DUANE
Duane's take
Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'll do my best to do it justice. Now, before the rails even hit the ground, there were already men in Rockdale ready to sell you something. The International and Great Northern Railroad reached the new town of Rockdale in January of 1874 — and brothers Benjamin and Joseph Lowenstein hadn't waited around for a formal invitation.
They opened a mercantile out of a tent before the railroad even arrived. A tent. You've got to respect that kind of confidence.
The Lowensteins weren't alone. They were part of a larger contingent of Jewish settlers putting down roots in that part of Milam County. By 1879, a reported one hundred Jewish residents lived in Rockdale, and the town boasted an active B'nai B'rith Lodge.
One hundred people. That is not a footnote — that is a community. But communities carry grief alongside everything else.
In August of 1877, Benjamin and Carrie Lowenstein's son Arthur died. He was buried right here, at this site, before the ground had even been formally set aside for that purpose. The following November, the Hebrew Benevolent Association bought the land and dedicated it as a Jewish burial ground.
In a way, little Arthur was already holding the place. Among those who came to rest here over the years — Henry Goldsticker, a Confederate veteran. And Isaac Crown, who died in a disastrous fire in 1888 at Rockdale's Mundine Hotel.
That fire took him, and this ground received him. There is one grave that stands apart — physically apart, in a separate section of the cemetery. That is the grave of Isaac Ensheimer, who committed suicide in 1884.
The placement was deliberate, a reflection of the customs of the time. Even in death, the community held its distinctions. But he is here.
He is still here. The last burial in this cemetery was in 1939 — Morris Cohn, laid to rest as the final chapter of this particular story. From a mercantile tent to a hundred souls to this quiet ground in Milam County — the Jewish Cemetery at Rockdale is what the marker calls it: a reminder of the town's diverse history.
Not a footnote. A foundation.
What the marker says
The International & Great Northern Railroad reached the new town of Rockdale in January 1874. Among the early residents were brothers Benjamin and Joseph Lowenstein, who opened a mercantile from a tent before the railroad arrived. They and their families were part of a larger contingent of Jewish settlers in the area. By 1879, a reported 100 Jewish residents lived in Rockdale, which boasted an active B' nai B' rith Lodge. In August 1877, Benjamin and Carrie Lowenstein's son Arthur died and was buried at this site. The following November, the Hebrew Benevolent Association bought the land for use as a dedicated Jewish burial ground. Among those interred here are Henry Goldsticker, a Confederate veteran, and Issac Crown, who died in a disastrous fire in 1888 at Rockdale's Mundine Hotel. One grave, that of Isaac Ensheimer, was placed in a separate part of the cemetery; Ensheimer committed suicide in 1884. The final burial occurred in 1939 and is that of Morris Cohn. The site is a reminder of Rockdale's diverse history. Historic Texas Cemetery - 2004