1876
[Editorial]
The
Herald has only been trying for four years to get the city council
to have a fence put around the graveyard. By A. D. 1900,
there seems to be a prospect of having this done, and the present
shame and disgrace of a graveyard at the mercy of hogs and cattle
remedied.
- July
14, 1876, Dallas Daily Herald, p. 4, col. 1.
- o o o -
1881
[CITY ORDINANCE]
An
Ordinance on Cemetery and City Sexton. Be it ordained by the
city council of the city of Dallas:
Section 1. The place beyond the
corporate limits given to the city of Dallas as a site for the
cemetery, or such other places as the city council may select,
shall be the place of burial for the city of Dallas, and shall
be designated as the "city cemetery."
Sec. 2. The said cemetery or cemeteries,
shall be suitably laid off into streets, paths and lots, the
corners of lots to be indicated by stakes of durable wood. The
size of a full lot shall be eighteen by twenty feet.
Sec. 3. The city engineer shall
survey said grounds and shall make a map thereof of a size not
exceeding twenty feet to the inch on durable paper, and neatly
and artistically drawn, designating in some appropriate part,
some portion as burying ground for paupers, buried by the city
or county, and another for strangers, and numbering the lots
from the northwest corner, in consecutive order; and the half
lots shall be designated east and west half, which, when completed,
shall be framed and suspended in the office of the city secretary,
and a copy thereof filed in the office of the city sexton.
Sec. 4. It shall not be lawful
for any person to disinter or remove any dead body deposited
therein, from any grave or vault, except it be upon the application
or with the consent of the friends or family of the deceased,
and then only under the written permission and superintendance
of the city sexton; and if any person shall offend against the
provisions of this section, or shall receive any body, knowing
it to have been disinterred and removed in violation of the provisions
of this section, he shall be fined in any sum not exceeding one
hundred dollars, and if the fine be not paid, shall be imprisoned
not exceeding fifteen days.
Sec. 5. If any person shall cut,
break, or otherwise injure, mutilate or deface any tombstone,
fence, head of foot-board, vault, monument or inclosure, tree,
shrub, or ornament, or shall remove or disturb any stake indicating
the boundary of any lot, half-lot, street or path, of said cemetery,
or of any graveyard of the city, he shall be fined in any sum
not less than five or more than one hundred dollars.
Sec. 6. It shall be unlawful for
any one to bury or be concerned in burying any dead person within
the limits of the city of Dallas, and upon conviction any one
so offending shall be fined any sum not less than ten or more
than one hundred dollars, and each day the body so remains shall
constitute a separate offense; provided that those associations
and individuals having cemeteries in the city shall not be effected
by this provision before April 1, 1880.
Sec. 7. The removal of all dead
is forbidden except between the 1st of November and the 1st of
April, provided that where the bodies have been interred for
two years or more they may be removed at other times. Any one
violating this section shall be fined not exceeding fifty dollars.
Sec. 8. That this ordinance take
effect from passage of publication.
Approved
December 22, 1880.
Attest:
J.
B. HEREFORD, City Secretary
John
J. GOOD, Mayor
- January
1, 1881, Dallas Daily Herald, p. 3, col. 5.
- o o o -
The Old Cemetery.
Why have
not some measures been taken to remove the old Dallas cemetery
beyond the limits of the city? Property has been purchased
and money invested under the idea that it would be taken away,
and yet it remains in our mid-city retarding and almost checking
the growth of Dallas in that direction.
-October 13, 1881,
Dallas Weekly Herald, p. 8, col. 1
- o o o -
1890
A GRAVEYARD
DEAL.
_______
THE
RESTING PLACE OF THE DEAD
IN THE REAL ESTATE SWIM.
_______
Complaint
Made Against an Im-
proper Regard for the Sleeping
Dead Who Lie in the Akard Street
Cemetery--How the City Disposed
of Its Interest in Land Intended
as a Burying Place Forever.
A
few days ago, an elderly lady entered the city secretary's office
and, exhibiting a deed to a cemetery lot, which she bought from
the city while it had control of the old city cemetery, on Akard
street; she said the fence that once enclosed the sacred spot
of ground was in a dilapidated condition and full of gaps, and
what was the most horrible to her mind, parties [were] actually
building houses over the graves. She said her loved ones were
sleeping beneath the sod in that burying ground and she was seeking
whatever redress that might be at her command against such desecration.
She was referred to Mayor Connor.
As this was once the common burying
place for the residents of this then, small city, and the bones
of many of the old settlers, whose names and acts are connected
with the early history of Dallas, were laid to rest there, the
matter is fraught with more than minor interest.
A TIMES-HERALD reporter visited the old city cemetery, which
is on the hill between the Central and Missouri Pacific railways,
and adjoins the Odd Fellows' and Masons' cemeteries. The latter
are enclosed with neat iron fences, and the graves bear evidence
of good keeping, but just across, in the public burying ground,
there is every evidence of unpardonable neglect. The plank fence
that once served to protect the graves against the intrusion
of stock, is fast rotting away, and a number of gaps form openings
for pedestrians to enter, while their course is marked by several
byways, which wind about in different directions among the neglected
mounds. The growth of vegetation is wild and rank. The evergreens,
which are emblematic, have long since lost their beauty.
Paralleling Akard street, a board
fence divides a section of the cemetery. It is set back about
eighty feet and takes a crooked course, evidently out of mock
respect for the graves, which it crowds. This section is divided
into two small lots; on one, a residence has just been completed,
and a business house is being built on the other. If this enclosure
contains a grave, time has rubbed out the mark and the world
is none the wiser. But, the ground that the city sold, as appears
below, is dotted with mounds, some of which, are marked by grave
stones.
Those whose dead are buried there
will doubtless be surprised to learn that Akard street cemetery
is no longer under the control of the city, although there seems
to be some question involving the right to convey it, from the
fact that the city met the expense of grading and building a
sidewalk in front of the property. However, the TIMES-HERALD has searched the public records,
with the result shown below:
MRS. TUBERVILLE'S
DEED TO THE CITY.
THE STATE
OF TEXAS,
COUNTY OF DALLAS. |
} |
Know all men, by these presents
that I, |
Nancy Tuberville
(the widow of Wm. Tuberville, deceased), of the county of Dallas
in the state of Texas, for, and in consideration of, the sum
of $503.12 currency dollars, to me in hand paid, by Henry Ervay,
mayor of the city of Dallas, the receipt of which is hereby acknowledged,
have this day sold, and by these presents do hereby sell, transfer
and convey and confirm unto the said Henry Ervay, as mayor of
said city of Dallas, in Dallas county, Texas, the following described
lot, tract or parcel of land, lying within the corporation of
said city, adjoining the Odd Fellows and Masonic cemetery on
the east, and out of the original John Grigsby league survey
and bounded as follows: Beginning at the southwest corner of
Mrs. Akard's tract on the east line of the Masonic cemetery;
thence s. 45 w. to my original s. w. line; thence n. 45 w. to
my corner on the last [east?] line of the Odd Fellows cemetery;
thence north 68 yards to the beginning, containing 3 acres of
land, reserving for myself one eighth of an acre as a family
burying ground, to include the grave of my late husband, Wm.
Tuberville, deceased, and such other of our family as I may wish,
to be layed off as I may desire. To have and to hold said above
described premises unto the said Henry Ervay, as mayor of said
city of Dallas, and to his successors in said office forever
(save and except the reservation hereinbefore made), to be used
by the authorities of said city of Dallas as a public burying
place or city cemetery forever.
And I do by these presents bind
myself, my heirs and legal representatives to warrant and forever
defend the title to said premises unto the said mayor and his
successors as such against the claims of all persons whomsoever.
Given under my hand this 13th day December, 1871.
her
NANCY x TUBERVILLE.
mark
TRANSFERRED IN
EXCHANGE FOR A PAUPER'S FIELD.
STATE OF
TEXAS,
DALLAS COUNTY. |
} |
Whereas, at a meeting of
the city council, |
of the city of Dallas,
in Dallas county, Texas, held on the ------ day of ------, 187----,
it was mutually agreed between myself and the said council, that
the said city of Dallas, would make to W. H. Gaston and W. H.
Thomas, a deed to all their right, interest and claims in and
to the old cemetery, known as the city cemetery, lying east of
the Masonic and Odd Fellows' cemetery in said city, for and in
consideration that the president of Trinity cemetery would deed
to the city of Dallas, five acres off the southwest side of said
Trinity cemetery, to be used for the burial place of paupers
and indigent poor only. Now, therefore, in compliance with said
agreement, and in consideration that the city council of Dallas,
through their mayor, W. L. Cabell, has made the deed as agreed
upon, I, W. H. Gaston, president of said Trinity Cemetery have
sold and by these presents, does hereby convey to the city of
Dallas, five acres of land off the southwest side of the Trinity
Cemetery, to be used only for the purpose of interring the dead
bodies of paupers and indigent poor people, and bounded as follows:
Beginning at the south corner of said cemetery, thence north
45 1-4 east, 285 feet, thence north 44 3-4 west, 764 feet, thence
south 45 1-4 west 285 feet, thence south 44 3-4 east, 764 feet
to the beginning. To have and to hold said premises unto the
said city of Dallas, for the use and purpose named forever. Given
under my hand and seal this 29th day of August, 1878.
W. H. GASTON, President.
THE COUNCIL SELLS
THE OLD CITY CEMETERY.
W.
L. Cabell, mayor,
to
W. H. Gaston & W. H. Thomas. |
} |
Deed. |
THE STATE
OF TEXAS,
COUNTY OF DALLAS. |
} |
Whereas, at a meeting of
the city council |
of the city of Dallas
held on the ---- day of ----, 1871, it was mutually agreed by
the city council on the one part and W. H. Thomas, president
of the Trinity cemetery, on the other part, that if the said
Gaston would make to the city a deed to 5 acres of land off the
southwest side of the Trinity cemetery to be used solely as a
burying place for paupers and indigent persons, then, and in
that event, the city authorities of the city of Dallas would,
in consideration, therefore deed to said W. H. Gaston and W.
H. Thomas, all the right, title and interest owned by the city,
and to the old city cemetery of Dallas, Texas, which is described
as follows, to-wit: Beginning at Mrs. Akard's corner on the east
line of the Masonic cemetery, thence n. 81 e, 136 yards, thence
s. 17 3. 56 yards, thence s. 45 [w] 136 yards to league line,
thence n. 42 [w] 83 yards to the east line of Odd Fellows' cemetery,
then north 68 yards to the beginning, containing 3 acres (excepting
all sale of lots heretofore made by the city and whereas, the
said Gaston has performed his part of said contract by making
the deed as aforesaid to me as mayor of said city, properly authenticated
now, therefore, in consideration of the premises as aforesaid
and by virtue of the authority in me vested as mayor of said
city, and in consideration of the deed to said five acres of
land, I, W. L. Cabell, mayor of Dallas, Texas, have sold, and
by these presents, do hereby sell, transfer and convey to W.
H. Gaston and W. H. Thomas, their heirs and assigns, all the
right, title and interest which the said city of Dallas has in
[deed] to the above described premises, to have and to hold unto
the said W. H. Gaston and W. H. Thomas, their heirs or assigns
forever.
Witness my hand this 29th day of August, 1878.
W. L. CABELL.
Mayor City of Dallas.
J. B. HERFORD, City Secretary [L. S.]
- February
15, 1890, Dallas Daily Times Herald, p. 5, col. 1-2.
- o o o -
1891
Local Notes.
Vandals
entered the Masonic cemetery recently and smashed thirty-five
head-stones. The penitentiary for life would be the proper punishment
for the scoundrels.
- March
23, 1891, Dallas Daily Times Herald, p. 8, col. 4.
- o o o -
1896
CRISP'S FATHER.
________
The Late Ex-Speaker's
Father is
Buried in Dallas.
________
He Lived Here in
1873, but His
Grave Cannot be Found.
Undertaker
Ed C. Smith, referring to the special from Waco, which says that
the mother of the late ex-Speaker Charles F. Crisp is buried
in that city, said:
"The father of the late speaker
died in Dallas in 1873, and was buried in the old city cemetery.
Several years ago, Mr. Crisp wished to erect a monument over
his father, but the grave had been so long neglected, that it
could not be found, and it has not, to this day, been located.
"The elder Crisp's initials
were W. H. He and his wife ran the Crisp Dramatic Company, and
Charles F., who was then young, a youth, was an actor in the
company. They played heavy pieces; "Macbeth" was one
of them, I remember.
"While they were playing here,
Mr. Crisp was taken sick. The company were stopping at the Crutchfield
house, and Mr. Crisp occupied a room across the street over Connor
& Walker's drug store, and it was in this room he died."
- October 26, 1896,
Dallas Daily Times Herald, p. 8, col. 2.
- o o o -
1902
GRAVES DUG INTO
IN SOUTH DALLAS.
________
Opening of a Street
Unearths a Coffin and Ne-
cessitates Another Burial Ground--Excava-
tions which Expose Skeletons.
A sad procession
was noted passing through the streets of Dallas yesterday afternoon.
It spoke of the long ago and brought burning tears from loving
ones who had many years since wept over the grave and listened
to the last sad rites as the wife and mother was laid away for
all time, as was then thought to be the case. The burial took
place in the old cemetery lying east of what is, at present,
known as the Santa Fe yards. A well known citizen of Dallas ascertained
a few days ago that teams were engaged in opening up and reducing
the grade of Masonic street and, as his wife was buried in that
vicinity, he repaired to the scene. He located her grave, but
not by the familiar headstone or fence which he had provided,
as these had been removed by unknown parties and scrapers were
gathering dirt within a few feet of the coffin when he commenced
his investigation. It was not long before all of the earth had
been carted elsewhere and the remains, which had rested in peace
these many years, were exposed to the elements. Another burial
ground was secured, and with his own hands, the husband gathered
the remains of his deceased wife and had them deposited elsewhere.
For some time past, a firm of contractors
has been excavating a lot on Marilla street adjoining the old
cemetery in that vicinity, and using the sand on the streets
of Dallas. About three months ago, they approached too near the
cemetery line, causing the bank to cave away and expose to view
a walnut coffin, out of the end of which, projected the skull
of a woman. The grave was left open until last Wednesday, when
it was boarded in. No records can be obtained as to whose grave
it is, as it lies outside of the cemetery proper.
The land that is being excavated
besides the adjoining property on Akard street and the cemetery,
was deeded to the city a number of years ago by a Mrs. Tabberville
[Tuberville], with the understanding that it should be used as
a burying ground. The city has sold a good portion of the land
for residence and store plots.
The heirs of Mrs. Tabberville recently
brought suit against the city to recover the property, but for
some reason, the case was withdrawn from court.
- January 12, 1902,
Dallas Daily Times Herald, p. 8, col. 5-6.
- o o o -
1937
Cemetery Map Drawn in 1881
To Help Sulphur Springs Man
Find Sister's Grave in Dallas
A scrawled
note and plan of a graveyard made on the back of a handbill in
1881 will help M. B. Sherwood of Sulphur Springs locate the resting
place of his sister, who died before his birth.
Mr. Sherwood, treasurer for sixteen
years of the North Texas Methodist Conference, Thursday showed
the map of the Masonic Cemetery on South Akard. It was drawn
on the back of a handbill which advertised the impending publication
of the Dallas Evening Blade on or about Sept. 1, 1881.
The map was drawn by T. E. Sherwood,
pioneer of Dallas and its third Mayor after incorporation. He
was M. B. Sherwood's father, and lived on the present site of
the Santa Fe Building. Across the top of the map is a short note
of explanation and a postscript reading: "I wonder if my
children will read this after my death?"
The map was found by Mr. Sherwood
in his father's effects after his death in 1897. Although he
has owned the paper since, Mr. Sherwood has not had an opportunity
before to look up the grave. He plans to look for it while here.
In marking the location of the
exact plot in the cemetery, Mr. Sherwood named the graves of
those around it. Some of the names are now prominent in Dallas
history, such as E. C. Browder, J. P. Goodnight, Ervay and Cole.
The other side of the map, advertising
the newspaper, is nearly as interesting. The handbill, signed
by George N. Beach and E. G. Rust, lists the office at Main and
Poydras, over L. Myers Connor's drugstore.
The editorial policy of the paper
is set forth on the advertisement, and claims that the paper
will be "strictly independent in politics, discussing all
questions, local and national, impartially and without reference
to the position of any political party."
As an inducement to subscribers,
the publishers offer with the subscription, a free, two-line
listing in the business directory of the paper for the duration
of the subscription. A substitute offer of one two-line insertion
per week in the cheap column is offered.
- October 29, 1937,
The Dallas Morning News,
Sec. II, p. 1, col. 6-7; cont. on page 6, col. 2.
- o o o -
1945
Old Cemetery
Items
BY MRS.
GEORGE F. CARLISLE
On
March 30, 1846, the Texas State Legislature passed an act creating
the County of Dallas from portions of Nacogdoches and Robertson
Counties. A year from now, we will have our centennial, and how
fitting if we could celebrate by dedicating a memorial cemetery
-- the old cemetery below Akard Street, where the majority of
the organizers of the county lie buried.
It is impossible to record the
first burials in this cemetery. Records of our early settlers
are sometimes hard to find, there were no undertakers and no
vital statistics. Many stones have been destroyed, or no stones
were erected, but often old newspapers and family records are
available.
March, 1857 Deed.
The deed to the Masonic and Odd
Fellow sections says, in part: "To Tannehill Lodge No. 42,
Ancient Y. Masons and Dallas Lodge No. 44, Independent Order
of Odd Fellows, all the lot, tract or parcel of land, being and
situated in Dallas County and State of Texas, near the town of
Dallas, commencing....one-half feet of the N. W. corner of the
B. W. Stone's cemetery, Thence South 376 feet; Thence W. 376
feet to the place of beginning, containing in all, three acres,
more or less. In testimony whereof, we hereunto set our hands
& scrawls for seals, this 21st day of March A. D. 1857."
Signers of the deed were John W. Smith, James N. Smith, W. L.
Murphy, W. P. Martin and Alexander Cockrell.
The signers of the deed were given
choice of lots. Others given choice of lots for contributing
to the cemetery included B. Warren Stone, John C. McCoy, G. W.
Barnett, James M. Patterson, the Rev. James A. Smith and J. B.
McDermett, deceased. Records indicate this burial ground was
in existence long before this deed was made.
Probably the first burial in the
county was that of Isaac Young's wife, who died in the late summer
of 1842, and was buried "five hundred yards north of John
Neely Bryan's cabin" by Bryan, Captain Gilbert and J. B.
Martin. In the B. Warren Stone plot of the cemetery, the headstones,
without dates, read: "Margaret, wife of B. Warren Stone"
and a marker with the initials "B. W. S."
The donors known to be buried in
the cemetery include: James N. Smith, W. P. Martin, James M.
Patterson, the Rev. James A. Smith, B. Warren Stone and John
C. McCoy. The body of Alexander Cockrell was moved to Greenwood
Cemetery and John W. Smith's grave is in the Smith Family Cemetery,
near Lemmon Avenue Road.
Old Headstone Inscriptions.
The oldest legible headstones found
were: Masonic Section, "J. B. McDermett, Born Somersett
Co. Pa. Year 1790, Died July 15, 1854"; Odd Fellow Section,
"A. P. Grover, 1830-1855:; City Section, "William W.
Barton, Born March 7, 1814, Died July 26, 1876" and in the
Jewish Cemetery, "Baby Daughter of H. Lauman, Died Aug.
1870." The Jewish Cemetery is, and has always been, well
kept.
Every man buried in this cemetery
has an interesting history of accomplishment, either in the professions,
military records or in business, helping to lay the foundation
for the City and County of Dallas. And, who can say that pioneer
women did not do the greater part in hardships endured? Among
the women buried in this cemetery are several who will always
live in the history of our county and state.
- May
6, 1945, The Dallas Morning News, Sec. IV, p. 7, col. 2-3.
- o o o -
1945
Added
June 12, 2004:
Old Cemetery Items
By Mrs. George F. Carlisle.
A
noted physician, writer and lecturer once wrote, that when he
went to a town to lecture, he always looked at the cemeteries
of that town, and from their condition, he knew the type of people
he would address. Go to the old cemetery below Akard street any
day, late in the afternoon, and you will find, in the city section,
cows grazing over the graves of our first settlers, sometimes
within fenced plots where descendants have tried to protect the
graves. In all sections of this cemetery, you will see rabbits
jumping over the tall grass, and perhaps boys and dogs chasing
the rabbits. Many appeals have been made to the city since 1870,
asking that these graves be given protection. Let us hope the
Master Plan, which includes this old cemetery, will soon operate
to the extent of saving the pieces of stones remaining, so the
graves of many of our pioneers may be located.
Graves of Churchmen.
Not all early settlers came here
for land grants or to establish a business. Some came as missionaries
to bring the Word of God, and to organize and build our first
churches. In the Masonic section, a lot belonging to St. Matthew's
Episcopal Church, when the name meant parish, not cathedral,
are buried two men who established that church. One, the Rev.
George Rottenstein, an Episcopalian priest, came as a missionary
in 1856. It is recorded that first services were held in a vacant
store building on Main Street, between Houston and Broadway,
and four celebrants attended. Marriages performed by the Rev.
Mr. Rottenstein in 1856 and 1857 were, in most instances, members
of the French Colony, and were signed, "Geo. Rottenstein,
Presbyter (Priest) of Episc. Cr. St. Matthew's Parish, Dallas."
No stone marks the grave of Rector Rottenstein, but it is said
he died in 1868, and since no minister of his faith was available,
services were conducted by the Masonic order, of which he was
a member.
Following the death of the Rev.
Mr. Rottenstein, Rector Silas Davenport was sent by the Diocese
of Texas to the Dallas parish. A stately monument at his grave
in this lot bears this inscription: Rev. Silas Davenport, Born
July 21, 1830, Died Jan. 1, 1877 Born in Elizabeth City, N. C.,
the Rev. Mr. Davenport had been educated for the ministry at
Raleigh. Soon after he was ordained, he came by ship to Texas,
serving as a traveling missionary until the Civil War, when he
became an officer in the Confederate Army. Coming to Dallas in
August, 1868, as rector of St. Matthew's, when services were
being held on Main Street, a new location was soon established
at Elm and Lamar.
In 1874, the Rev. Mr. Davenport
became the first dean of St. Matthew's Cathedral when the church
was located on Commerce Street. He was also in charge of missionary
work, which included eight counties, and much of his time was
spent traveling on horseback, or by buckboard, to the parishes
in the North Texas diocese. His death was caused by exposure
to severe winter weather in performance of his pastoral duties.
Georgian Buried First.
The first burial in this plot,
according to the broken pieces of stone, was that of Wm. P. Martin,
born Aug. 4, 1832, died Jan. 12, 1858. This young man had come
to Dallas from Georgia, afflicted with tuberculosis. Being an
Episcopalian, and having no relatives here, he was buried in
the church plot by members of his faith.
Also buried in this plot is a grandson
of the Rev. Silas Davenport, Louis Armistead Shumate. A small
child of Bishop Alexander Garrett was buried there, but later,
the body was moved to another cemetery.
- May
27, 1945, The Dallas Morning News, Sec. I, p. 8, col. 4-5.
- o o o -
Old
Cemetery Items
By Mrs. George F. Carlisle
While
we are welcoming home our soldiers of this, the most destructive
of all wars, let us give thought to the soldiers of other wars,
many of whom are ancestors of our victorious men of today. In
the Odd Fellow and Masonic sections of the old cemetery below
Akard street are graves of many men who served in other wars---Indian
Wars, War of 1812, Mexican War and the War Between the States.
A few of these are:
Capt. William T. Gillenwater, born
April 30, 1795, died June 18, 1865, served as captain of an East
Tennessee company of infantry in the War of 1812. Buried in the
Masonic section.
George H. Beeler, born in Virginia
March 8, 1796, died July 20, 1861, was a rifleman in a Virginia
regiment in the War of 1812. Buried in the Odd Fellow section.
Capt. Jefferson Peak, born in Scott
County, Ky., April 1, 1801, died Oct. 21, 1885, buried in Masonic
section, commanded a company in the war with Mexico, 1846-1847.
Capt. John J. Eakins, born in Henderson
County, Ky., Oct. 6, 1822, buried in Masonic section, was a captain
in the Mexican War.
Served in Two Wars.
William Marion Moon, born in Missouri,
March 18, 1830, cam to Dallas in 1845, was in Captain Fitzhugh's
company in the Mexican War, 1847. He also served in the Confederate
Army as a lieutenant in the 3d Texas Cavalry Regiment. He is
buried in the Masonic section.
Lt. Robert M. Cooke, buried near
the entrance of the Masonic section -- no stone -- served in
a Mississippi volunteers regiment in the Mexican War.
Capt. W. P. Martin, born in Tennessee,
Oct, 23, 1825, fought in the Mexican War, 1846, and was a captain
in the Confederate Army. Died while in service April 17, 1864,
and was buried in the Masonic section.
Seven colonels commanded regiments
of Dallas County men in the Confederate Army, and of these four,
are buried in this old cemetery. One regiment was organized and
commanded by Col. B. Warren Stone, a prominent lawyer of Dallas
in the 1850s. A small marker in the Masonic section bears the
initials, "B. W. S." A larger stone, nearby, bears
the inscription, "Margaret, wife of B. Warren Stone."
In the Odd Fellow section is the
grave of Col. John P. Good, who commanded a regiment of artillery
in the Confederate Army. He came to Dallas in 1851 and practiced
law until his death in 1882. He served as Judge of the Sixteenth
Judicial District and was Mayor of Dallas in 1880.
House Speaker in 1842.
Col. Nicholas Henry Darnell came
to Texas in 1838 and served several terms in the Texas Legislature
and was Speaker of the House in 1842. He was a member of the
Texas Constitutional Convention of 1845 and 1875, and commanded
a Texas cavalry regiment in the Confederate Army.
Col. T. C. Hawpe, born in Georgia,
Sept. 20, 1820, died Aug. 12, 1863, organized the 31st Texas
Regiment, Confederate Army, composed of Dallas County men. He
was elected Sheriff of Dallas County in 1850 and was re-elected
in 1852. Buried in the Masonic section.
Major William Wallace Peak, buried
in the Masonic section, served in the 18th Cavalry Regiment,
organized in Dallas. He was elected County Clerk in 1854 and
was City Alderman for three terms.
Dr. A. D. Rice, born in Kentucky,
February, 1818, died Oct. 10, 1869, served as surgeon in the
Confederate forces with rank of captain. He was elected Mayor
of Dallas in 1858.
Capt. Alexander Harwood, born in
Tennessee, June 4, 1820, came to Dallas in 1845, served in the
Confederate Army. He served several terms as County Clerk.
Many other soldiers are buried
in all three sections of this old cemetery. Two prominent colonels
who served in the Missouri Confederate forces, Charles H. Nicholas
and John M. Stemmons, are buried in the Masonic section.
- September 9, 1945,
Dallas Morning News, Sec. I, p. 16, col. 4-5.
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Plans
Made
To Preserve
Cemetery
By Barry Bishop
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Chauncey Egbert
searches for a grave amid tangled weeds and grass in the proposed
Pioneer Memorial Park, a cemetery where many early city builders
are buried. |
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In less
than a year, Dallas County will celebrate its centennial.
The 100th birthday of the city
was passed four years ago.
And today, master plans for a greater
Dallas have all but passed by the last resting place of many
who helped lay civic foundations for the skyscraper city of 1945.
Tangled weeds mass around graves
of many pioneers in the Masonic and Odd Fellows cemeteries in
the South Akard-Royal Streets vicinity, almost in the shadows
of near-by skyscrapers.
Cows often graze around the headstones,
munching grass that flourishes on the hallowed ground.
Fences Carried Off.
Occasionally, vandals ply their
nefarious trades and carry off iron fencing or other markers
placed there in times past.
It often looks like Dallas doesn't
care.
For years, efforts have been made
to do something about creating a Pioneer Memorial Park in this
area.
In the next few days, a faithful
group will make another effort to get something done. This will
be a meeting of the historical spots committee of Bonham Chapter,
Daughters of the Republic of Texas.
Plan to Petition City.
Mrs. George F. Carlisle, chairman
of this committee, will have the meeting soon to petition the
city to take action.
City Councilmen agreed to sponsor
a Pioneer Memorial Park project for the area several months ago.
Acting City Manager V. R. Smitham and Park Board President Ray
Hubbard are spearheading the preliminary meetings seeking a solution
with owners of the property.
Master plans have given little
mention to the Pioneer Memorial Park, but officials have promised
to do something.
Out of meetings this year, plans
have developed for members of the Masonic and Odd Fellows lodges
to deed the two cemeteries to the city.
In return, the city will be expected to erect an ornamental fence,
an attractive entrance to the park and establish a permanent
maintenance plan.
Masonic Lodge to Help.
Members of Tannehill Masonic Lodge,
the group owning part of the property, have agreed to contribute
financially toward the initial program, Chauncey Egbert, a member
of the committee, said Saturday.
Odd Fellows expect to aid in establishing
the program.
The area was occupied by a cemetery
before it was acquired by the masons and Odd Fellows on March
21, 1857. This was only nine years after Dallas County was created
by legislative authority on March 30, 1846, Mrs. Carlisle recalled.
The oldest grave Mrs. Carlisle
has been able to locate is that of J. B. McDermett, who died
July 15, 1854. There are others older than that, she is certain,
but headstones and other markers are gone.
Four Mayors Buried There.
Four Mayors of Dallas rest in the
area. These are Dr. A. B. Rice, John M. Crockett, John W. Crowdus
and John J. Good.
Fighting with weeds and grass for
recognition are the gravestone of many other pioneers of Dallas.
A number of these family names now designate city streets.
There are found here such names
as Akard, Marsalis, Ervay, Young, Latimer, Laws, Stemmons, Armstrong,
Martin, Eakins and Stone.
Stories left by these pioneers
are legion. Some of them are most interesting and historically
quite important.
There are men here who fought in
Indian wars, the War of 1812, the Mexican War and the War Between
the States.
The grave of one man--Nicholas
Henry Darnell--marks the resting place of the man said to have
been the only person with the distinction of having been a member
of both the Constitutional Convention of 1845 and the Constitutional
Convention of 1875 in Texas.
It is the memory of men and women
like these the historical spots committee hopes to commemorate
in a lasting Pioneer Memorial Park.
- September 16, 1945,
Dallas Morning News, Sec. II, p. 2, col. 1-5.
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