TOMBSTONE TUESDAY: Grace Rebecca Rubert

TOMBSTONE TUESDAY (April 1, 2025) : Grace Rebecca Rubert - Known to all in Port Lavaca as “Miss Rebecca” the thin framed, white-haired lady was known for much more than her appearance would give clue to. She was a determined lady who believed in herself, loved her hometown, and accomplished whatever she began. 

Born 18 December,1876 Grace Rebecca Rubert was born in the hurricane ravaged town of Indianola, Texas. Her father, Charles, had run away from his home in Prussia at age 15 and boarded a vessel from the East Indies where he spent the next six years of his life as a sailor boy while roaming the high seas. Making his home in America he joined the Union army for the duration of the Civil War. After which he found his way to Indianola in1866, where he engaged in the lumber business for 9 months. Due to yellow fever, he moved back to New York, and it wasn’t until 1870 that he made his way back to Indianola and made it his home. In 1873 he married Miss Addie H. Cloud in Indianola. She was the daughter of a prominent Episcopal minister of wide reputation from Washington county. The couple made their home in Indianola and were blessed with a son. Two short years later Indianola was hit by the 1875 Hurricane that washed the city of Indianola into the sea. Charles and Addie with their baby son took shelter in the building next door to their house and watched helplessly as their house was swept away. They were able to gather some of their belongings and start a new life. The next year they welcomed Rebecca and moved from Indianola to Port Lavaca because Rebecca’s mother was terrified of another storm. 

The Rubert’s had 3 children, none of which married; Edgar C., Grace Rebecca, and Dora May who was born in 1881 and is now buried next to her sister Rebecca. Rebecca’s mother died in 1884 and is buried with her husband Charles in Ranger Cemetery. After Mrs. Rubert died Mr. Rubert raised his three children on his own. He was a pioneer in the fish and oyster wholesale business he also bought a boat and carried goods around the bay and up the Navidad River. Rebecca worked closely with her father. During the Storm of 1886, that ended all rebuilding of the city of Indianola, Rebecca was with her father on their boat on the Navidad River. As the storm’s horrific winds and rain lashed out at the water the boat was tossed about like a twig. At one point Rebecca’s father had grabbed an ax and was ready to chop the mast down to save them, but he waited just enough time for the storm to subside and the boat was saved. Later her brother Edgar was killed and swept away in the 1919 Storm.

Much like the storms she weathered, Miss Rebecca lived her life with power and purpose. Rebecca was a member of the first graduating class of Calhoun County in 1895 and she was the first to receive her diploma. There were 6 in her class and she was one of 3 girls. After that she attended Sam Houston Norman Institute and graduated in 1898 and then she attended The University of Texas.

Rebecca then moved back to Port Lavaca where she assisted her father during his second appointment as U.S. Postmaster. In 1918 she was appointed U.S. Postmistress by President Woodrow Wilson and served in that office until 1923. Miss Rebecca then moved to Opelousas, Louisiana where she taught school. Upon her return to Port Lavaca, she taught mathematics and history at Port Lavaca High School. One summer she worked in the War Department in Washington D.C.

Miss Rebecca was very involved in the County and in her community during her lifetime. Rebecca was a member of the Daughters of the Republic of Texas, as she was part of a pioneer Texas family. 

She was an early and active member of the Women’s Study Club that was organized in 1927. One of the club's main goals was to establish a county library. At the time other counties were opening public libraries, they intended for Calhoun County to be among them. Miss Rebecca was devoted to the project so much so that she also served as the librarian for several years. The library was started in 1940 with a few volumes of books in what was then known as the Community Hall. The library was moved many times before it finally found a home in the Old County Jail in 1958 where it housed just under 50,000 books. Today it has a beautiful home of 13,500 sq. ft in Port Lavaca with branches of the library located in Point Comfort, Port O’Connor, and Seadrift. 

Miss Rebecca was a native-born Episcopalian whose grandfather was John Wurts Cloud who was the first Episcopal priest to settle in Texas around 1831 while Texas was Mexican Territory. He was given a land grant by the empresario, Stephen F. Austin in what is now Brazoria County, and was a priest, planter, and teacher. She was a devoted member of Grace Episcopal Church and was the main provider of the historic information of the church as written in the book “Shifting Sands of Calhoun County” published in 1981.

That same book pays tribute to Miss Rebecca for all she had given to the community and mainly for being the founder of the Calhoun County Historical Commission. A history of Calhoun County which appeared in the Anniversary issue of the Port Lavaca Wave in 1940 was written by Miss Rebecca. The Calhoun County Historical Commission still remains active today and works hard to preserve and highlight the deep roots our county holds in the start of Texas.

Miss Rebecca passed away at Twin Pines Nursing Home in Victoria on July 10, 1963, at the age of 86. She is buried by her sister Dora in Port Lavaca Cemetery.

Tombstone Tuesday is written and compiled each week by Jody Weaver and Sheryl Cuellar of the Calhoun County Historical Commission, sharing the people and stories behind Calhoun County's history.