Not much history can be found or discovered about Montopolis Cemetery aka San Jose Cemetery No. 2. There is so much unknown history regarding this cemetery. Montopolis Cemetery aka San Jose Cemetery II/San Jose Cemetery No. 2 is one of Austin’s most forgotten cemeteries that has long been forgotten. This news article will explore and explain the history of Montopolis Cemetery aka San Jose Cemetery II/San Jose Cemetery No. 2.
Ada Seeling Poston purchased the 4½ acres of property off Hoeke Lane in late 1940 for a cemetery. This cemetery would become what is known as Montopolis Cemetery aka San Jose Cemetery II/San Jose Cemetery No. 2 today. Montopolis Cemetery aka San Jose Cemetery II/San Jose Cemetery No. 2 was open to the public in 1942. The reason Montopolis Cemetery aka San Jose Cemetery II/San Jose Cemetery No. 2 was established is because the original San Jose Cemetery (San Jose Cemetery I) reached capacity and had already gone overcapacity by 1942. (Ref: https://abc.austintexas.gov/attachment/attachmentDownload.jsp?p=rhL9yeJHMmUCynYV0gpaHYQlUeakbjOS5oWueW5EJIq7inE%2BsPiJJR3CO38Fn9WPo5kPrLtpNNTfu4oi7c8Zhe37WOk3LE7o%2FRWzi%2BAT%2BCJKnpLxpJv%2FDh0xManC8tpF)
The earliest marker dates back to 1942 which is the burial of Nieves Castillo. His burial is located on the western portion (west side) of the cemetery. 
According to a land deed from September 21, 1943, a widow named Louise Seeling purchased the land from her mother, Ada Seeling Poston, on the date of September 21, 1943. Louise Seeling was related to Ada Seeling Poston. She was a member of her family. 1943 was the year when ownership of the cemetery and land property was transferred from Ada Seeling Poston to Louise Seeling. (Ref: Travis County Public Records - Real Estate, Volume 722, Pages 623-625)
Louise Seeling approached the men's society at San José Church for help with groundskeeping maintenance in the 1940s. She had intended to create a community cemetery for the Montopolis community. Of course the men's society at San José Church was already maintaining María De La Luz. So they initially refused her offer and turned her down. She still had plotted and created this cemetery with very little outside help. (Ref: http://sanjose.philmullins.com/environment/)
Louise Seeling claimed all ownership including property rights and mineral rights by 1947. She was made the then-current owner of Montopolis Cemetery aka San Jose Cemetery II/San Jose Cemetery No. 2. (Ref: Travis County Public Records - Real Estate, Volume 722, Pages 625)
Most of the burials in this cemetery date from between 1947 and 1952. This is because priests from San José Church buried 12 people in this cemetery between 1949 and 1952. Many of whom were infants who died from various health complications. (Ref: http://sanjose.philmullins.com/environment/)
There are an estimated 50 graves at this cemetery. There are at least 25 graves on the southern portion (south side) of the cemetery. There are 21 graves on the eastern portion (east side) of the cemetery. Also there are at least 2 burials on the western portion (west side) of the cemetery towards Ella Lane and Hoeke Lane. However some of these burials have no markers or tombstones. Some of these markers have been lost for a long time. 
Sometime during the 20th century is when Louise Seeling sold the land to Joe M. Ruedos. Joe M. Ruedos passed away. His daughter, Gilberta R. Pena, was the only surviving heir and successor trustee to the Montopolis Cemetery. Gilberta R. Pena sold the cemetery to Refugio Herrera, Melecio Salazar, Joe Cisneros, and Ricardo Flores, Jr. in 1983. Refugio Herrera, Melecio Salazar, and Ricardo Flores, Jr. were listed the trustees for the Montopolis Cemetery. (Ref: Travis County Public Records - Real Estate, Volume 8179, Page 185)
Now the most recent markers date back to 1988. The most recent burials that can be found in this cemetery are the burials of Juan Manuel Mendoza and Pedro Ignacio Balderas. Both of whom died in 1988. (Ref: https://web.archive.org/web/20200125023306/http://www.austintxgensoc.org/cemeteries/san-jose-ii-cemetery/)
Juan Manuel Mendoza
Mar. 28, 1961 Oct. 29, 1988
Pedro Ignacio Balderas
1912 1988
Joe Cisneros sold this land to Gabriela Martinez in 2002. She was then made successor trustee of the San Jose Cemetery No. 2/Montopolis Cemetery. Gabriela Martinez would be the owner and groundskeeper of this cemetery for a number of years before gifting the land to Esmeralda Muniz. (Ref: Travis County Public Records, 2002011749)
Esmeralda Muniz was named as successor trustee of the San Jose Cemetery No. 2/Montopolis Cemetery in 2010 according to a right of entry deed. Esmeralda Muniz is the current owner and groundskeeper of San Jose Cemetery No. 2. (Ref: Travis County Public Records, 2010047631)
In 2012, talks with City of Austin Code Compliance Department and Travis County were conducted about how to how to best clean up and document Montopolis Cemetery because the site has become an illegal dumpsite for trash. Business owners and volunteer groups have offered to help clean up the cemetery. Dale Flatt of Save Austin’s Cemeteries said, “The site will soon be cleared.” (Ref: https://www.sachome.org/e-newsletters/2012%20Winter%20enewsletter.pdf)
However nothing happened and the cemetery became overgrown with vegetation such as heavy brush and poison oak. Litter from by residents living in trailer homes was dumped into this cemetery several times over the years.
Construction began on new storage warehouses for a warehouse industrial park near the southern portion (south side) of San Jose Cemetery II in fall of 2020. CodeNEXT has zoned this site for development even though there are known burials here. Warehouse development dumped mounds of dirt onto part of San Jose Cemetery II during the process of construction. The original historic fence posts and original fence lines have been pushed down. This is destruction and desecration of cemetery property. (Ref: https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/ab9ed16cf38d41609f79bf20f2791eb7?fbclid=IwAR00dDJn8PZfuxFxka0y8dQ11bWb4i1zDSv5vvG6BZx39cImi9-XnFqvpL8)
Drainage from rain water also remains an environmental concern for the site as the part of the cemetery property is located on a slope resulting in loose soil. Loose soil still remains. The type of soil found in this land is classified as clay soil.
Cemetery cleanup was done for San Jose Cemetery II in December 2020. Trash from the adjacent development and neighbors was removed along with the clearing away of pervasive rose vines, dead tree limbs and poison oak. Some of the burials were cleaned up.
Today this cemetery is abandoned. Most of the head stones are hard to see as the cemetery is overgrown with brush and high grass. Trees have grown all over the cemetery property. (Ref: http://www.austintxgensoc.org/cemeteries/san-jose-ii-cemetery/)
Montopolis Cemetery aka San Jose Cemetery II/San Jose Cemetery No. 2 has never really been properly excavated or surveyed by any archaeologists. Little is known about the extent of the boundaries. This means construction can occur on top of unmarked burials. Yet there are historical burials in this cemetery. (Ref: https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/ab9ed16cf38d41609f79bf20f2791eb7?fbclid=IwAR00dDJn8PZfuxFxka0y8dQ11bWb4i1zDSv5vvG6BZx39cImi9-XnFqvpL8)
Entries to this cemetery are on the west side and behind a steel blue manufacturing building. If you enter this cemetery, you might not find all of the graves as most of the graves are located on the east side of the cemetery. The cemetery is not maintained and some graves are not marked.
The address for Montopolis Cemetery aka San Jose Cemetery II/San Jose Cemetery No. 2 is 8101 Posten Lane, Austin, Texas, US 78744. The other address for Montopolis Cemetery aka San Jose Cemetery II/San Jose Cemetery No. 2 is 8101 Poston Lane, Austin, Texas, US 78744. This cemetery lies tucked away less than 3 miles from the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.
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