New Tabor Cemetery
Caldwell, Burleson County, Texas
Marker Inscription
New Tabor was settled by Czech and German immigrants in the 1870s and 1880s. It was named for the community of Tabor in Czechoslovakia. In February 1888, Henry Ginzel sold 3.25 acres of land for a cemetery to trustees F. Jurcak, G. Hnilica and J. Skribanek. The first recorded burial here was that of infant Jan Skrabanek in July 1888; the first adult burial was that of Martin Fojt, who died in October 1888. A number of graves are those of infants and children, attesting to the often harsh conditions of pioneer life. The many who died in 1919 may have been victims of the influenza epidemic. More than 35 military veterans are interred here. With more than 841 graves, the cemetery continues to serve the descendants of New Tabor's pioneer settlers. (1999)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
New Tabor was settled by Czech and German immigrants in the 1870s and 1880s and named for the town of Tabor in their Bohemian homeland. In 1888 Henry Ginzel sold land to community trustees for a cemetery, whose first burials that year included an infant and a settler named Martin Fojt. The many infant and child graves speak to the hardships of pioneer life, while a cluster of 1919 deaths likely marks the influenza pandemic; more than 35 military veterans rest here among over 800 graves.
Why it matters
Czech and German immigrant settlements gave central Texas an enduring cultural stamp, and their cemeteries preserve the family lines and shared hardships of that migration.
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Related events
- · 1918 influenza pandemic
Themes & tags
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