Mayer Cemetery

Duane's take

Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'll do my best to do it justice. The Mayer Cemetery sits in Washington County, just south of Winedale, and if you slow down long enough to read the stones, you'll find a whole world laid out in that quiet ground. This cemetery is a testimony.

That's the word the marker uses, and I think it earns it. A testimony of strong men and women who settled the Winedale area, most of them of German descent. Now this part of Texas was originally settled by Stephen F.

Austin and his colony, the ones history calls The Old 300. Then in 1836, German settlers began arriving, chasing a chance at better opportunities. A German emigration company called the Nassau Plantation helped them make that migration to Texas.

Some of those families, the marker tells us, had been wine makers back in Germany. And the name Winedale soon began to be used for the community. Draw your own conclusions about that.

Two brothers figure at the center of this story. J. Heinrich, who went by Henry, and J.

Martin Mayer. Brothers, born in Germany, arrived in Texas in 1846, Henry at the age of twenty-eight and Martin at twenty-three. They got to work.

In 1864, the Mayer brothers built the first known cotton gin in Washington County, and a mill, right there just south of Winedale. Then in August of 1870, Henry Mayer bought the property we're talking about. He held it for a few years, and in 1876 he sold it to Ludwig Menn, with one careful condition built into the deal: five acres would be used as a cemetery.

That's the kind of forethought that outlasts a man. Many members of the Mayer brothers' family are buried here, along with members of the Menn family. Johann Heinrich Menn was the first of his family to make the trek to Texas.

And the first known burial in this cemetery is that of Richard Menn, who passed in August of 1869. His brother followed less than a month later. Less than a month.

The ground was still fresh when it received another. Among those laid to rest here you'll find blacksmiths, wine makers, farmers, teachers, and ministers. People who built a community from cleared land and hard seasons.

And alongside them rest those who served, men and women who answered the call during the Civil War, World War One, World War Two, and the Korean War. The Mayer Cemetery continues to serve the Winedale community to this day. The marker calls it a lasting confirmation of those who strived for a better life for their descendants.

Drive past it fast and it's just a fence line off the road. But stop, and you'll understand what a confirmation looks like when it's written in stone.

What the marker says

The Mayer Cemetery is a testimony of the strong men and women who settled the Winedale area, most of German descent. This area of Texas was originally settled by Stephen F. Austin and his colony known as "The Old 300." In 1836, German settlers arrived for a chance at better opportunities. The Nassau Plantation was a German emigration company who helped them migrate to Texas. As the community grew, some families who relocated to Texas were wine makers in Germany. The name Winedale soon began to be used for the community. J. Heinrich (Henry) and J. Martin Mayer were brothers who were born in Germany and arrived in Texas in 1846 at the age of 28 and 23, respectively. In 1864, the brothers built the first known cotton gin as well as a mill in Washington County just south of Winedale. In August of 1870, Henry Mayer bought the property and then sold it in 1876 to Ludwig Menn with the knowledge that five acres would be used as a cemetery. Many of the family members of the Mayer brothers are buried here as well as those of the Menn family. Johann Heinrich Menn was the first of his family to make the trek to Texas. The first known burial is that of Richard Menn who passed in august of 1869. His brother followed less than a month later. During the early settlement of Winedale, blacksmiths, wine makers, farmers, teachers and ministers have been laid to rest here. Also among those buried here are those who served during the Civil War, WWI, WWII and the Korean war. The Mayer Cemetery continues to serve the Winedale community and is a lasting confirmation of those who strived for a better life for their descendants.