The Millheim Cemetery is located five miles due south of the Austin County Courthouse in Bellville, near the intersection of Farm Road 949 and Swearingen Road at 11763 Cemetery Road.  The cemetery is only four miles southeast of the geographical center of the county.  It was established as part of the rural community of Millheim and continues to serve residents of central Austin County.1,2

 

The community of Műhlheim (or Muehlheim), meaning “Home of the Mill” in the German language, was founded about the year 1845.  It was located in the area south of what is now called Mill Creek, where a gristmill was established a short distance west from where the creek flowed into the Brazos River.  The name was later changed to Millheim as Anglo-Americans had difficulty pronouncing the German umlaut.3  Millheim is within the land grant of three-fourths league made to Miles N. Allen in 1832 by Stephan F. Austin,4 who had settled at San Felipe in 1824.  San Felipe became known as the birthplace of Anglo-American settlements in Texas.  However, such towns as Industry in 1831, Cat Spring in 1834, Műhlheim in 1845 and others were settled mostly by German immigrants in the 1830’s and 1840’s.5  A post office was established at Millheim in 1878 and remained in operation until 1915, when mail was then routed through Peters.  The community had 100 residents, as well as a brewery, a gin, a gristmill, a sawmill, and several stores in 1885.  Prospects for future development of the area were diminished when the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway bypassed the town to the east near the Peters community.6

 

Soon after Millheim was formed, German immigrants established singing societies in their new communities to carry on the traditions of their homeland.  Although in existence by 1856, the Millheim Harmonie Verein officially organized in 1872.  A social hall was built in 1874 on two acres purchased from F. Engelking and H. Vornkahl.  The original Millheim Hall served the members of the Verein and the residents of the Millheim community for many years.7  The sesquicentennial of the Millheim Harmonie Verein was celebrated at the annual Father's Day barbecue on June 18th of 2023.

 

For those interested in studying the history of Millheim and the German experience in Texas, one should review the writings of William Andreas Trenckmann.  He was an accomplished and respected newspaper publisher, educator and champion of his German heritage.  He was born in Millheim in 1859 and was the valedictorian of the first graduating class at Texas A&M College.  He published the German language weekly newspaper Wochenblatt in Bellville and later Austin.  Many contemporary discussions of regional history originate from his personal memoirs as published in the Wochenblatt from 1931 to 1933.26

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Along with the Hall, the Millheim Cemetery Association has always played a key role in the life of the surrounding community.  It is important to note that many community leaders served both of these organizations and are now interred in the Millheim Cemetery.  In the era that saw the initial settlement of Millheim, family property was the preferred place for burials.  This resulted in many small private cemeteries in the area.  In April of 1882 citizens of the community, recognizing the need for change, formed the Millheim Cemetery Association.8  Minutes from the first meeting show Mr. & Mrs. W. Bunge9,17 and Mr. & Mrs. J.H. Swearingen10,17 each donated one acre of land in this peaceful, wooded setting to establish the original property boundaries.11  Part of the land donated by the Bunge family was already a small private cemetery as family members were interred there prior to the establishment of the association.12  Lots were originally priced at $2.50 each and eight lots were sold.  It was mentioned that the price would be only $1.25 for the poorer population but no mention was made as to who could qualify for this reduced price.  Dues were also assessed yearly according to the number of gravesites purchased.  By-laws were written for the cemetery and directors were chosen.  Officers for the association were selected from the directors.13,14

 

The Bunge donation was designated as Subdivisions I and II while the Swearingen donation became Subdivisions III and IV.  Subdivisions were used to focus on smaller areas of the grounds and ease in the location of gravesites.  Later acquisitions allowed the cemetery to expand to its current size.  One-half acre of land was donated by the Krancher family in 1889 and two-fifths acre was donated by the Garling family in 1937 which now serves as part of the current parking area.15,17  The cemetery grounds were finally expanded to the current size in 1988 by the purchase of an additional acre of land from the Steinhauser family, which represents Subdivisions V and VI.16,17  An additional 1.7 acres of property was granted to the association by the Severin (Barbee) family in 2010 under a perpetual easement agreement to provide for additional parking.  The Millheim Cemetery now has a fenced area of three acres plus an adjacent wooded parking area of over two acres.  Before the establishment of the Association and into the early part of the twentieth century the public roadway from Bellville to Millheim continued south and passed along the east side of the new cemetery grounds.  Even though no traces of that road can now be seen in the area of the Cemetery, it is interesting to note how such changes in roadways can leave a lasting effect.  In the case of the Millheim Cemetery, the grounds are oriented towards the east even though the current main entrances are all on the north side.27

 

Early headstones reflect the area’s heritage with many inscriptions in the German language.  Minutes of the association were also written in German until 1951.13  The oldest marked gravesite is that of Sophie Bunge who died in 1868 at the age of 25.  Sophie was the wife of Civil War veteran Wilhelm Bunge, also buried in the Millheim Cemetery, who passed on October 9th  of 1915.  No details of the service he performed while in the military were located as part of this research.18,19  Honored veterans from all major conflicts since the Civil War are interred in this cemetery, including Korea, Vietnam, World War I and World War II.

 

Most early Millheim families were associated with agriculture, either farming, raising livestock or both.  Others served the community in trades such as “blacksmiths, wheelwrights, carpenters, shoemakers, tailors, brick masons, a cabinetmaker, a saddler, a tanner and a tinner.”  All, it seemed, worked hard and contributed to the quality of life in the community.20 

 

A number of individuals are remembered today for their special contributions to the area.  Several are buried in the Millheim Cemetery.  Among them are J.H. Krancher, the first constable of Millheim; F.C. Kloss, a teacher at the Millheim School; Walter Hillboldt, who organized and directed bands in Millheim; Rudolf Goebel, a charter member of the Millheim Singing Society; Henry Langhammer, who opened the first large dry goods store in the area; Robert Kloss, builder of the first molasses press in Millheim; and Wilheim Mersman, first Vice-President of the Millheim Harmonie Verein.5 

 

Another of the many talented German people who settled, worked and lived in the Millheim area was Johann Joachim Henrich Frederick Hintz who died on July 1, 1920 and was laid to rest in the Millheim Cemetery.  He is best remembered for his talent in building construction.  Among his many projects, he designed and built several community halls that are still in use today.  The notable features of his designs include a round structure with 8 or 12 sides and a central post supporting an open beamed ceiling soaring up to a cupola.  He built the Bellville Turnverein Pavilion in 1897, the Peters Hall in 1900 and the Cat Spring Agricultural Society Hall in 1902.  A historical marker recognizing his work has been placed next to the Bellville Turnverein.28

 

Others interred here such as W. Bunge, J.H. Swearingen, J.H. Krancher and A. Garling are also remembered for their generous donations of land to establish the cemetery.9,10,15  There are, or course, many more interred here whose hard work and dedication to the community made the growth of the area possible but are far too numerous to mention in this research.

 

The general landscape of the Millheim Cemetery is traditional in nature.  Graves are oriented in an east-west fashion.  The oldest graves are located in the south-central cemetery in Subdivision I of the graveyard and are denoted in some cases by curbed family borders and tall vertical stones.  In general, the markers are of granite, limestone and marble.  Tombstone detailing sometimes reflect fraternal associations such as Woodmen of the World.  There are no wooden or non-stone markers.  Unfortunately, a few burial sites are unmarked and unidentified.21,22

 

In the northwest corner of the cemetery is a modern covered building, donated by the Hillboldt family, with open sides and made available for families to hold burial services on the grounds.23  Other structures include concrete benches and a small protective building for the water well.  Adding to the beauty of the cemetery are bur oak, water oak, live oak, cypress, pine, crepe myrtle and several species of flowering trees native to Texas.

 

The cemetery now has 1,367 designated lots with approximately 40% of those still available.22  Almost all interments are those who have some family connection to the community.  However, burials are open to all regardless of their heritage or current residence.

 

An annual meeting is held at the Millheim Hall.  The families of all gravesite owners are members and all are welcome to participate.  In recent years, an annual date is selected at the meeting for the community to gather at the cemetery to help with general cleanup, maintenance and other such improvements.  The cemetery has never contracted with a commercial service for grounds maintenance but has relied upon members who perform the service regularly for minimal compensation.  The cemetery is maintained as a solemn, attractive and inviting place for all who visit.

 

Over the years the cemetery has been able to add many improvements due to the hard work and dedication of association members.  Examples of such improvements include a water well, fencing, grass, an irrigation system and the covered services building.

 

The Millheim Cemetery is a cultural gem hidden in Austin County and designated as a Texas Historic Cemetery worthy of preservation by the Texas Historical Commission on October 18th of 2007.24

 

In 2023 an in-depth website was developed for the cemetery.25  This asset not only showcases the historical relevance of the grounds through names, dates and monuments to those interred there but also provides a tool for the next generation of genealogical researchers.  The website address is: https://www.millheimcemetery.com/

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The Millheim Cemetery is significant because it carries forward the legacy of the original German immigrants who came to the area from their homeland in search of political, intellectual and religious freedom.  The gravesites provide a record of the area’s pioneer and immigrant families, as well as many military veterans and past leaders of local organizations.  Still used, the cemetery today reflects the continuum of the area’s history, with diverse monument designs that clearly transport the visitor from the mid nineteenth century to modern times.  The region around the cemetery, although still dominated by small farms and ranches, is changing rapidly as development associated with the growth of the Houston metropolitan area begins to encroach on the rural landscape.