A 25-year search ends

It may have taken 25 years, but Edinburg resident Herb Solis has finally found his man.

A self-proclaimed area history buff, Solis had always wondered where the body of Pvt. Manuel Guzman was buried.

Of the more than 116,708 soldiers who sacrificed their lives during World War I, Guzman from Edinburg, died in the war.

When he noticed Guzman’s name on war memorials at the American Legion Post 101 and the Hidalgo County Courthouse in Edinburg more than 20 years ago, Solis said he wanted to find out where he was laid to rest.

Solis did not have far to go. Solis recently discovered Guzman’s grave at Hillcrest Cemetery on the northeast side of Edinburg.

“People die and (others) just forget about it,” he said. “The last few years, the weeds have really grown in the cemetery.”

Although Guzman died Oct. 23, 1918, and was laid to rest in his hometown, Solis said he knows little else about the soldier’s story.

In fact, Solis said, he stumbled upon Guzman’s headstone during a recent visit to the cemetery, when he explored the east side of the graveyard that had been overgrown with weeds.

“I think people should remember people who died for this country,” said the 77-year-old Solis. “They died for a cause.”

Discovering where individuals of local significance are buried has always been one of his hobbies.

In April, he discovered where the body of Abraham Ortiz — the only man ever convicted of murder — and then executed in Hidalgo County — was buried in 1913.

Ortiz was convicted of murdering Martin Martinez on April 3, 1913. Less than a month later, on May 2, 1913, Ortiz was hanged at the gallows pole of the Hidalgo County Jail and then buried in an unmarked grave, Solis said.

Ortiz’s remains rest at the abandoned Chato Garcia Cemetery, near Doolittle Road in Edinburg.

Similar to the search for Guzman, Solis said, finding Ortiz’s remains took him more than

20 years.

But for Solis, his patience paid off.

“I just love history, you know?” he said.

Jared Taylor covers Edinburg, the Delta region and general assignments for The Monitor. You can reach him at (956) 683-4439.