Genealogists (like me) tend to spend a lot of time in old cemeteries. They tell so many stories — about the people buried there, the community and era in which they lived… fascinating places! So this week, thanks to my latest hobby and toy, I visited the cemetery in a nearby small town: Fulshear, Texas.
It wasn’t at all what I expected.
In many ways, this lovely little cemetery was like so many others in small towns everywhere. There were interesting stones and markers:
And poignant reminders that death visits humanity indiscriminately:
But as I walked around, I noticed that there was another section to this cemetery — a much different looking area:
Out of time, I had to leave, but I returned the very next morning, and it was like stepping into a completely different time and place. Riotous color, hand-poured and marked stones, tiny decorations — and 100% Hispanic names.
What’s up, I wondered, with this separate, distinct little section of the cemetery? Curious, I started visiting various people in town… but nobody knew! One person said they’d never noticed it, and another suggested that it was the “black cemetery” from days gone by.
Finally, I was given the name and number of “an old timer”, who told me that this was the “Mexican Cemetery”. He said that this had simply set itself up this way from the beginning. Apparently it’s handled separately, with someone else administering things.
I haven’t a clue what the whole story is, but all in all, this was a fascinating little find. You just never know what’s out there in the world until you go look.