Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker says about Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery in DeWitt County. Back in 1867, a man named Anton Koszielsky and his wife Lucyia made a decision that would outlast them both by a long stretch. They deeded a piece of land to the Roman Catholic Church, set aside as a graveyard to serve the parishioners of the growing Catholic community of Yorktown.

Anton was born in 1815, Lucyia in 1830, and between them they understood something about a community needing a place to gather its dead. That gift took root. Years passed.

Decades passed. And the cemetery grew along with the town around it. Then in 1916, two men named Jesse H.

Kozelski and Constantine Kozelski donated additional acreage to enlarge the grounds. Jesse, born in 1866 and gone by 1943. Constantine, also born in 1866, gone by 1941.

Their generosity added room for the generations still to come. Now, a cemetery without a soul to anchor it is just a field with stones, and the folks of Yorktown knew that. In 1937, an extensive landscaping project was completed, and a crucifixion monument was set in place, donated by Frank and Florentyna Jendrzey, and it became the focal point of the whole cemetery.

Something for the eye, and the heart, to settle on. Then came 1979, when Elizabeth Wollny donated the statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary, adding one more layer of meaning to a place already rich with it. Because that's what Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery really is, a chronicle.

The marker says so plainly. It chronicles the diverse heritage of the Yorktown area, written not in words but in names, and stones, and the quiet gifts of people who wanted to leave something behind worth finding.

What the marker says

In 1867, Anton (1815-1889) and Lucyia (1830-1912) Koszielsky deeded land to the Roman Catholic Church for a graveyard to serve the parishioners of the growing Catholic community of Yorktown. In 1916, Jesse H. (1866-1943) and Constantine (1866-1941) Kozelski donated additional acreage to enlarge the cemetery. In 1937, an extensive landscaping project was completed and crucifixion monument, donated by Frank and Florentyna Jendrzey, became the focal point of the cemetery. Elizabeth Wollny donated the statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary in 1979. The cemetery chronicles the diverse heritage of the Yorktown area. Historic Texas Cemetery – 2001