Mrs. Mary J Dowd, who died in October 1848, soon after the establishment of this cemetery and Fort Ringgold nearby. Blasterz looked all over this old cemetery, and could not find any earlier tombstone.
The state historic marker puts the cemetery's creation as "ca.1848," but the Texas Historical Commission says the cemetery was created in "1848," making Mrs. Dowd the first person buried in this historic cemetery with a tombstone.
When Blasterz tried to uncover that part of Mrs. Dowd's epitaph covered by weeds and debris, we saw clear signs of a black widow spider's lair in the bricks. Blasterz, being Texans who should have known better than to poke around in a pile like this, decided to withdraw at that moment.
That part of Mrs. Dowd's tombstone that we could see (without disturbing anyone hiding in the debris) reads as follows:
"Sacred to the memory of
Mrs. Mary J. Dowd
Who departed this life
on the 17th of Oct., 1848.
Aged 35 years"
Mrs. Dowd is buried in an above ground mausoleum next to her husband Peter Dowd. We were not able to find out anything aboiut her, but we did find scraps of newspaper articles showing that Peter Dowd who was an enthusiastic "filibusterer" during the Merchant Wars of the early 1850s. He served as Quartermaster for Jose Maria Carabajal, whose men tried to recapture lands taken by the US across the Rio Grande in Mexico during the Mexican War (that were returned to Mexico by the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo) for a new state called the "Republic of the Sierra Madre."
From Scott Grayson's work published on the Starr County Historical News Abstracts website (
visit link)
"CHAPTER III: 1847-1849
THE BIRTH OF STARR COUNTY
by Scott Grayson 2007
FOREWORD: The retreat of the victorious American troops at the close of the Mexican American war was met with an influx of American traders and land speculators pouring into the lands on the East bank of the Rio Grande. In 1847, HENRY CLAY DAVIS divided up portions of land (opposite of Camargo on the Rio Grande) that belonged to his wife HILARIA GARZA to establish a new township. Originally called Rancho Davis, the settlement quickly grew and in 1848 was dubbed “Rio Grande City,” the county seat of Starr County. By 1848, it was flooded with merchants hoping to make a healthy profit out of the new routes of trade flowing between Mexico and the United States. The settlement of Roma was just 15 miles above Rio Grande City and began to take form in 1848. These two cities thrived off the fact that the Rio Grande could only be navigated up to Roma, making these places ideal junctions between the overland trade and the steamboat lines. In addition, the relatively lax enforcement of tariffs by Mexico enabled large margins of profit.
This environment of opportunity on the frontier attracted robbers and gamblers, as well as industrious merchants. Early in the county’s history, the conflict between these groups resulted in the organization of Starr county by those who hoped to see order prevail. In an effort to curb the lawlessness, thievery, and murder which was commonplace in the earliest days, the county officials tried to aggressively enforce the law, sometimes using vigilante justice. By 1850, the fledgling cities of Roma and Rio Grande City had grown significantly, with dozens of merchants and hundreds of residents, with a diversity of American, Mexican, and European residents. . . .
CHAPTER VI: 1850-1853
THE MERCHANTS’ WAR
by Scott Grayson 2008
FOREWORD: The mid 19th century was a period of aggressive expansion for the US, following the precedents of the Mexican Cession, the Oregon boundary disputes, and the Gadsen purchase. Political instability and chaos in Northern Mexico encouraged a number of Texans and veterans of the Mexican-American war to reclaim and “liberate” the area they had occupied during the previous war, under the title “Republic of the Sierra Madre.”
The attempt to establish a new state in Northern Mexico was led by Jose Maria Carbajal, a prominent member of the Texas revolution, who championed a Northern Mexican state (consisting of Coahuila, Nuevo Leon, and Tamaulipas) free from both Mexico and Texas. He was part of the revolution establishing the short lived “Republic of the Rio Grande” in 1840, and his politics resulted in seemingly unusual allegiances, fighting for Texas in their revolution, but for Mexico in the Mexican American War. He had little trouble recruiting Texans to his cause, particularly along the embattled Rio Grande Valley.
The motives of these “filibusters” were various. American merchants had suffered substantial financial losses resulting from strict and irregular tariffs, and frequent confiscation of goods. In addition to threatening the financial future of the border towns on which many had gambled there entire fortunes, the political instability in Northern Mexico enabled increasing incidents of American merchants being slaughtered on either side of the Rio Grande by Mexican bandits. Those who participated in a successful revolution were also likely to receive immeasurable rewards in both land and economic influence in the new state. Many of the early merchants in Rio Grande City and Roma participated in the four Merchant’s wars between 1850 and 1853. The events included the occupation of Camargo in September of 1850, a failed attack on Matamoros in October of 1850, an invasion near Camargo in February of 1852, and attacks at Camargo and Reynosa in the spring of 1853. Carbajal raids often resulted in Mexican civilian casualties and appeared as brutal and unjustified as the acts they supposedly sought to prevent. All along, the American government made frequent attempts to arrest and try the members of these raids for violating the Neutrality Act, but these legal actions had no lasting effect.
Citizens of Starr County that participated in the raids included Jack Everitt, Edward R. Hord, A. H. Norton, R. C. Trimble, and Peter Dowd.
. . .
April 28th 1853 New York Times, New York City, NY
Rio Grande—The Capture of Carvajal
Dates from Brownsville to the 13th inst., reach us through New Orleans.
The following particulars are given of the arrest of CARVAJAL:
Capt Smith,, 7th U. S. Infantry, temporarily in command of Company B, U. S. Mounted Rifles, arrived at Brownsville on the 11th, having in charge General CARVAJAL, Quartermaster DOWD, and Lieut. ROUNDTREE, of the Liberating Army. These persons were arrested at Rio Grande City, or Davis Rancho, on the morning of the 1st inst., between 3 and 4 o’clock. They, with several others in or about the premises of Mr. DOWD, were arrested by U. S. troops, under the command of Major PAUL, in obedience, it is understood, to orders from Headquarters and Washington.
The orders of Capt SMITH, we believe (says the Flag,) were to deliver them, at this place, to the custody of a U. S. Commissioner. These persons, we understand, complain of the manner of their arrest; it is very natural they should do so; but although one of them is an ex-chief justice, and another a person of very considerable knowledge of our laws, and although there was a Judge of the District Court in the town, to whom they could apply for a writ of habeas corpus, they declined to doing so, preferring, we suppose, to create popular feelings in their favor.”
After remaining in custody a short time, they were discharged for want of some formality in relation to their arrest, but were subsequently rearrested by Mr. LEMAN, Deputy U. S. Marshal, who placed them in confinement in the Fort, under the charge of Col. WEBSTER. The Marshal himself was soon after arrested, on a charge of having abducted the prisoners, and fined one hundred dollars for failing to appear before Judge McLANE, which act the Flag considers unwarrantable.
The Flag continues:
Mr LEMAN has left for Reynosa, the scene of the recent outrages of the prisoners, with a military escort, for the purpose of procuring testimony in the case, and upon his return they will doubtlessly be examined before somecompetent authority, (if there be such among us,) or taken to Galveston, and there turned over to the custody of the U. S. Marshal. It is confidently hoped that the later course will be pursued, to the end that quiet may be restored on our frontier, and that justice may be mated out to the prisoners. Every praise is due both to the Deputy Marchal and to Col. WEBSTER, the Commandant of Fort Brown, for the prompt action taken by them in this matter. It shows a commendable determination on their part to enforce a compliance with the law. Had not this course been pursued, there is every indication that the people themselves, en masse, would have taken the offenders in hand, when they would have had a far more summary and perhaps more effectual treatment.
The Flag, in advocating the adoption of a treaty of extradition between the United States and Mexico, for the mutual surrender of criminals, states that:
“Since the time the army of the United States was withdrawn from this frontier, depredation upon both sides of the river have been of almost daily occurrence; principally, it is true, perpetrated by persons of Mexican origin, but finding their protectors and defender among a class of Americans too frequently to be found on our border. This state of things has already produced bloodshed, and has cost our State within the last few months some $85,000, besides retarding the settlement of one of the most fertile and beautiful sections of the Union. Moveable property of every description is stolen from one side of the river, and openly paraded and offered for sale on the other side—the state of individual feeling that exists on either side rendering it almost impossible for the legitimate owner to recover his property. Murder walks in our midst: a citizen of either Republic is assassinated—a trip of eighty or a hundred yards places the murderer in another jurisdiction, and he is safe.”