Burleson Cemetery
Carrizo Springs, Dimmit County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Among the earliest settlers in the area later named Dimmit County, the Burleson family settled near Carrizo Springs between 1865 and 1870. James A. (1869-1895), Joseph E. (1870-1895), and Samuel (1877-1895) Burleson died suddenly, probably of food poisoning. The following July, Marion M. Burleson (1853-1895) succumbed to heat stroke and was buried on family land with his brothers and a Burleson child. As time passed, the graves on this site became a mystery. Investigations at the end of the twentieth century by the Texas Department of Transportation found it to be the final resting place of the Burleson family. (1998)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Among the first families to settle what became Dimmit County, the Burlesons arrived near Carrizo Springs between 1865 and 1870. In 1895 tragedy struck fast: three young Burleson men died suddenly, probably of food poisoning, and that July another brother succumbed to heat stroke and was buried alongside them and a Burleson child. Over the decades the graves faded into local mystery until a Texas Department of Transportation investigation in the late twentieth century identified the family resting here.
Why it matters
The lonely graves testify to the fragility of frontier life, where sudden illness and brutal heat could carry off an entire generation of a pioneering family.
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Related people
- · Marion M. Burleson
- · James A. Burleson
- · Joseph E. Burleson
- · Samuel Burleson
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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