(1832–1918)
Taken from the writings of Danny Camacho (His great, great grandmother)
My great, great, grandmother was born in China, Nueva Leon, Mexico in 1832 and moved to Austin in 1872 with her family. They lived in “Mexico,” a neighborhood of Mexican Americans located in today’s Republic Square in downtown Austin. Their address was 510 West 9th.
Her husband was my great, great grandfather, Elijio Luna, who died in 1886. He was the earliest ancestor to be buried in Oakwood. He was buried in what was known as the Mexican Grounds, a location that is now lost.
Pilar Nava Luna
Maria de Pilar Nava was baptized 14 Oct 1832 in Nuevo Leon, Mexico. Her marriage to Jose Eulogio Luna was 11 Sep 1847 in Lampasas de Naranjo, Nuevo Leon, Mexico. This parish church was the closest to their home in Hacienda El Carrizal, a tiny ranch community that once existed just north of Bustamante. Pilar and Eulogio immigrated to San Antonio in 1858 such that all children but their first (Amado) were born in Texas. The family was living in San Antonio on the 1860 and 1870 Census, and they had settled in Austin by the 1880 Census.
At her death, all the furniture, except for the chairs, was taken out of the front room. There Pilar was laid out in a pine coffin. The casa was soon filled to overflowing with familiar and compadres. An all-night vigil was held before the funeral the next day. My aunt and her younger brother went out to a vacant lot and picked a bouquet of wild red poppies to place on the casket.
“Mrs. Moon” the locals called her. A newspaper article written about her life stated Pilar lived to be 105 years old and at her death, At the time, articles about Mexican Americans were quite unusual. Her age might have been 86 years old, she did not have papers.
(Her descendants, Lorraine “Grandma” Camacho and Danny Camacho, carried on her tradition of community advocacy for Mexican American Austinites)
Section 3, Lot 1054 (no marker)