St. Ann's Cemetery

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker says about St. Ann's Cemetery, out in DeWitt County. Pull up a chair, because this one starts with a single man and ends up being about a whole community finding its way.

Back in 1845, a man named Valentine Hoch settled in this area of DeWitt County. And the community that grew up nearby soon became known as Hochheim Prairie, which folks today just call Hochheim. That's how the place took shape, one settler at a time, and in the years that followed, a number of Eastern European emigrants came and put down roots right alongside.

Now, among those newcomers were Jacob and Anna Poth. Anna's maiden name was Laake. The Poths weren't just settlers themselves.

They were sponsors. They rented land to other European arrivals, helping one wave of newcomers after another get a foothold in this part of Texas. And with all those folks coming in, many of them Catholic, the need for a place of worship became real and pressing.

So in 1906, Jacob and Anna Poth deeded land to the Diocese of San Antonio. That land would become St. Ann's Church and its cemetery.

But here's the thing worth noting. The Poths had already been using a small plot right at that same site as a family burial ground. The earliest interment there dates to 1891.

That little plot, known as Poth Cemetery, remains a part of St. Ann's Cemetery to this day. The oldest marked grave in the St.

Ann's portion belongs to an early settler named Vilhelm Onhaizer, dated 1907. And as the cemetery grew, it came to hold distinct sections. There was an infant burial area.

There was a section set aside for Mexican American parishioners. Those sections are no longer set apart, but they were there, and that history doesn't disappear just because the physical boundaries are gone. It deserves to be spoken plainly.

Among the people laid to rest here are farmers, members of fraternal organizations, and veterans of military conflicts going all the way back to the Civil War. Walk through the grounds today and you'll find curbed plots for individuals and families, decorative interior fencing, early vertical stones, an obelisk, a mausoleum, and a large crucifix. St.

Ann's Cemetery still serves Hochheim and the surrounding communities. It has been doing that work quietly and faithfully, chronicling the lives of pioneer settlers and the residents who came after them. One man settled here in 1845.

A family deeded land in 1906. And the ground has been keeping the record ever since.

What the marker says

In 1845, Valentine Hoch settled in this area, and the community that developed nearby soon became known as Hochheim Prairie (now Hochheim). A number of Eastern European emigrants would settle here in the following years. Among them were Jacob and Anna (Laake) Poth, who sponsored other European settlers and rented them land in this area. Many newcomers were of the Catholic faith and in need of a place of worship, so in 1906 the Poths deeded land to the Diocese of San Antonio for the establishment of a church (St. Ann's) and cemetery. The Poths had already set aside a small plot of land at this site for a family burial ground, with the earliest interment dating to 1891. Known as Poth Cemetery, it remains a part of St. Ann's Cemetery today. The oldest marked grave in the St. Ann's portion is that of early settler Vilhelm Onhaizer, in 1907. Initially, the cemetery included distinct sections (no longer set apart), including an infant burial area and a section for Mexican American parishioners. Among those buried here are farmers, members of fraternal organizations and veterans of military conflicts dating to the Civil War. The burial ground contains curbed plots for individuals and families, decorative interior fencing, early vertical stones, an obelisk, a mausoleum and a large crucifix. Today, St. Ann's Cemetery continues to serve Hochheim and surrounding communities, chronicling the lives of pioneer area settlers and later residents. Historic Texas Cemetery - 2006