Early residents interred here include LaCours, Gillards, Baillios, DeBlancs, Desrayouxs, Dugats, Fortiers, Benoits, Canons, Joffrions and Rachals. Their influence as early business, civic and professional leaders had a dramatic impact on Liberty and the area’s social and religious customs. Descendants of the pioneers still serve as active members of the community.
There are few interesting mysteries in connection with the burials in this cemetery. One such mystery is that of the cast-iron casket. In 1940, during an excavation for a new grave, funeral home director Jimmy Roper and his helper Terry Woods, Jr. struck a heavy object. Thinking it could be an old trunk, they exhumed it and found it to be a casket. The heavy iron lid covering the glass viewing window cracked the glass causing the body to disintegrate. Photos of the casket were taken and the casket re-buried. The Smithsonian Institution indicated the casket was of the type used in the South around the time of the Civil War. In 1972 with the permission of the Bishop of Beaumont the casket was exhumed again so that Texas State Archaeologists could study the contents. The deceased appeared to be wearing a military uniform. No definite conclusions were made, and the casket was again reinterred. It has been speculated that one or more Civil War soldiers may have died after being hospitalized in Liberty with the yellow fever. A diary of Capt. William B. Duncan, located in the Sam Houston Regional Library and Research Center in Liberty, indicates he visited the soldiers and it is speculated that perhaps he looked after their burials when they died.
Another mystery in this early cemetery is the grave of J. B. Gillard (1790-1818). The date is in question because the Catholic Cemetery was not officially designated as a burying ground until 1853 as mentioned above, although it was believed there were earlier interments on the site. However, the Creole migration from Louisiana to Texas did not occur until the mid-1840s. The slab covering his burial site also bears the inscription “Peace to His Ashes” which leads one to speculate the remains of J. B. Gillard were perhaps brought by the family to Texas and placed in the cemetery.
There are many mysteries and unknown facts concerning this early, historic cemetery which may never be solved. The oldest Catholic cemetery in Liberty County, this site now serves as a historic reminder of the region’s rich heritage.
No comments:
Post a Comment