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History
in a Pecan Shell
Thought to be settled after the Civil War,
it was originally called Lecomteville after Leon Lecomte, the town’s first
postmaster. The office closed, reopened in 1890 and then closed for good in 1910.
The
name Losoya is thought to be a corruption of Laysawyer, the surname of local settlers.
The 1878 population was given as 100, but fell to 89 by 1910. The proximity to
San Antonio kept the population
low and by 1940 it was a mere 75 people.
The postwar boom of San
Antonio reached Losoya and it finally gained residents reaching 322 for the
1990 Census. The number was also used for the 2,000 figure. |
Losoya,
Texas Attractions/Landmarks |
| Church,
Cemetery & Historical Markers |
"Historical
marker for the El Carmen Cemetery (Cementerio del Carmen) in Losoya at Our Lady
of Mt. Carmel Catholic Church. Many of the casualties of the Battle
of Medina were buried here."
- Terry
Jeanson |
Historical
Marker TextEl
Carmen Cemetery Numerous
19th-century journals and other written historical accounts trace the origin of
this cemetery to the burial of casualties of the Battle
of Medina. Fought on August 18, 1813, the battle
was the result of a failed attempt by a Republican Army of the North, consisting
of about 1200 to 1500 Mexicans, Anglo-Americans, and Indians, to free Mexico from
Royalist Spanish Rule. The Royalist army was victorious, and hundreds of men who
died on the battlefield later were interred at this site between 1813 and 1817.
The church of Nuestra Senora del Carmen traces its origin to a chapel built over
the soldiers' burial crypt.
The burial site became a community cemetery
as pioneer settlers established homes in this area. Among those interred in the
graveyard are the families of Domingo Losoya and Dionicio Martinez, who received
Mexican land grants surrounding the cemetery property. Also buried here are Enrique
Esparza, who as a child survived the Battle
of the Alamo, and French immigrant Gustave Toudouze, a prominent local naturalist
and businessman. A cemetery association formed in 1927 maintains the historic
site, which continues in use as a cemetery for the local community. |
 |
Historical
Marker TextEnrique
Esparza
(September,
1824-December 20, 1917)Son
of Alamo defender Gregorio Esparaza, 11-year old Enrique, his mother, two brothers,
and sister were present at the seige by the Mexican Army (Feb. 23-Mar. 6, 1836).
Hidden in a pile of hay, the youth saw his father fall and sitnessed the Heroic
death of James Bowie on his sick bed. He then watched the bodies of the Texans
burn in two huge pyres. Enrique Esparza's Eyewitness story later became Invaluable,
for he was one of few survivors. |
Losoya, Texas
ForumSubject:
Losoya, and the Battle of the Medina
With
today's news, there is a gentleman claiming to have located the actual site of
the Battle of the Medina--well away from Nuestra Senora Del Carmen and the cemetery
(supposedly) originally populated with the casualties. The church is there because
of the chapel constructed for burial site. Because of today's news, I read your
page on Losoya. According to your site, the name Losoya has two attributions.
The explicit (and perhaps less logical) is noted first, that "the name Losoya
is thought to be a corruption of Laysawyer, the surname of local settlers." The
next reference is not direct, but offers a more reasonable source for the name:
"Among those interred in the graveyard are the families of Domingo Losoya and
Dionicio Martinez, who received Mexican land grants surrounding the cemetery property."
Martinez Losoya Road and Losoya Creek are found nearby. I can't think why the
name of Losoya would come from an obscure "corruption" rather than a local land
owner.
Apart from the source of the name...If the findings of Robert P.
Marshall are correct,
[ http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local_news/article/Battle-of-Medina-site-found-geologist-says-3374995.php
] why would these men be buried so far away from the
battle site? And if they aren't the dead from the
battle--who are they?! Thanks for your time. Regards, Kerry McCollough,
March 02, 2012 Texas
Escapes, in its purpose to preserve historic,
endangered and vanishing Texas, asks that anyone wishing to share their local
history, stories, or vintage/historic photos, please contact
us. | |
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