Cistern Public Cemetery

A Footprints of Fayette article by Donna Day Cockrell & Gayle Clemons Newkirk:

The Cistern Public Cemetery

On the west side of Highway 95 just north of the community of Cistern sits the Cistern Public Cemetery at the corner of St. Charles and Manchester Streets. There is a modest fence header over a double gate declaring its name. Because of its location, it is easily overlooked by most travelers, but it has one distinctive feature in that an oil pump jack sits on the north section of the property. The pump jack continues to generate a small income for this cemetery.

Just south of the cemetery is the Cistern Black Cemetery (G. J. Michaelis Cemetery Association). South of that is the St. Cyril & Methodius Catholic Church and Cemetery. In 1853, all the above property belonged to Starks S. Cockrill, who purchased the J.T. Whitesides Land Grant and established his home and a farm for himself and provided land to his children who moved from Manchester, MO. Starks Cockrill succumbed during a yellow fever outbreak in 1862. His final resting place in the Cistern Public Cemetery is bordered by an ornate iron fence, and many of his descendants are buried near his grave, although some graves were never marked.

The community was initially called “Whitesides Prairie”, then was changed to Cockrill Hill and then to Milton. When the application for a Post Office was submitted for Cockrill Hill and Milton, those names were already in use, so the post office applications were denied. The town was finally named Cistern and the Post Office was granted in 1857. The community decided upon the name of Cistern, because the water in the area was unpalatable, and the cistern at the Cockrill General Mercantile Store supplied much of the water for the community.

The cemetery became formally organized and endowed in December1963. It was then that a group of prominent citizens decided to form the Cistern Cemetery Endowment Fund to provide maintenance for the current graves and to organize for future burials. The Cistern Public Cemetery consisted of Blocks 16, 17, 26, and 27, which were donated by Starks Cockrill, but apparently not deeded at that time. The Public Cemetery and Black Cemetery were separated by a chain link fence. The President of the Cistern Cemetery Endowment Fund was Max Marburger; Vice President was W. B. Rietz; Secretary-Treasurer was Harry Lueders with Alvin Gosch and Edmund Tiede as additional members. Many influential residents continued to take over the duties of the Cemetery Endowment Fund. Marie Blackwell Darling of Flatonia held the office of Secretary-Treasurer from 1992 until 2016 when she turned over the position to Joe and Donna Cockrell of Flatonia.  

This cemetery, like most others, tells a story about each person resting within its confines. There are a total of two hundred fifty-six marked graves. Each headstone marks the end of a life and hints at the life story of the deceased.

There are graves of veterans of the War of 1812, Civil War, World War I, World War II, and the Viet Nam Conflict. The most recent burial was in 2017. Many of the graves represent a life well-lived, but many are a representation of dreams that would never come true. That could be no more apparent than the grave of Louise Ivy, age 25, buried with her infant daughter in 1917. There are many other babies whose lives were cut short.

The cemetery historically held Memorial Services and Cemetery Association Meetings in May of every year when the dead were honored and business decisions for the association were made.  Many people remember cleaning the cemetery followed by a great picnic. This practice was later discontinued, because of a lack of interest and living family members having moved out of the area to seek their fortune. The Cistern Public Cemetery is still an active cemetery that has been recognized with an Historic Texas Cemetery Designation awarded by the Texas Historical Commission.

A current inventory of marked graves may be found in the Fayette Heritage Museum and Archives. We hope to resurrect interest in this cemetery, so if you have a family member buried there or know someone who does, please contact the Cemetery Association at 361-865-2650 or 972-740-9479.

Footprints Photo Caption:
Entrance gate at the Cistern Public Cemetery; courtesy of Carolyn Heinsohn

Sources:
Cistern Public Cemetery Endowment Fund Articles of Association filed with Fayette County Clerk 7 Dec 1963
Cistern Public Cemetery Association General Petition and Judgement filed 10 Jan 1968, Vol. 711, p. 497      
Voss and Voss Engineering Survey filed, Vol. 703, pp 186-187
Warranty Deed for G.J.Michaelis Cemetery Association filed 18 Jan 1988, Fayette County Clerk, Vol. 767, pp. 37-39
Will of Cora Cockrill filed by E.A. Arnim, Attorney-at-Law 10 Jan. 1972

The Cistern Public Cemetery is located on Manchester Street next to the Cistern Black Cemetery. The Cistern Public Cemetery was originally transcribed by Kathy Carter and Helen Muras on Oct. 27, 198. That survey was updated May 22, 2016 by Donna Day Cockrell and Gayle Clemons Newkirk.

	The Cistern Public Cemetery is located on Manchester Street next to the Cistern Black Cemetery. These photos below, contributed by Jody Campos, are only some of the many grave markers at the Cistern Public Cemetery.
James Edward Blankenship Dorothy Jean Gosch Blankenship "Parents of one son, Clifford J. Blankenship"	A.D. Braband 8 May 1823 - 2 Dec 1906
Anna Buehring 31 May 1864 - 7 Dec 1941 Juergen Buehring 24 Dec 1848 - 21 Aug 1828	Louis Buehring 12 Sep 1904 - 14 Oct 1904
Marie Buehring 26 Mar 1871 - 9 Oct 1900	Theo Buehring 2 May 1872 - 10 Aug 1924
William Buehring 1822 - 1902 Mathilda Buehring 1865 - 1931	Vencil Rudolph Fajkus 6 Nov 1911 - 18 Mar 1980 Hildagard Naumann Fajkus 11 Jul 1911 - no date
Chalmers Gosch 28 May 1890 - 9 Jun 1937 Alma M. Gosch 26 Mar 1890 - 2 Jan 1984 Brose Maynard Gosch 4 Nov 1918 - 2 Dec 1994, Son of Chalmers & Alma Gosch	Fredrick W. Gosch 29 Aug 1861 - 16 May 1940 Margaret M. Gosch 4 Sep 1870 - 14 Oct 1943
Daughter of J. H. & A. Grube 12 Jul 1905 - 6 Aug 1906	Annie Hartfield 1871 - 1950
Albert W. Marburger 6 Sep 1887 - 13 Jul 1960 Hattie N. Marburger 16 Mar 1891 - 30 Dec 1961
Anna Marburger 10 Oct 1840 - 2 Dec 1917 Same stone as Wilhelm	Arnold Marburger 15 Nov 1889 - 4 Aug 1974 Dovey Knight Marburger 21 May 1890 - 10 Feb 1972
Billy James Marburger 27 Oct 1937 - 9 Feb 1989	Felix James Marburger 12 Mar 1878 - 5 Apr 1952
Frances Marburger 12 Nov 1908 - 7 Feb 1940	Harry Max Marburger 13 Oct 1907 - 14 Aug 1981
Maria E. Marburger 19 Feb 1803 - 14 Jun 1886 Heinrich Marburger 20 Aug 1805 - 11 Jan 1893	Henry Marburger 27 Nov 1837 - 19 Oct 1913 Texas Pvt Co E Waul's Texas Legion CSA Bertha Marburger 4 Sep 1839 - 6 Oct 1918
Infant Marburger 1? Oct 1881 - 21 Occt 1881 Child of James & Mary Marburger	James Oliver Marburger 19 Aug 1922 - 6 Aug 1944
James Marburger 22 Mar 1841 - 3 Oct 1915 Texas 2d Lt Co G4 Texas Cavalry #134 CSA Mary A. Doss Marburger 14 Aug 1846 - 31 Dec 1916	Kathleen Ann Marburger 27 Jan 1940
Otto Marburger 1864 - 1945 Augusta Marburger 1867 - 1949	Robert Marburger 24 Dec 1870 - 30 Jan 1952 Augusta Marburger 8 Jan 1881 - 29 Nov 1949
W. H. Marburger 5 Aug 1869 - 4 Oct 1896	Wilhelm Marburger 3 Jul 1831 - 12 Jun 1896 Same stone as Anna
Woodrow A. Marburger 3 Dec 1913 - 3 Mar 1960	Arthur Naumann 1856 - 1937 Louise Naumann 1859 - 1947
August Naumann 22 Sep 1821 - 25 May 1889	Charlie A. Naumann 12 Mar 1884 - 29 May 1965 Ida N. Naumann 28 Aug 1885 - 14 Mar 1968
Edna Naumann 6 Jul 1899 - 14 Jul 1899	Gertrude Naumann 2 May 1896 - 12 Apr 1898
Eliza Naumann 8 May 1890 - ? Mar ???? Daughter of Arther & Louisa Naumann	Lula Naumann 10 Oct 1892 - 24 Jan 1973 Henry Naumann 17 Apr 1890 - 4 Feb 1946
Herbert Naumann 5 Sep 1885 - 30 Mar 1948 Selma Naumann 24 Oct 1889 - 29 Jan 1926	Anna Naumann 2 Sep 1860 - 5 Jul 1940 Hugo Naumann 30 Jan 1859 - 23 Nov 1929
Laura Naumann 10 Aug 1891 - 12 Jan 1893 Daughter of L. & A. Naumann	Lexie Lola Naumann 14 Mar 1901 - 16 Aug 1901 Daughter of Arthur & Louisa Naumann
Lula Myrtle Naumann 9 Sep 1900 - 14 Oct 1900 Daughter of Mr. & Mrs. Arthur Naumann	Max Naumann 17 Jun 1857 - ?4 Aug 1923
Minna Naumann 21 Feb 1832 - 28 Aug 1907	Oskar Naumann 17 Nov 1852 - 31 Aug 1903
Raymond C. Naumann 28 Jun 1918 - 19 Feb 1999 VFW World War II Army	August A. Otto 6 Jan 1914 - 28 Oct 1916
Adolph Plentl 10 Feb 1848 - 27 Sep 1901	Henriette Plentl 21 Sep 1849 - 30 Sep 1926
Max E. Plentl 27 May 1888 - 4 Jun 1956 Olga C. Plentl 14 Sep 1895 - 7 Jul 1983	Olga Vogelsang 8 Apr 1880 - 16 Jan 1885
Infant Vogelsang Born & Died 1? Sep 188? Child of Otto & Helene Vogelsang	Otto Vogelsang, Jr. 14 Sep 1890 - (Date buried) Died at Cistern, Texas
Bertha Zitelman 2 Jul 1838 - 19 Mar 1922	Chester J. Zitelman 25 Aug 1912 - 2 Mar 1961 Charlie F. Zitelman 23 Aug 1887 - 13 Jan 1975 Clara M. Zitelman 26 Feb 1891 - 6 Aug 1980

HOME | BIOGRAPHIES | CEMETERIES | COMMUNITIES | OBITUARIES | VITAL RECORDS