When I Jeanine Plumer, moved to Austin, Texas, I became immediately enthralled with Texas history. Every time I saw a cemetery, I would go right to it, but then I’ve always been like that, I’ve always loved cemeteries, but the cemeteries in my new homeland of Austin, Texas. Told me the stories I was looking for.
Written by Jeanine Plumer
When we talk about the history of Austin, we are often reminded of the Burleson family.
One of the few things that remains to reminds us of those founding mothers and fathers, besides seeing their names on a tombstone in the state cemetery or on some streets in very far East Austin, they have been forgotten.
Something that does remain and you can see it for yourself because is a lost cemetery. It is all that remains of Aaron Burleson’s homestead, which once included his 22 children, 25 slaves and 2000 acres of land just east of Austin.
In 1836, when Sam Houston became the first president of the Texas Republic, one of the first items on his political agenda was to move the capital from Old Columbia, to the newly established city named in his honor, Houston. Houston would be the capital of the New Republic, or so he thought.
In 1839, when Marabeau Lamar became the second President of the Republic of Texas, one of the first items on his political agenda was to move the Capital anywhere, so long as it was not in Houston.
Lamar appointed four men as official Scouts, and sent them to Central Texas to find the perfect place for a new capital. At that time, Central Texas was sparsely populated by settlers and teeming with indigenous peoples. Nonetheless, for the convenience of all her citizens, Lamar believed the Texas capital should be in the center of Texas territory.
V Logan, James Rogers, GD Hancock and Aaron Burleson (all veterans of the Battle of San Jacinto) roamed the hills and valleys of Central Texas on horseback, until they finally, unanimously, agreed on the land along the northern shore of the Colorado River, where the Great Plains, Central Plains and Coastal Plains meet at the Balconies Escarpment.
Soon after the capital was established, Aaron Burleson spotted and claimed a piece of land five miles east of the new city. The land was along the road that led to Bastrop today this road isounty Road 969 and as the road gets closer to Austin it is Martin Luther King Blvd. Here Aaron and his new bride, Minerva, built a homestead and began their family.
The unsettled land swarmed with Wild Turkey, deer and bear. Eventually, the valleys below the towering Burleson Hill were filled with cattle and cotton. Aaron owned 25 slaves, who did much of the work to keep the ranch prosperous. The exact location of all of the ranch structures, including the slave quarters, Burleson family house, smokehouse, kitchens, and barn all have been lost in time. The only remaining evidence of the Burleson estate is the family cemetery and the adjacent slave cemetry.
Today, locals call it the Rogers Hill Cemetery. The Rogers also owned a large tract of land in the area. A small portion of the cemetery is enclosed by a chain link fence, The name Rogers is engraved on all of the tombstones.
The first interments that we know of based on the remaining tombstones in the Burleson Cemetery were five of Minerva and Aaron’s 11 children who died in infancy. Eventually, all of the other six children were buried in the family lot, but not before their mother, who died in 1855. Ten years later, as the Civil War ended, Aaron married Jane Tannehill. He gave the plantation to his living children and moved east to a 1600 acre ranch in Webberville. Over the years, even after all the plantation buildings had been destroyed, Burleson family members continue to be buried in the cemetery. Jane, who died in 1898, and Aaron, who died in 1885, are also buried in the cemetery. Weirdly enough, Jane gave birth to eleven children, as did Minerva, and five died as infants, as five of Minerva’s children had died in infancy.
Other families, neighbors and transients were also buried in this lost cemetery.
Though no one knows exactly who or how many are buried there. Most are in unmarked graves. The only evidence of the decaying bodies beneath the soil are the sunken patches of Earth. Scattered through the thick jungle like growth of plant life. An occasional glimpse of flourishing non indigenous iris or other bulbs.
A variety of tombstones are clearly visible. The prominent older ones, are close to the Burleson section. On the outskirts of the original lot, a few smaller formal tombstones can be seen, as well as numerous homemade markers, Many barely discernible through the overgrown foliage. Which permeates the whole cemetery.
Much of the Burlison land was sold to the state, and in 1933 the State farm colony was constructed. For over 10 years, until the end of World War Two, troubled, unruly, or otherwise unwanted boys lived at the colony. In 1945, it became the Travis State School, a home. mentally challenged males and females of all ages. Many individuals spent their most of their lives at the school and when they died, were buried in the school cemetery. Buildings were constructed and the institution was completely self sufficient. The dairy and vegetable The dairy, the dairy farm and vegetable garden were located in the valley where the Travis County Correctional Facility is today.
In this short story. You will also hear the name of another old Austin family from the early, early days, and that is the family of the Barton. Yes, the Bartons, for whom Barton Hill and Barton Creek are named.
The Burleson family consisting of eight boys and two girls was one of the first families of Central Texas. One afternoon this large family had gathered to celebrate a birthday. One of the brothers, John Burleson, was in notably distraught spirits, mourning the loss of his frail, lovely wife, whom he had been married to for only a short time. Suddenly, in a show of untamed insolence, one of the guest’s dogs jumped on the table and began eating the picnic lunch. Wayne Barton, Austin’s first Sheriff, comrade of the Burleson brothers during the Battle of San Jacinto and husband to their sister Mary Jane, unholstered his gun and shot the ill mannered canine. The grieving John, a longtime dog lover, was appalled by such cruelty. Unholstering his own gun, he began shooting wildly. Clearly overwhelmed by a life laden with uncontrollable tragedy, John’s mind had snapped. No one could get close enough to unarm him. Assessing the situation from behind a tree, brother-in-law Wayne Barton took decisive action and shot John, killing him. The Burleson family was a close knit group and they just didn’t think there was a cause for Wayne to go and shoot John, after all, He was going through a tough time. Justice as it was in those days, called for retaliation. Ed Burleson Junior, who had a particular fondness for his Uncle John, in turn shot Wayne, killing him. Taking full responsibility for his actions, Ed Junior left his wife in Texas and went south to Mexico, where he lived the rest of his days with his new wife and their two children.
During the Depression, between 1936 and 1938 in an attempt to utilize the resources of many. Able and unemployed scholars the WPA Federal Writers Project hired writers to go into neighborhoods around the country and interview former slaves. Eventually, the Library of Congress collected. 2000 interviews, from 17 states, one of which was Texas. On October 10th, 1937 in Austin, Alfred E Menn interviewed Mrs Mary Ann Patterson. Who was 97 years old at the time. The following portion of her interview is the only existing written documentation depicting what life was like on the Burleson family plantation for the slaves.
This is an excerpt from the Texas Slave Narratives.
Way back yonder, my name was Mary Ann Burleson. I was born in Louisiana, but I don’t know just where. I’se anywhere from 97 to 102 years old. I know it was told that I was brought to Texas when I was 18 months old. A Mr Turner sold me and Mama to Colonel Aaron Burleson. Master Burleson bought both of us, ’cause he was a good man and didn’t believe in separating a child from its mammy. I do think that man has gone to heaven.
I don’t know nothing about my Papa. We was just brought from Louisiana, me and Mama, out here, to Texas. All I remember is that Mama’s name was Lucy Burleson. When I growed up it was my job to wetnurse Rufe Burleson. There was nothing the matter with him, but his Mama did not have enough milk for him.
I helped with the work in the loom room. I had to do 5 cuts a day, but I was fast enough to make eight cuts a day. I made five cuts for the white people and three for myself.
It was during cotton picking that I learned to count a little. I picked my cotton, brought it to the wagon, and listened to him counting on the scales. Pretty soon I could count my own cotton. Sometimes Master Burleson would come to the field and weigh cotton for us. He was good to us, and he never liked for women to lift too much. When a woman had a child and no husband, to take care of her, Master Burleson would make a man go out and chop wood for her, and that slave had better act like he wanted to. Master bought pine from Bastrop and he built a slave’s good wood dellings. Master Burleson had his plantation on Rogers Hill, east of Austin.
Now, let me tell you about the cooks Master Burleson had a cook for the big house and he had a cook for the slaves. The house was a kitchen in the big house for the whites. And there was a kitchen and long table for the hands. We had pretty good vittles. I remember we had so much hog meat we threw away the hogs head and feet. Master Burleson raised his own hogs. Everything that old master to eat, we had it too. Sometimes we ate deer and there was time when we had bear meat and honey. Master Burleson had his own bees
I remember how at sweet potato time, Mamma would sneak out to the patch and scratch up some sweet potatoes. Whetn master Burleson found the potatoes gone, he’d just say. Now I know nobody done this, but old, Lucy.
I seen many Indians in droves. The Indians never bothered us. Day was one engine whose name was Placido. Old Placido and his son would come on down to Master Burleson’s place, and Old Master would give him plenty of food. When the Indians came near, the cattle would low and cut up., ’cause they knowed when Indians was around.