Save Lino’s Grave

Gloria Ramirez Swidriski and Edward Swidriski and their family have been working very hard to save part of our history, the grave of Lino Ramirez. Read the whole letter on the November 2019 post Repairing Lino’s Grave post.

SAVE  LINO’S  GRAVE

Dear Descendant of Lino Ramirez,

As you may know, in 2012 we had the Lino Ramirez Cemetery recognized by the Texas Historical Commission as a Texas Historical Cemetery in order to protect it from being destroyed by the surrounding landowners. This was just the first step in preserving your family’s legacy of having been amongst the first pioneers to settle in the Spanish Colonies and Land Grants of Nuevo Santander and what is today South Texas.

Lino Ramirez was one of the most successful cattle and livestock ranchers in 19th century South Texas. His multiple ranches rivaled the King Ranch at the time with over 30 patents of land, which consisted of approximately 90,000 acres at the time of his death in 1887. Lino’s little-known history is deeply imbedded in the colonization of  South Texas, along with other famous people such as architect Henry Portscheller, who built Lino’s townhouse in Roma as well as the tomb where he was buried on the San Antonio Viejo Ranch.

We are now at a crossroad where we need your immediate help to preserve Lino’s mausoleum (called a “bóveda” in Spanish). One hundred and thirty years of wind and rain erosion, grave robbers from the East Ranch, and cattle drives through the burial site have taken their toll. If not for his marble headstone and concrete mausoleum,  Lino’s grave would have been lost like dozens of others on the San Antonio Viejo Ranch. Thanks to the first donations from about 20 people, we were able to purchase the narrative plaque from the Texas Historical Commission, and the minting should be complete in a couple of months.

We are reaching out to all family members and friends to contribute about $100 each (or whatever you can afford) to the cost of restoring the monument. It is in a condition of serious deterioration with cracks that could cause the whole structure to collapse. David Puig has graciously donated his time and effort to contact a contractor and secure an estimate of approximately $5250 to restore the mausoleum and repair the wrought iron fence.  

To donate, visit the post Repairing Lino’s Grave.

This site documents news for the Jose Antonio Ramirez Group 1. About this image: According to our historian Olga Ramirez:

The public needs to know that San Antonio Viejo was the

Lino/Lucia Ramirez homestead. Their son Jose R Ramirez

& family were still living at the family homestead when  

they was driven off the homestead at gunpoint by hired  

Rangers, according to death bed testimony of one dying

ranger who ask forgiveness of family for deed done.

Important picture read San Antonio Viejo homestead online

 & these are Lino”s  grandchildren, by his son Jose R. Ramirez. 

According to another cousin in Arizona, the James Michener book “Texas” also refers to this documented incident.

Cousin Gloria Swidriski,

  Called me yesterday asking for info ref: my researching

Ramirez grants & Dora Villarreal, from Rancho Colorado

(cousin from Lino’s, 1st wife) who gave presentation at

family reunion, was asking who were the people in the

picture she saw on computer at San Antonio Viejo, circa

1913-1914.  I had all the names on the picture but I did not

put down their last name of Ramirez, nor that they were

Lino and Lucia Ramirez grandchildren. It seems that Gloria

wants additional pictures that I have & is gathering info to

write a book w/Dora.  I had talked to Dora at reunion about

doing a book for us and she said she would think about. It

seems that all is falling into place for me. I do not know who

it was that put Grandma & children at San Antonio Viejo

online but it needs to be updated annotated Lino & Lucia

Ramirez grandchildren.  Lino was called El Conde & El

Patron, Dona Lucia, La Condesa of San Antonio Viejo.

 

Cousin Olga

 

Click here to read more about your ancestry and to read the documentation. Remember, it is password protected since the page contains our personal lineage information. General family updates can be read on the News section. Any of our family can add information there. Email me at sharon@kopecki.org if you have any problems.