Monday, May 25, 2020

Exploring Becker Cemetery in San Antonio, Texas.


Becker Cemetery is one of the many forgotten cemeteries of San Antonio and Bexar County that is not well known. Not too much history about this cemetery has been well persevered or archived. This news article will attempt to explain the history behind Becker Cemetery. This is one of the most hidden cemeteries in the city of San Antonio, Texas.

William Becker purchased 300 acres of land 16 miles west of San Antonio, Texas in 1798 to establish a family farm and ranch. Some of the land he owned was the modern day Lackland AFB. Sometime during the 1800s is when the land was transferred to Matthias Becker and Ferdinand J. Becker. Matthias Becker and Ferdinand J. Becker owned the land William Becker had passed away. Matthias Becker owned some of the land also.
(Ref: Bexar County Deed Records: Volume 1265, Page 373)
(Ref: Bexar County Deed Records: Volume 2417, Page 25 & 26)


 
A family cemetery was established and plotted on his land which would be called Becker Cemetery. Becker Cemetery was said to have been plotted by William Becker and Ferdinand J. Becker plotted sometime during the 1800s. Exactly when is unknown. The year he plotted the cemetery is unknown. (Ref: Bexar County Deed Records: Volume 4785, Page 163)

According to Bexar County Deed Records, this cemetery was a private cemetery. So Becker Cemetery was originally a private cemetery reserved for members of the Becker family only. There are people with different names buried in this cemetery that are relatives of or were related to the Becker family. (Ref: Bexar County Deed Records: Volume 4785, Page 171)

According to genealogytrails.com, there are 14 burials in Becker Cemetery. However that is incorrect as Becker Cemetery was a family cemetery with more than 14 burials. There are believed to be at least 20 burials and possibly even more that haven’t been discovered. Some of the gravestones to these burials could be lost or have been relocated to another cemetery. There are other people buried here because this was also a community cemetery. Most of the burials in this cemetery date back to the 1930s. So this cemetery is not very old as most people would have you believe. (Ref: http://genealogytrails.com/tex/southtexas/bexar/cem/bexar.html)

The earliest known burials dates back to 1915 for the burial of William Henken who was a member of the Becker family and grew up on William Becker’s farm. (Ref: Cemeteries of Bexar County, SAGHS Publication No. 3)

The most recent burial is the burial of Naomi Ruth “Ruth” Andrews Harris dating back to October 15, 1991. She was the daughter of Jacob Andrews and Rebecca Abigail Partain. She was the last person known to be buried in Becker Cemetery. (Ref: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/143342216/naomi-ruth-harris)

Today Becker Cemetery is isolated away in an inaccessible corner on the William Becker farm off US 90. The cemetery is overgrown with natural vegetation.

Becker Cemetery is located at 8941 South Loop 1604, San Antonio, Texas, US 78252.

7 comments:

  1. This so happens to be in our neighborhood, CINCO LAKES. Still stands and blocked off while builders wait to see of the can build over the tomb stones or have to build around them. So sad..

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  2. I live in the sub division at Medina Landing and that is crazyyyyyy
    They should not build over the graves. Those houses will be forever haunted

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  3. Yes tell me about it I live in cinco lakes and many people in the neighborhood have experienced something in their homes

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  4. Did MI Homes delete this from Google maps? It's is no longer showing up on the Google map when I search for it...

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  5. MI Homes appears to be building a house directly in front of it.

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