Cat Spring, Austin County
FRIEDRICH FERDINAND ENGELKING CAME TO TEXAS IN 1839 FROM SCHLÜSSELBURG, WESTPHALIA, PRUSSIA. IN 1842, HE PURCHASED 177 ACRES IN AUSTIN COUNTY AND LATER THAT YEAR MARRIED OTTILIE ELIZABETH CAROLINE LOUISE (LINA) VON ROEDER. A BURIAL SITE WAS SET ASIDE ON THE FARM FOR FAMILY PLOTS AND IT IS SUSPECTED THAT A CHILD OF FRIEDRICH AND LINA IS BURIED UNDER AN OAK TREE. THE CEMETERY DEVELOPED FROM A FAMILY PLOT TO THE ENGELKING CEMETERY. TWO CIVIL WAR VETERANS ARE BURIED HERE. IN ADDITION TO THE 14 MARKED GRAVES, SEVEN UNMARKED GRAVES ARE KNOWN TO EXIST, INCLUDING THE BURIAL OF “UNCLE WASH,” A SLAVE WHO SAVED THE LIVES OF THE ENGELKING FAMILY FROM AN INDIAN ATTACK. THIS HISTORIC CEMETERY IS CARED FOR BY ENGELKING DESCENDANTS. HISTORIC TEXAS CEMETERY – 2003