Smoothing Iron Cemetery
LAVACA COUNTY, TEXAS
One of the older cemeteries in the county, this cemetery is located near what was once the small town of Smoothing Iron. According to Sammy Tise: "when the railroad came thru the whole town was moved to what is now Sublime." Tise inventoried the cemetery in 1979 for his Lavaca County, Texas Cemeteries, Volume I. The cemetery has almost one hundred markers, the oldest for Christian Laas, who died 6 September 1859.
To get to the Smoothing Iron Cemetery travel east out of Sublime on Hwy 90-A approx. 1 mile to CR 149. Turn left on CR 149 and travel 0.7 miles. This county road curves to the left. At the curve is CR 149A and you will see a sign that says Smoothing Iron Cemetery 1859. Follow this gravel/dirt track for 0.4 miles. The cemetery is on the left side at the end of the road.
Many of the markers in this cemetery are deteriorating. The markers were photographed (as indicated by the numbers in the notes section below) as the cemetery was walked — starting at the gate. Many markers were a simple, flat granite stone with just a last name. There were only a few double markers, those are noted with duplicate numbers in the listing. (For example, there are two #4s—Theresia & John Weiss share a double tombstone, but the information is listed separately. There are four #83s—the tombstone was for four; however, it appears only three are buried there as there are no dates for the fourth person.) A few of the flat markers were covered in a light layer of sand. It's possible that there were others that were missed.
The cemetery was photographed and transcribed by Sandra Long Anders on June 13, 2008. Photos can be e-mailed upon request.
Additional notes are provided here by Regena Williamson. Her sources are listed within brackets. Church baptism, marriage, and death records listed as sources are all from the Sublime Zion Lutheran Church.
| Name |
Birth
|
Death
|
Notes and/or Photograph #
|
| Addicks, Emilie K. |
20 May 1859
|
26 Feb 1866
|
72
|
| Addicks, Louis B. |
26 Oct 1866
|
5 Apr 1870
|
Listed in Sammy Tise's 1979 inventory, but not photographed in 2008
|
| Albert, C. C. H. |
5 Jul 1798
|
25 Oct 1885
|
76
|
| Albert, Casper |
|
|
No dates; 78
|
| Albert, Regiene |
1811
|
18 Aug 1868
|
75
|
| Albert, Suzana |
|
|
No dates; 77
|
| Betterton, Minnie (daughter) |
|
|
Maiden name Cordes; no dates; 83
|
| Blaschke |
|
|
Surname only; the two Blaschke graves are probably Joseph and Hellena Blaschke, parents of Theresa Weiss [census]; 7
|
| Blaschke |
A second stone with only the Blaschke surname was listed by Sammy Tise, but not found in 2008
|
||
| Cordes, Caroline (mother) |
1852
|
1944
|
5 Nov 1852-7 Jun 1944 [church death]; death certificate states death on Jun 6 and maiden name Paschen; 83
|
| Cordes, Delmar D. |
1 Sep 1915
|
18 Apr 1987
|
85
|
| Cordes, Frederich (father) |
1852
|
1911
|
83
|
| Cordes, Julius (son) |
1881
|
1949
|
83; same person as next
|
| Cordes, Julius Fritz |
1881
|
2 Jul 1949
|
84; born 11 Jan 1881, son of Frederich and Caroline Cordes [church death]
|
| Cordes, Oscar |
|
|
No dates; 82
|
| Dohmann, Wilhelm V. |
2 Feb 1877
|
6 Aug 1880
|
Death day may be 16 Aug; 32
|
| Hauptmann |
|
|
No dates or given name; 2
|
| Husemann, Agnes |
26 Jul 1882
|
22 Feb 1889
|
39
|
| Johnson, Annie L. |
1875
|
1959
|
25
|
| Johnson, James E. |
1876
|
1951
|
25
|
| Koehne |
|
|
Surname only; 42
|
| Koehne |
|
|
Surname only; 43
|
| Koehne |
|
|
Surname only; 44
|
| L. R. A. |
|
|
Initials only; 73
|
| Laas, Christian |
16 Aug 1828
|
6 Sep 1859
|
70
|
| Meyer |
|
|
Surname only; 40
|
| Meyer |
|
|
Surname only; 41
|
| Meyer |
|
|
Surname only; 50
|
| Meyer |
|
|
Surname only; 51
|
| Meyer, Alfred H. |
24 Dec 1897
|
12 Dec 1917
|
CO A 111 ENGRS; 79
|
| Meyer, Friederike |
21 Mar 1842
|
26 Dec 1887
|
29
|
| Meyer, Henry C. |
1871
|
1949
|
80
|
| Meyer, Infant Daughter of August & Annie |
|
|
57
|
| Meyer, Infant Daughter of Charley & Lena |
|
|
56
|
| Meyer, Oscar C. |
18 Jul 1891
|
14 Oct 1918
|
BAT D 126 FA; died Glasgore, Scotland; 27
|
| Meyer, Wilhelm |
18 Dec 1876
|
23 Jun 1909
|
Friedrich Wilhelm?; birth day probably 13 Dec; 30
|
| Meyer, Wilhelmine |
9 Sep 1815
|
5 Nov 1888
|
53
|
| Meyer, William |
9 Nov 1841
|
7 Jul 1904
|
28
|
| Miller, Robert (father) |
22 Nov 1836
|
27 Mar 1920
|
71
|
| Miller, Louise (mother) |
7 Apr 1840
|
10 Nov 1907
|
71
|
| Muenster, August |
Listed in Tise's 1979 inventory, but not photographed in 2008; no dates
|
||
| Paschen, Sophie |
5 Jun 1822
|
27 Nov 1892
|
Nee Wackron or Wachron; 52
|
| Randow, C. F. W. |
4 Feb 1848
|
25 Jun 1898
|
54
|
| Randow, Mrs. Louisa |
19 Oct 1848
|
23 Oct 1923
|
55
|
| Rees |
|
|
Surname only; 61
|
| Rees |
|
|
Surname only; 62 There may be three more like this.
|
| Schmook, Elizabeth |
16 Dec 1821
|
12 May 1907
|
45
|
| Schmook, Friedrich |
1 Jan 1816
|
10 Mar 1889
|
38
|
| Schmook, Hedwig |
4 Nov 1877
|
27 Aug 1880
|
Probably Hedwig M.; 36
|
| Schoenfeld |
|
|
Surname only; 12
|
| Schoenfeld |
|
|
Surname only; 13
|
| Schoenfeld, John |
5 Mar 1840
|
3 Dec 1907
|
11
|
| Schoenfeld, Mathilda |
27 Oct 1843
|
4 Nov 1930
|
Wife of John Schoenfeld [census]; nee Michling, died in Karnes Co [dc]; 10
|
| Schonfeld, Mary L. E. |
26 Mar 1869
|
16 Sep 1886
|
Daughter of John and Mathilda Schoenfeld [census]; 14
|
| Schott |
|
|
Surname only; 64
|
| Schott |
|
|
Surname only; 65
|
| Schott |
|
|
Surname only; 66
|
| Schott |
|
|
Surname only; 67
|
| Schott |
|
|
Surname only; 68
|
| Schott |
|
|
Surname only; 69
|
| Schott, Henry |
1844
|
1934
|
63
|
| Schott, Hermine |
1842
|
1908
|
63
|
| Seeger |
|
|
Surname only; 34
|
| Seeger, Auguste |
31 Jul 1895
|
29 Jan 1899
|
daughter of Fredrich Seeger and Emma Schonfeld [baptism]; 6
|
| Seeger, Edmund |
16 Oct 1885
|
10 Jul 1888
|
Death year may be 1889; 31
|
| Seeger, Emma |
1 Jul 1879
|
13 Aug 1880
|
35
|
| Seeger, Minna |
30 Oct 1881
|
24 Oct 1884
|
33
|
| Seeger, Robert |
22 Feb 1888
|
22 Mar 1888
|
37
|
| Seeger, Wilhelm O. F. |
5 Jan 1891
|
2 Mar 1894
|
son of Fredrich Seeger and Emma Schonfeld [baptism record states birth on 5 Feb]; [church death record states death on 12 Mar]; 5
|
| Shepherd |
|
|
Surname only; 9
|
| Shott, Infant of W. & B. |
1869
|
Possibly Schott; 74
|
|
| Smook |
|
|
Surname only; 46
|
| Smook |
|
|
Surname only; 47
|
| Smook |
|
|
Surname only; 48
|
| Sonntag Infant |
|
|
No dates; 16
|
| Sonntag, Anna |
29 Jun 1855
|
22 Mar 1944
|
Nee Meek, married Ernst W. Sonntag in 1883 [obit]; 20
|
| Sonntag, August G. F. |
15 Aug 1880
|
28 Oct 1908
|
23
|
| Sonntag, Emilie |
7 Dec 1847
|
14 Feb 1883
|
Nee Musling married Ernst W. Sonntag [baptism]; 15
|
| Sonntag, Ernst W. |
13 Dec 1842
|
7 Jun 1932
|
21
|
| Sonntag, Louise |
|
|
Name only; 18
|
| Sonntag, Minna A. C. |
7 Jan 1875
|
15 Oct 1880
|
Tise had death year 1885; daughter of Ernst and Emilie Sonntag [census]; 17
|
| Sonntag, Paul |
|
|
Name only on marker; 15 Aug 1890-28 Oct 1906, son of Ernst and Emilie Sonntag [baptism, church death record]; 22
|
| Sonntag, William P. E. |
2 Nov 1896
|
29 Jun 1970
|
TX 32 CO 165 DEPOT BRIG WWI; son of Ernst W. Sonntag and Anna Meak [obit]; 19
|
| Tesch, Pauline Sonntag |
|
|
Name only; 19 Dec 1886-23 Jul 1913, daughter of Ernst Sonntag and Anne Miek, married Fried Tesch 6 Dec 1811 [baptism, church marriage]; 24
|
| Ulrich, Henrietta Meyer |
1 Jan 1850
|
4 Aug 1935
|
26
|
| Unknown |
|
|
8
|
| Unknown |
|
|
49
|
| Weiss |
Stone with Weiss surname only; likely Augusta Rindorf Weiss, 7 Jun 1885-13 Apr 1918 [obit, dc]; not photographed in 2008
|
||
| Weiss, Joe |
1 Feb 1879
|
27 Aug 1924
|
son of Joe Weiss and Theresa Blaschke [obit]; 3
|
| Weiss, John |
30 Sep 1842
|
22 Mar 1924
|
also known as Joe [obit, census]; 4
|
| Weiss, Theresia B. |
29 Dec 1841
|
6 May 1925
|
Nee Blaschke married John Weiss[obit]; 4
|
| Wenzel, August |
13 Apr 1841
|
12 Apr 1905
|
1
|
| Wenzel, Wilhelmine |
4 Sep 1833
|
21 Jul 1905
|
Sammy Tise read birth year as 1838; maiden name Pabeliowsky [son's dc]; married August Wenzel [census]; 1
|
| Ziegler |
|
|
Surname only; 58
|
| Ziegler |
|
|
Surname only; 59
|
| Ziegler |
|
|
Surname only; 60
|
Related Link
Sublime Lutheran Church Death Records
