Hays County Indigenous and Tejano Cemeteries
Veracrus Burial Ground
Also known as Ranch Hand/Native American Cemetery
Kyle, TX
The Veracrus Ranch Hand Cemetery in Kyle, Texas was a burial place of Mexican Ranch hands of the area who had no place of burial given the exclusive and segregated nature of the county at that time. Who knows the daily hardships they faced?
The Nance Ranch and numerous other ranches in the Kyle area made vital contributions to commerce and the development of Hays County. It is important to understand that these ranches would never have flourished if it wasn’t for the back-breaking work that the Ranch Hands did day-in and day-out: picking cotton, shearing sheep, breaking horses, herding cattle, and plowing fields.
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The cemetery is believed to pre-date the St. Vicente Cemetery that began to see burials in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. St. Vicente Cemetery was named for Vicente Gonzales, who donated the land for a Hispanic cemetery. There was, at that time, no proper burial ground for the Mexicans of the Kyle area. Most Mexicans were buried on property owned by the ranchers for whom they worked. There were many such burial plots scattered all over Hays County. Until Mr. Gonzales donated the land for a cemetery, there was no central place for these citizens of the Kyle area to place their loved ones to rest. Located on private property. Permission is needed to access. Near Old Stagecoach Rd. and Wildcatt Hollow Dr.
James-Duran-Alba
Dripping Springs, Texas
Victoriano Alba and Loreta Tijerina were married on April 13, 1867 at the San Fernando Catholic Church in Bexar County. They would baptize one adopted daughter, Jesusa and 12 more children (4 girls and 9 boys). The first five were baptized at the San Fernando Catholic Church in Bexar County and thereafter in 1876 their remaining children were baptized at St. Mary's Cathedral in Austin.
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In 1900 Victoriano was a widower, a farmer and father to 6 young boys. On Nov. 15, 1900 he purchased 160 acres of land for $425 on the headwaters of Barton Creek in Dripping Springs. In 1922 and "considering the uncertainty of life," his Last Will and Testament was filed in Hays County leaving the original 100 acres to three sons Francisco, Santiago and Cresencio; he gifted his son Felipe 60 acres of the original 160 acres of land known as the "Alba Ranch" located on McGregor Lane, Dripping Springs, TX. Prior to Victoriano's death his family would own nearly 1,000 acres in Hays County. On March 28, 1932 Victoriano passed away and is buried in the James-Duran-Alba Cemetery located on private property on Bell Springs Road; his headstone is a tiled cross bearing his name.