George Wilmot

Date of death: 1908
Interment source:
Bay View Cemetery Association, Corpus Christi, Texas. Record of Interments

NO HEADSTONE


Biography

Census records indicate that George Wilmot was a native of Canada who traveled to Mexico where he met and married Maria Jesusa Gomez prior to enter the United States.  The 1880 census lists him as 46 years old (thus born about 1834), a blacksmith whose parents were both natives of Canada.  The obituary of his son George R. Wilmot (Caller of November 1, 1924) states that the family was in Roma, north of Rio Grande City, Texas in January of 1867 when younger George was born and that the family moved to Corpus Christi shortly afterwards.  John Wilmot (listed as 13 in the 1880 census) was born here in Corpus Christi according to his obituary (Caller of April 5, 1926).  One of George's local descendent is Louis Wilmot who was active in the founding of LULAC.  The foundation of LULAC was started by three outstanding organizations of the day—the Knights of America, Council Number 4 of the Order of the Sons of America, and the League of Latin American Citizens.  The main uniting force for the merger of these three was Council No. 4 of the Order of the Sons of America founded by Louis Wilmot, Joe Stillman (who also has relatives in Old Bayview Cemetery), Dave Barrera, Pablo Cano, Desi Luna, and Ben Garza.  They wanted a more united force to work against discrimination and to promote educational and social programs for Hispanic-Americans.  On Feb. 17, 1929 delegates from the three organizations met in Obreros Hall in Corpus Christi along with observers and passed the initial resolutions that led to a Constitutional Convention May 18-29, 1929 in Corpus Christi at Allende Hall.  There LULAC was officially constituted and its aims and purposes embodied in 25 statements adopted by the Convention.  At that same Convention Louis Wilmot of Corpus Christi was elected first Treasurer General of the newly constituted organization at the same time that Ben Garza was chosen as the first elected president.  It should be noted that Mrs. Louis Wilmot and Mrs. Joe Stillman were also actively involved in promoting the goals of the organization and were personally involved in the case of Del Rio ISD vs. Salvatierra that impacted the education of Hispanic-American children.  Another child of George and Maria Jesusa was Virginia Wilmot who married William Woessner and who has a child buried in Old Bayview Cemetery also.  One set of Bayview records indicate that patriarch George Wilmot died sometime in1908.

Research and transcription: Michael A. Howell