Eli Jackson Cemetery

An old photo, two un named graves honored.

In the far Northwest corner of the cemetery behind the tall crucifix monument of Amadeo Reyna Singleterry and the floral decorated headstone of Isreal Garza were two matching weather worn funeral home markers. Their paper nameplates unreadable, these two little metal stakes mark two of the unnamed graves of the Eli Jackson Cemetery.

There is surely family who think fondly of them but these two lonely markers are kept clean and tidy and honored by family who do not know the names of the interred. It is hoped that one day someone somewhere will remember who they are so they can be honored and remembered more fully.

(Photos from November 2019)

Despite very recent and still pending court activity there is no documentation that this cemetery was ever legally passed down from Eli Jackson when he died in 1911 without a will.

There is no marker or documentation that Eli is even buried here.
The cemetery was officially named after him by his granddaughter, Diana Cardenas, in 2004 when submitting the Texas Historical Commission Historic Cemetery Designation application to honor her grandmother, Adela Jackson Reyna - of whom she wrote about when writing the Historical Marker Sign, the granddaughter of Eli Jackson.

Eli was a leader in local politics and purchased several pieces of land from his siblings, relatives and neighbors. He was a respected land owner. His lands were bordered by his brother Martin's on one side and his niece Minerva Singleterry Brewster's on the other. He bought and sold much land during his lifetime.

The Singleterry and Brewster graves are clustered on the East side of the cemetery with stone markers. There are no remaining original Jackson grave markers for Eli's line - if they ever existed. None for Nathaniel, none for Eli, and none for Polo. This seems to indicate there were originally two "ranchito cemeteries" that merged together through time.

Over the years so very many people have cared for this cemetery and maintained parts of it. Within the last few years the cemetery has been cleaned, been cleared and updated and maintained by many descendants. Relatives have met relatives they never knew, descendants across the country have rallied and invested in this little plot of land that continue to be a lodestone to so many. Descendants of not just Eli but also descendants of Emily Singleterry and other related ancestors.

If a single person is allowed to own it- and change the name, declare it closed to public visitors and only allow one ancestor's family to be buried here - the hard work and sweat and love of so very many people over the past hundred plus years becomes a mockery.

A courtroom is where the fate of this beloved and beleaguered cemetery will be decided. Lawyers, descendants, Hidalgo County Courthouse.

I do not think Eli and Minerva ever envisioned it would come to this.

There are some new stones and markers in the cemetery!

Family members have updated and added some new stones. It is nice to see the cemetery thriving and know descendants will always care for and love this cemetery.

This cemetery has no owner and the improvements and modifications made by descendants and family members of existing and unmarked gravesites are protected under the Texas State Cemetery laws.

Light machinery - like diggers and mowers - need to be careful in the cramped and crowded areas and mindful of the delicacy of the existing markers and monuments. W**d whackers are more often used in those spaces.

Changes and improvements, adding and repairing monuments using conservational methods creates a tranquil, clean and safe area of remembrance and ultimately will foster a continued interest and love of the cemetery.

There is one more than one association that cares for the cemetery and many more descendants and relatives who are not part of associations.

The Unknown Six

There are six gravesites at the Eli Jackson Cemetery that contain unknown remains. Two markers no longer exist but are documented historically.

These are the six. Perhaps someone will recognize them and help us put a name to the grave.

Each link goes to the Findagrave Memorial of that marker with photos as available.

1. A cement or concrete cross with no markings. Predates the November 5, 1976. It is listed in the 1976 cemetery survey.
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/184117103/cement_cross-unknown

2. A little wooden cross with no markings that looks a lot like the one for Poncho Singleterry.
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/198990168/little_wooden_cross-unknown

3. Pink wooden cross. No longer exists but is listed and described in both the 1980 and the 1988 cemetery surveys.
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/214731556/pink_wooden_cross-unknown

4 & 5. A pair of identical metal plaque markers in the far north corner. The paper labels have worn away. These are not in the 1988 cemetery survey.
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/204623371/plaque_2-unknown

6. White wooden cross. An identical cross to that of Ignacio Garcia. It is listed in the 1980 Cemetery Survey. It might be Ignacio's wife Aurora's marker but no one has been able to confirm that.
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/214596779/white_wooden_cross-unknown

Name Confusion #3:
The Jackson Ranch Cemetery and the Eli Jackson Cemetery are a block apart and often confused with each other.

The Jackson Ranch Cemetery and Chapel was once owned and maintained by the Methodist church and now, most recently, by Dr Ramiro Ramirez - the great grandson of the founder, Martin Jackson- the son of Matilda and Nathaniel Jackson.

The Eli Jackson Cemetery was officially named by Eli's descendant Diana Cardenas when she applied for a Texas State Historical Marker. Before that it had various names.

Two cemeteries started by two brothers who lived and ranched side by side. Often called Ranchito Cemeteries, these two have been cherished by so very many descendants for a long time, have flourished and grown.

Despite legal battles, now being in so called "No Man's Land" behind the newly constructed giant Wall, despite floods, droughts, and the blazing heat of the South Texas sun they persevere - just as the descendants of Matilda and Nathaniel persevere.

Persevere, endure and thrive.

If you are at the cemetery and see a bee hive please be safe and leave it alone. They are Africanized Honey Bees. There were several hives in the piles of trash left behind by the protesters making mowing the front parking area very unsafe.

Thanks to the Jackson-Brewster Cemetery Preservation Association and Deanna Sears Limon for finding a local beekeeper willing and able to help, these bees were safely relocated and are thriving. And thanks to Florindo Singleterry for arranging the parking area mowing and clean up.

Maintaining a cemetery is a team effort and all help is appreciated.

2 new burials discovered!

Documented burials #104 and #105, a pair of infant sisters are the newest additions to the list of interred at the Eli Jackson Cemetery.
Porfiria Reyna: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/239985906/porfiria-reyna
and Heremelinda Reyna:
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/239986470/heremelinda-reyna.

They were the daughters of Abel S. Reyna Sr. (6 Apr 1923 El Capote, Texas - 10 Jun 1994, Oregon) and Elena Hernandez (10 May 1926 - 11 November 2007, Oregon.

No markers remain, if there ever were markers and there is no documentation whereabouts in the cemetery they are buried.

Huge thanks to Deanna Limon for finding this documentation and creating the Findagrave Memorials.

A life remembered:
Ventura Falcon Brewster -

She was born in Goliad and is a direct descendant of Marcos Cabrera- an Original Canary Islander. As his descendant she is a certified Daughter of the Republic and from a certified Texas First Family.

In 1894 she married Louis Brewster, the second eldest son of Minerva Singleterry and Dr. William Brewster. Ventura had at least 11 children. Three are buried in this same cemetery- her one year old daughters Edith and Rosa and her son James, a fallen soldier - the second, fourth and fifth oldest gravestones in this cemetery respectively.
Her cause of death and exact death date are lost to history.

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/183012419/ventura-falcon-brewster

Name Confusion #2:
How many times have you had to explain to someone that the Jackson Ranch Cemetery and the Eli Jackson Cemetery are two *different* cemeteries only a block apart?

Both are on Doffin Road.
Both were started by Jacksons.
Jackson Ranch Cemetery has a small chapel and a chain link fence.
Eli Jackson Cemetery has a street entrance and sometimes overgrown parking area.
Jackson Ranch Cemetery has about 38 documented burials.
The Eli Jackson Cemetery has about 102 documented burials.

It is easy to confuse the two locations if you are not familiar with them.

Martin and Eli, the cemeteries' founders, were brothers- both sons of Matilda Hicks and Nathaniel Jackson. Martin and Eli's properties ran alongside each other with their niece, Minerva Singleterry Brewster, owning property on the other side of Eli's.

Both cemeteries are beloved by and cared for by descendants to this day. With two distinct Associations - The Eli Jackson-Brewster Cemetery Preservation Association supported by Hollis Rutledge and Deanna Limon and the Eli Jackson Cemetery Association supported by Diana Cardenas and many many more individuals who tend and maintain the cemetery in honor of their ancestors.

Name Confusion #1:

Have you ever been to the nearby Brewster Bravo Cemetery?

To get to this often forgotten, tucked away remote cemetery you have to drive on a very narrow one lane "road" atop a levee with steep sides and a water canal on one side for half a mile, then turn right at the first dirt road, then turn right again at an unmarked dirt road that eventually opens into a wide parking area in front of the cemetery.

Purchased by Deputy William Brewster (1869-1953), the son of Dr. William J. T. G. Brewster and Minerva Singleterry (who was the daughter of former slave Matilda Hicks and stepdaughter of Nathaniel Jackson) from Esteban Bravo (1854-1924) the ranchito cemetery was part of the then adjoining Bravo Ranch.
Hence the cemetery is called the Brewster Bravo Cemetery.

The first burial occurred before 1912 and was that of a baby of David and Emma Box Bravo (grave is unlocated). Deputy Brewster, who purchased the cemetery, is also buried there.

Donated to the Santa Ana Wildlife Refuge in 1978 by a descendant, the Brewster family legally retains all burial rights to the cemetery. The last burial was a Bravo descendant in 2019 (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/196935371/encarnacion-o-aleman). Many markers of the 85 documented burials are unreadable.

There is a January 1980 Hidalgo County Historical Society Cemetery Survey that available online. It is misnamed the BREWSTER RANCH CEMETERY survey and has proliferated and caused many genealogical problems for those not personally familiar with the areas and the various names of each cemetery.
The internments listed in the misnamed Brewster Ranch Cemetery Survey are in the Eli Jackson Cemetery and NOT, as the title and cemetery description claim, of the Brewster Bravo cemetery.
The name confusion is longstanding even among local family members.

Name confusion is very common with small cemeteries. Much like people have many names- a birth name, a formal legal name, an everyday name, a shortened name, a nickname from childhood, a nickname only family uses, etc- so to do cemeteries.

The Eli Jackson Cemetery has been known by many names through time by various descendant family groups, in newspapers and in county death certificates. The Jackson Cemetery, the Brewster Cemetery, the Brewster-Jackson Cemetery, the cemetery al rio, etc.

The name of Eli Jackson Cemetery was formalized by Diana Cardenas, a direct descendant of Eli, in the application she submitted for the cemetery to be recognized by the Texas State Historical Commission in 2004 and on the Historical Marker she wrote the wording for. Her grandmother and former cemetery caretaker, Elvira Reyna Cardenas (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/206005571/elvira-cardenas), the most recent person to be interred here, was interviewed extensively for the infamous misnamed 1980 cemetery census and perhaps is responsible for the wrong title.

No matter the name this cemetery is loved by many and is rich with history.

Who has the oldest surviving grave in the cemetery?

George Brewster (Nov 1867 - 18 Jun 1899).
His tall plinth has a beautiful and interesting design detail at the top.

He was the eldest son of Dr William Brewster and Minerva Singleterry.
On December 5, 1886 in Reynosa, Tamaulipas, Mexico he married Maria Guadalupe Garza (1869–1898). They had at least five children together:
William (1884–1968)
Jorge (1890–1890)
Ida (1894–1912)
Teresa (1894–1965) and
Jorge (1898-?).
His descendants live in California, Monterey Mexico, and Texas.

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/140231822/george-brewster

Warning: The wording of the following articles is graphic and reflects the times they were written.

Polo Jackson is a resident of the Eli Jackson Cemetery.
He was a prominent valley pioneer. He was murdered 9 years after his son and nephew were murdered.

The man who was found guilty was his son's brother in law (as well has his nephew who had been murdered's half brother). That man was sent to Huntsville and imprisoned for 11 years before being pardoned by the governor. He made his way back to the valley, moved across the river, married and started a family. There are family stories that say he was innocent and place the blame elsewhere.

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/199564414/nathaniel-%22polo%22-jackson