Oak Knoll Cemetery
Bellville, Austin County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Frederick William (1800-1854) and Marie Louise Starke (1827-1894) Luhn purchased 697 acres here in 1848. When Frederick died in 1854, he was buried on this homestead just east of their log home. A year later, Marie married John Siegfried (1821-1898). As the need arose, the Siegfrieds offered the use of the site for burials. In 1870, a small parcel was deeded to the fathers of three interred children. In 1889, as more burial plots were sold, an association was formed that has, since those early days, overseen the funding, the layout, the growth and the care of this site that chronicles the lives of generations of Bellville's Citizens. Historic Texas Cemetery-2001
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
This burial ground began on the homestead of Frederick William Luhn, buried here in 1854 after he and his wife bought nearly 700 acres in 1848. His widow later remarried, and the family opened the site for neighbors' burials as need arose, deeding parcels and eventually forming an association that has cared for it since the late 1800s. Its stones chronicle generations of Bellville families.
Why it matters
A homestead grave that grew into a community cemetery is a familiar arc of frontier settlement, preserving the genealogy of an entire rural district in one plot of ground.
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Related people
- · Frederick William Luhn
- · Marie Louise Starke
- · John Siegfried
Themes & tags
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