Belle Hille Estates is wrongly named. It is not on Belle Hill in Westlake. Belle Hill is more likely to be in the Las Lomas subdivision, the northern section of the subdivision. We know this because at the base of Belle Hill is the Jackson Cemetery. Frank and Betty Swisher sold a 26-acre tract of land to the Jackson family in 1885.
Frank and Bettie Swisher were descendants of the Swisher family slaves that were brought to Texas from Tennessee. Frank’s father was George Swisher, Born in Tennessee in 1813. Frank, however, was born in Texas. Neither were freed men until after the Civil War. After selling the property, Frank and Betty moved into the city, but the land which they sold remained predominantly African American.
The first of Frank and Bettie’s deed dated April 17th 1885, transfers 15.5 acres. In that deed. It says I quote ”Less than one half acre existing at the North End of the track, which is hereby reserved for a graveyard for the use of the neighborhood”. Also, on that date, Frank and Betty Swisher sold a. 10.5 acre tract of land to Milton Jackson and his wife, Lucinda Jackson. In the deed, it says ”less about one half acre of said land set apart for a burying ground for the neighborhood and which lies along the northeast line of the same.”
On Google maps the cemetery is at the base of an elevation that takes you to Stratford Drive.
This is a document presented by. EPSY, Houston and Associates titled:
Jackson Historical Cemetery, Los Lomas subdivision. (link is to Find-a-Grave where the four death certificates can be seen.)
”In July of 1984,, Manor would Development Corporation of Brian, Texas contracted the cultural Resources Unit of Epsy, Houston and Associates, Inc of Austin, Texas to locate and define the boundaries of two cemetery reservations mentioned in the deed of their recently acquired 108 Acre Los Lomas subdivision in Travis County, Texas and to determine the approximate number of internments contained therein. Extensive research and interviews, and on the ground, archeological surveys and finally a remote sensing survey of the area were necessary to achieve the goals of the study. A cemetery was located, the boundaries were delineated, and the approximate number of internments has been determined.”
There are only four known Internments at the cemetery, but they determined through the report that there are approximately 46 bodies buried in the half acre cemetery, including an unknown number of smallpox victims in 1916.
According to an Austin American Statesman article written May 10th of 1917.
SMALLPOX NOW UNDER CONTROLL
City Soon will be free of the Dreaded Disease.
”The smallpox situation in Austin is very much improved, according to Dr Woolsey, city health officer as no new cases have been reported for some time, it is felt that the city will soon be entirely free of the disease. Three new cases have been reported this month. Four have been sent to the pest camp outside of the city since April 13th. There are now about 50 persons at the pest camp, two thirds of whom are convalescent and will be discharged soon.”
According to an interview that was conducted with Mrs Willie Smith, daughter of Jenny Jackson Woods.
”Mrs Smith was able to outline a genealogy for the Woods family from the late 19th century up to the present. She accompanied the investigator to the cemetery and identified the site of the grave of her mother. It is located on the West side of the fence out of the Las Lomas subdivision on the former property of Nathan Woods. Mrs Woods also stated that her grandmother, Mary Jane Jackson, and possibly her grandfather Reuben Jackson, her mother’s husband Douglas Woods, and possibly his father Nathan Woods, and also possibly Nathan’s wife, were buried in the cemetery. The area to the West of the property line outside of Las Lomas subdivision is presently known as the Woods family portion of the Jackson Family Cemetery, while the area to the east is known as the Jackson family portion of the Jackson Cemetery. Mrs. Smith’s sister, Mary Jane Woods, who died in 1918, was buried on the Jackson side of the cemetery by mistake. An interview was also conducted with descendants of the Jackson family in an attempt to determine the number of graves in the Jackson Family cemetery. Interviewed were Lewis Jackson Shaw and Willie Jackson Parks, daughters of Silas Jackson, the son of Milton and Lucinda Jackson. Harold Spencer, who is the son of Alberta Spencer, daughter of Julia Jackson, who is the daughter of Milton and Lucinda Jackson. They accounted for a minimum of 17 family members buried in the cemetery, including Milton and Lucinda Jackson, 11 of their 16 children, two children. Lucinda had from a previous marriage, one grandchild and possibly her parents.”
An interview was also done with Jim De Groot, owner and resident of property immediately southwest of the study area. ”Mr De Groot was able to identify the possible location of approximately 10 graves in an area of about one-half acre. He reported that twenty years ago the graves were marked with wooden grave markers, some of which exhibited inscriptions. However, the property had been leased for grazing, and the livestock had destroyed the markers.”
”An interview with Mr and Mrs Sam Cooke was also conducted who owned and lived on the 26-acre track which is the subject of the survey from September 1936 until February 1945. They were able to identify the location of the cemetery as the same 1/2 acre area at the base of the hill in 1984. The cooks did not remember the specific locations of the individual graves, but did recall a burial that occurred during their ownership, possibly as late as the early 1940s.”
Today there is a 15-foot-wide walkway which extends from the public street to the cemetery.
Excerpt from the book Eames Portrait of a Community by Linda Vance and Dorothy Depew.
Riseatx Austin’s Black Freedom Communities.
African American Resource Guide AHC
