fbpx
Wikipedia

Oakland Cemetery (Dallas, Texas)

The Oakland Cemetery is a historic cemetery in Dallas, Texas, United States. It originally stood on 180 acres in rural Dallas County 1.5 miles southeast of the county court house when it opened in 1892. Economic problems, court judgements, land sales and acquisitions altered the cemetery to approximately 48 acres by 1969. About 27,000 people have selected Oakland Cemetery as the burial location for themselves and/or their family members. Burials include many prominent politicians, educators, physicians, ministers, business leaders, military service members, ancestors of famous individuals and ordinary citizens. The cemetery has a number of interesting memorials, sculptures and vaults. Mount Auburn pauper cemetery, owned by the city of Dallas, a Dallas county pauper cemetery (Rest Haven), and Opportunity Park, a city of Dallas public park border Oakland Cemetery. A Confederate cemetery, cared for by the city of Dallas Parks Department, is nearby.

Oakland Cemetery
Oakland Cemetery in 2014
Details
Established1892
Location
CountryUnited States
Coordinates32°45′45″N 96°45′27″W / 32.7625°N 96.7574°W / 32.7625; -96.7574
TypePublic, non-denominational
Owned byOakland Cemetery Lot Owners Association
Websiteoaklandcemeterydallas.com
Find a GraveOakland Cemetery

History Edit

The Oakland Cemetery was built on land which Thomas Lagow was awarded for emigrating to Texas before March 2, 1836. He received a First-Class Headright of a league and labor (4,605.50 acres) from Republic of Texas in 1841. After his death in 1844, 1,000 acres were deeded to Lagow's father-in-law, Armstead Bennett (1785–1859). Bennett's son-in-law and daughter, Daniel and Judith (Bennett) Parker, sold 680 acres to Nathaniel C. Floyd (1796–1870) in 1854.[1] Floyd divided the land into 19 blocks which his probate distributed to his wife and three daughters.[2] The land as covered with trees which Floyd used to describe in the division of the land: post oak, blackjack oak, Spanish oak, American elm, mulberry, ash, pecan, hackberry, burr oak, and honey locust trees.

Oliver Perry Bowser and William Henry Lemmon, real estate brokers, purchased over 232 acres from N. C. Floyd's daughters in 1888.[3] O. S. Riggen purchased 30 acres that comprise NW 1/2 of Block 4 of the Floyd estate from Bowser and Lemmon with the idea of establishing a cemetery outside the city limits.[4] The Rules and Regulations of the Oakland Cemetery Company, published in 1892, credits Riggen with beginning the effort to establish a rural, garden cemetery in Dallas County.[5] His death in 1891 caused his 30 acres to be sold to Joseph Weil. Others followed adding 120 more acres to the project. The final acquisition consisted of Blocks 1, 3, and 4, each approximately 567.5 square varas (about 60 acres) in an L shape.

Oakland Cemetery Company Edit

On 6 June 1891, the Texas Secretary of State approved the incorporation of Oakland Cemetery Company.[6] James. C. O’Connor, John S. Armstrong, B. Blankenship, Thomas J. Oliver, James Moroney, William H. Lewis, William N. Coe, and John P. Murphy were directors of the company. On 24 September 1892, they elected J. P. Murphy, President; T. J. Oliver, Vice President; and C. B. Gillespie, Secretary/Treasurer. In August 1892, William H. Lewis, Zachariah E. Coombes & William B. Gano, Joseph Weil and William N. Coe sold The Oakland Cemetery Company a total of 180 acres of the N. C. Floyd Estate that they acquired through various transactions with O.P. Bowser, W. H. Lemmon and others.

The Oakland Cemetery Company Board dedicated the 180 acres for the purpose of a cemetery.[7] The company hired J. B. Buchanan as superintendent and landscape gardener. Benjamin Grove, a cemetery engineer, from Louisville, Kentucky, produced a design in the style of a rural, garden cemetery similar to Mount Auburn Cemetery near Boston.[8] The land that the cemetery company acquired was L-shaped, consisting of Blocks 1, 3 and 4 of the Floyd estate. "The spot was covered with a thick growth of trees."[5] While old oak trees were kept, landscape gardeners added rose bushes and graveled pathways to the land. Groves submitted a plan for a total of 120 acres of the180 acres which the became the official plat of the cemetery which the cemetery association filed with the county.[9]

The Oakland Cemetery Company, in a 1899 lot owners meeting, said that "the grounds shall be limited exclusively to the purchasers respectively of lots therein; and that 25 per cent of the sum received in the sale of each and every lot in all time to come shall be, and is hereby set apart and made a perpetual fund, to be loaned upon the best securities by three trustees, one to be selected by the company and two by the lot-owners: and the interest received there form devoted to the care and keeping of the grounds, graves, etc.."[10]

"Can't Mortgage Cemeteries" – finances and court cases Edit

Several court cases arose when the Oakland Cemetery Company borrowed from various banks and individuals in the 1890s. American National Bank and others sued the company and its officers for failure to pay debts.[11] The district court charged the county sheriff or constable to sell cemetery property. The county sheriff sold 30 acres each to E. O. Tenison and Guy Sumpter who six months later conveyed the property to the newly formed People's Cemetery Association.[6] Both the Oakland Cemetery Company and the People's Cemetery Association sold burial lots in the cemetery. The Oakland Cemetery Company appealed. The case was eventually brought to the Texas Supreme Court which ruled that land dedicated for a cemetery could not be sold to resolve a debt.[12] The Dallas Morning News summed up the results with the headline “Can’t Mortgage Cemeteries.”[13]

Land sales, acquisitions, change in ownership Edit

Burials only occurred in Floyd's Block 1. Oakland Cemetery Company sold various parcels from Block 3 and 4. Later, the company purchased additional land on the northwest side of the cemetery.[14] In 1926, the Oakland Cemetery Company was dissolved and replaced by the Oakland Lot Owners Association. Of the land originally acquired from the Nathaniel C. Floyd estate, only Block 1 remained in the cemetery. Oakland Cemetery Company sold the 55.28 acres of the cemetery to Oakland Cemetery Lot Owners Association.[15] A trust fund for maintenance costs was established.[16]

Oakland Cemetery Lot Owners sold 9.125 acres on the southeast line to the City of Dallas for Opportunity Park in 1969.The deed stated that "there have been no burials in this portion of the cemetery and that no lots or burial rights were every conveyed out of Oakland Cemetery Lot Owners' Association, Incorporated, to any person, in this section of the cemetery."[17] The land was part of the NE 1/2 of the SE 1/2 part of Block 1 of the Floyd estate.

 
Oakland Cemetery Map

Cemetery sections Edit

The cemetery is laid out in sections containing lots and sections containing tiers (rows). Besides family plots and individual graves, Oakland Cemetery Company rules and regulations stated that it would "supply ample grounds for societies and religious denominations; and when such organization have chosen a part of the cemetery, it would be well for them to select an appropriate name for it."[5] Three sections exist today: Elks Rest, (Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks), Woodmen of the World, and Texas Graduate Nurses Association. The Texas Graduate Nurses Association sold much of their section to Oakland Cemetery Lot Owners in 1997.[18]

There are markers for Masons, Shriners, Knights Templar, Order of Eastern Star, Knights of Pythias, Fraternal Order of Eagles, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and International Association of Rebecca Assemblies, Woodmen of the World and Sons of Hermann. through the cemetery. There are a few Daughters of the American Revolution, Sons of the American Revolution, United Confederate Veterans and Grand Army of the Republic symbols on markers in the cemetery.

Dallas County Deed Book 172 was created especially to record the sale of lots. The first recorded sale was to John Milton McCoy. He purchased all of Lot 1, Section 2 (845 square feet).[19] The first burial was that of John M.'s wife, Mrs May Alice Peel McCoy, in 1892. In June 1893 he had six members of his family removed from Masonic Cemetery in Dallas and reinterred in Oakland Cemetery. These were his uncle, John Calvin McCoy, Cora McDermett McCoy, wife of John C., Eliza McCoy, Cora McCoy Grimes, and J. C. Taggart. Odd S Riggen, the man credited with the first purchase of land on which to Oakland Cemetery was built, died before it opened. He and his wife, who predeceased him, were initially interred in Greenwood Cemetery. They were removed to Oakland Cemetery in May 1893.

There is a pet section in the Oakland cemetery. A rumor says that a horse and a monkey are buried there. No records support this. The pets buried there do not have interment cards. One dog is buried next to Nellie Wood Kiest in Oakland Section 1. The curious thing is that the dog's interment is listed as 1965 on the lot owner's card.

Cemetery management Edit

J. B. Buchanan was the first Oakland Cemetery superintendent. A. S. Hall was superintendent in 1896. George W. Loudermilk (1870–1948) became cemetery superintendent in 1902[20] and continued through 1920. While managing his responsibilities at Oakland Cemetery, he continued in the undertaking business and served as superintendent at Greenwood Cemetery in Dallas. Although there is a striking Loudermilk monument, he is not buried in Oakland.[21] Others who followed Loudermilk include M. H. Duncan (1924), H. C. Early (1925), J. A. Centerwell (1930), J. L. Osborne (1937), Joe J. Chambers (1940). During Loudermilk's time at Oakland and later, C. H. Brantley was the sexton. Captain L. Fulps was the supervisor and landscape gardener in the 1920s and 1930s.

Oakland through the years Edit

A stroll through Oakland cemetery will reveal the names of individuals whose families are in the written history of Dallas: Dealey, Thornton, Hobby, Bolanz, Murphy, O'Connor, Blaylock, Samuell, Grauwyler, Armstrong, Zang, Belo, Jalonick. It is also the burial location of others whose lives were a struggle, but still contributed to the fabric and growth of the city. Many beautiful monuments and sculptures adorn the cemetery grounds. Some show the signs of pollution and vandalism. Others have sunken into the sandy soil or been have damaged by mowing. Few family members visit long ago ancestors, but some of the recent burials are cared for.

1900s through 1920s Edit

According to a 1915 map by Koch & Fowler Engineers, Oakland Cemetery was still outside of the city of Dallas. The city held an annexation election in 1919 and added 5.75 square miles to the city of Dallas. Oakland Cemetery was part of that annexed area.

Tombstone marks the 1900 Galveston hurricane.

A 1916 arson of the George W. Loudermilk office at Oakland cemetery destroyed many records.[22] Subsequent superintendents and sextons recreated interment cards and made lists of burials from books that escaped the fire. In 1946, the records of Oakland Cemetery was again the target of fire after the files were rifled. It did not result in much damage.[23]

Burials in sections 18 and 19 attest to the devastation of the meningitis outbreak (1911–1912) and the 1918 flu pandemic. Death certificates identify those who died of these two illnesses. These single sections seem to have burials in chronological order in those time periods. There are few tombstones in these sections.

The 1922 Sanborn Map 491 shows the cemetery and surrounding area including Sarvers Floral and cemetery buildings. Spencer street on the southeast is now Pine Street. October 12, 1923, p. 13

"Plan Discussed to Beautify Cemetery," Dallas Morning News, May 2, 1924, p. 13.

In 1924 W. H. Wray was elected cemetery association president and Oakland Cemetery Association applied for and received a new charter. In 1925 Wray resigned and George W. Jalonick became president of the association.

Oakland Cemetery Lot Owners' Association Edit

Oakland Cemetery Lot Owners' Association incorporated on December 1, 1924. Oakland Cemetery Company dissolved December 31, 1925. In January 1926 Oakland Cemetery Lot Owner's Association announced in the Dallas Morning News that they had "purchased from the old cemetery company" all the unplatted acreage and unsold lots for $48,750. This included about one hundred and fifty 20x30 lots and 600 single grave lots. Part of the improvements involved connecting Oakland to the city water system and adding three-inch and four-inch water lines to insure water for the entire cemetery during the summer. "Oakland Cemetery to Be Improved, Owners' Association Announce," – Dallas Morning News, March 2, 1926, p. 14.

"Louisiana Plan Adopted by Lagow District Owners in Effort to Get Segregation," Dallas Morning News. October 26, 1926, p. 13

"Answer South Dallas Protest. Negro School to be in Center of Wheatley Addition," Dallas Morning News, January 1, 1929, p. 13

"Negro High School Proposal Opposed By South League," Dallas Morning News, January 10, 1929, p. 13

"Guards Placed Over Graves," Dallas Morning News, August 30, 1929 p. 13 – Molesting graves Josepha Soerbel

1930s through 1950s Edit

"Cemetery Safes Opened by Yeggs But Found Empty, Dallas Morning News, Jan 12, 1931, p. 9. [Yeggs = burglar or safecracker]

"Pair Held After Disappearance Week Ago of Curly Woodruff; Warned, His Wife Moves Away" Dallas Morning News, February 8, 1931 ["the body of a man was hastily loaded into a car and carried away by two men who fled from the pauper section of Oakland Cemetery ..."

"Oakland Cemetery To Be Beautified With Landscaping. Nonmonument Section to be Added to South Dallas Park." Dallas Morning News, June 24, 1931, p.[page needed]

"More Improvements Planned at Cemetery," Dallas Morning News, July 3, 1931 ["new memorial lawn of the cemetery is to have walks laid out and built in and is to be landscaped. Into this will come new property acquired by the association. 'In this memorial lawn all interments will be under the nonmonument plan, Mr. Byalock said.' "]

"Wife's Body Thrown in Grave Without Casket, Man Claims: Dallas Morning News, November 19, 1931, p. 1

"Memorial Day Observed for Person Aiding in Making World Better," May 31, 1933 [includes mention o Mrs. Emma H. Grauwyler who gave land for Dallas parks.

"Oakland Lot Owners to Build Upkeep Fund," Dallas Morning News, December 15, 1933, p. 11.

"Cemetery Society May Ask Federal Improvement Cash, Dallas Morning News, December 23, 1933, p.[page needed]

The Daughters of 1812 organization honored Lucy Jeanette Power Cary (1842–1924), wife of Joseph Milton Cary, with a marker as a "Real Daughter of 1812" in 1932. Her father fought in the War of 1812.[24] She is the mother of Dr. Edward H. Cary.

The Dallas Morning News reported that a Dallas citizen saw and spoke to Clyde Barrow who was parked in Oakland Cemetery with Raymond Hamilton and two women in the early evening of April 6, 1934.[25]

Granite tombstone stolen from Oakland in 1934[26]

An Abilene, Texas newspaper reported that 28 tombs at Oakland were vandalized in 1937.[27] The Dallas criminal court judge sentenced an Oakland Cemetery Lot Owner Association officer to five years for each of five cases in 1938 for embezzling cemetery funds.[28]

"Five-Year Terms Given Oakland Cemetery Man," Dallas Morning News February 11, 1938, p. 5

"Tacit Threats Made in Negro Home Dispute," Dallas Morning News, September 30, 1939 [Discussion on Racial Segregation]

"Move to black Negro Church Erection Set," Dallas Morning News, December 30, 1939.

The Oakland Cemetery Lot Owners Association built an office for the cemetery in the front drive of the cemetery in 1952. Roger L. Tennant, an association director, told the Dallas Morning News that the funds for the building came from voluntary subscription.[29] Other directors were Joseph Agee, Ben Y. Cammack, Henry Exall, Stephen J. Hay, B. Manning, Miss Roberta Reeves, and Judge Town Young.

Fund Drive Launched for Old Cemetery – Dallas Morning News, 22 October 1957, p. 14

1960s through 1980s Edit

1980s through 2000s Edit

Oakland Ave name change – Dallas Morning News, November 13, 1997

Plotting a Course – Historic Cemetery seeks help preserving resting place of some of city's top names. Christine Wicker, Dallas Morning News, June 27, 1999, section A, p. 33

The Genealogical Society of Utah microfilmed the Oakland Cemetery interment and lot owner cards in 1998. These are now available in digital form on the Family Search website.

Current state Edit

A Dallas Morning News article announced that the cemetery was officially closed in August 2019 due to lack of operating funds.[30] Now the Oakland Cemetery Lot Owners Association has new leadership. It meets annually in the spring. Its Board of Directors meets quarterly. The office at Oakland is closed, but the cemetery is open 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. daily. Oakland Cemetery's website includes the video "Forgotten Ground." The Oakland Cemetery Lot Owners Association placed the cemetery's records in the Dallas History and Archives Division of the J. Erik Jonsson Central Library.

The Dallas Genealogical Society has a map of the cemetery and a searchable database of interments on its website based on more than ten years of work surveying the cemetery. Twice the society has recognized members of the DGS Oakland Cemetery survey team with awards.

Friends of Oakland Cemetery Dallas, a volunteer group, works tirelessly to assist visitors who come to the cemetery and those who contact them on their Facebook page. The Dallas Genealogy Society recognized the Friends with the 2021 DGS Heritage Preservation Award.

Notable burials Edit

Mayors, state and national politicians Edit

Educators and others Edit

Some Dallas schools were named for those buried at Oakland Cemetery.

  • Florence Edna Rowe – High school English teacher, supervisor of penmanship and drawing
  • Mary Frances "Lida" Hooe – Teacher, art supervisor
  • Nancy Dickerson Moseley – primary teacher and primary supervisor[32]
  • Martha Coke Turner Reilly – a founder of the Congress of Mothers' Clubs
  • Edwin John Kiest – Owner and publisher, Dallas Times Herald and KRLD Radio
  • James Albert Brooks – Superintendent from 1911 to 1914 (no school was named for him)
  • William Lipscomb – Principal at Dallas High School, 1894–1899. His remains later moved to Grove Hill Cemetery
  • Pauline Periwinkle (1863–1916), journalist, poet, teacher, feminist[33]
  • Dr. W. W. Samuell was originally interred at Oakland among his Samuell and Worthington family in Section 3. His remains were later removed to Hillcrest Mausoleum.

Artists, athletes, business and civil leaders Edit

  • John C. McCoy – described as first lawyer to practice law in Dallas. Texas Historic Marker placed in 1968.[34] His remains were moved to Oakland Cemetery by his nephew John M. McCoy. This family is among the first buried at Oakland.
  • Allie Victoria Tennant – sculptor of Indian archer at Hall of State, Fair Park
  • Gordon Conway – Stage and. Costume designer.
  • Harry Kinzy – baseball player
  • Oscar Dugey – baseball player
  • Charles Harrington – pitcher, hit and killed by baseball
  • Antonio Louis Pires – wealthy banker born in Madeira Islands whose monument is one of the most outstanding in the cemetery. See photo above.
  • Minyard Family – Minyard Food Stores
  • John Franklin Strickland – President, Texas Power & Light; builder of Interurban line
  • Daniel F. Sullivan – Fire and Police Commissioner and later first Water Commissioner for Dallas
  • George Clapp Greer – attorney, Magnolia Oil Company, State senator
  • George W. Ware – Founder of Practical Drawing Company[35]

Military Edit

Oakland Cemetery is the burial location for many who served this country in the military. Mexican-American War (1), Civil War (68), Spanish American War (18), World War I and AEF (194), World War II (206,) Korea (17), Vietnam (10), and Military Service not specified (102) and Texas Rangers (2).

Ministers, medicine and scientists Edit

  • William M. Anderson, LLD – Minister, First Presbyterian Church (1894–1901, 1914–24)
  • Henry Arthur Moseley, M.D. – one of the founders of Baylor Hospital
  • Charles M. Rosser, M.D., a founder of Baylor Hospital
  • Joseph Stephens Letcher, M.D. – called "chief spirit" for raising money the site for St. Paul Sanitarium.
  • Rev. James W. Hill – Minister, First Methodist Church
  • Rev. Alexander Charles Garrett, DD, LLD – Bishop, Episcopal Diocese of Dallas
  • Jesse L. Gray – received a patent for short wave sound system for visual observation of aircraft and boats, 1936.[40]

Also buried or memorialized at Oakland Cemetery

  • Santos Rodriguez, the 12-yr old victim of a police killing.[41]
  • Willis A. and Sallie E (Crane ) Skinner who froze to death on Pike's Peak in August 1911.
  • Dr. John B. Sawyer, who died in the 1900 Galveston Hurricane. His name is inscribed on his wife's tombstone.
  • May Sawyer Howth, who died in the 1900 Galveston Hurricane. Her name is inscribed on her mother's tombstone.
  • Some who helped establish Oakland Cemetery: Odd S. Riggen, William B. Gano, William H. Lewis, John P. Murphy, John S. Armstrong, and T. J. Oliver.

Adjacent cemeteries Edit

City Pauper Cemetery Edit

The places for the city of Dallas to bury its pauper death were filling up by the early 1900s. The city officials received complaints about the downtown cemetery and the pauper section of Trinity cemetery (now called Greenwood Cemetery). So in 1901 the city council decided to purchase 6 acres from James A. Crawford and his wife Martha (Hord) Crawford. The land was alongside the newly opened Oakland Cemetery.[42] The city arranged for any individual pauper who died within its boundaries or at the city hospital to be buried. It was not easy to get undertakers to use this rural cemetery. By 1906 former Mayor Barry reminded the city council that land had been purchased for a pauper cemetery. Mayor Curtis P. Smith instructed the city engineers to lay out the cemetery in two sections: one for white paupers and the other for Negroes.[43] Death certificates as early as 1910 and the 1920 revised city code call this cemetery Mount Auburn. The name "city cemetery" continues to appear on death certificate at the same time. Today the City of Dallas calls this cemetery "Opportunity Cemetery," since the land is adjacent to Opportunity Park and is maintained by the City of Dallas Parks and Recreation Department. It is difficult to know exactly when burials began in this city cemetery/ (aka Mount Auburn) because the state did not required death certificate until 1908. The cemetery was replaced with a new pauper cemetery in northwest Dallas in 1932.

There are many death certificates that list Oakland Cemetery as the place of burial but for whom there is no record among the Oakland Cemetery interment records. It may be that undertakers listed the cemetery as Oakland on the death certificate because the city cemetery was located behind Oakland. One death certificate lists a cemetery as "Oakland Annex."

County Pauper Cemetery Edit

Dallas county purchased 6 acres from James A. Crawford and his wife adjacent to the city's property in 1901.[44] The county buried paupers who died in Dallas county but outside the city limits. Paupers from the county could be provided housing on the county poor farm. The farm had its own cemetery. In 1912 Southern Traction Company planned a right-of-way for the new interurban through the farm that bifurcated its cemetery.[45] Dallas county buried many of those dying on the county farm in this new county pauper cemetery. Death certificates listing the cemetery as county cemetery or as Rest Haven (aka Resthaven) date from 1917. The county sold part of its cemetery property to a church; part is a ball park. The remainder on Pine and Electrical is still called Dallas County Pauper Cemetery. Adjacent to this is the Confederate Cemetery, which was first sold (given) to the Sons of Confederate Veterans.

Confederate Cemetery Edit

Dallas County authorized the Sterling Price Confederate Veterans Camp to use a portion of the land from the Dallas County pauper cemetery for a Confederate cemetery. In 1936, the city of Dallas began caring for the Confederate cemetery.[46] The cemetery is at the corner of Electra and Reed streets. In 1970 Dallas County officially deeded the cemetery to the city of Dallas for $1. The land adjacent to the cemetery bordering on Electra and Pine streets remains designated as part of Dallas County Pauper Cemetery in the Dallas County Appraisal District records.

Photo gallery Edit

References Edit

  1. ^ Dallas County, Texas, Deeds. D:524–525 Daniel Parker and Judith (Bennett) Parker, to N. C Floyd, 26 October 1854.
  2. ^ Dallas County (Texas) Deeds, N:321–324 N C Floyd, decd to Susan U Floyd et al 22 October 1870
  3. ^ Dallas County, Texas, Deeds. 91:11–13 Susan A [Floyd] Good and husband to Oliver Perry Bowser and William Henry Lemmon, 13 March 1888.
  4. ^ Dallas County Deed Book 144:155 O P Bowser and W H Lemmon to O S Riggen, 1 May 1891. Dallas County Deed Book 145:69 O P Bowser and W H Lemmon to O S Riggen, 12 May 1891. Dallas County Deed Book 145:71 O P Bowser and W H Lemmon to O S Riggen 12 May 1891.
  5. ^ a b c Oakland Cemetery Company, Dallas, Texas Rules and Regulations of the Oakland Cemetery Company, adopted 21 November 1892 accessed Briscoe Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin 6 July 2021.
  6. ^ a b Biennial Report of the Report of the Secretary of State of the State of Texas, 1895. Table: "Miscellaneous Charters filed from December 20, 1871 to the date of this report."
  7. ^ Dallas County Deed Book 158:628–630, Board of Oakland Cemetery Company. December 10, 1892.
  8. ^ "Oakland Cemetery. A Sacred Resting Place Whose Beauty Suggests the Eternal." Dallas Morning News, 11 June 1893, p. 12 accessed GenealogyBank, 21 July 2021.
  9. ^ "Oakland Cemetery". The Galveston Daily News. Galveston, Texas. August 27, 1892. p. 6. Retrieved January 10, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.  
  10. ^ "Notice of Cemetery Lot Owners' Meeting," Dallas Morning News, March 22, 1899, p. 10.
  11. ^ 14th District Court Cases #12,720 and #17,058 manuscripts of court minutes in Dallas History and Archives Division of the Dallas Public Library.
  12. ^ Texas Reports, Cases Adjudged in The Supreme Court to the Close of The Term Ending June, 1900. Reported by A. E. Wilkinson, Vol. 93, p. 569. The State of Texas, 1900.
  13. ^ Dallas Morning News (Dallas, Texas), June 1, 1900, p. 4
  14. ^ Dallas County (Texas) Deed Book 680:75–76, T L Camp to Oakland Cemetery Company, 1 June 1916.
  15. ^ Dallas County (Texas) Deed Book 1280:125–127. Oakland Cemetery Company to Oakland Cemetery Lot Owners, 18 January 1926.
  16. ^ a b Stowers, Carlton (July 12, 2001). "Grave Matters". Dallas Observer. Retrieved January 10, 2016.
  17. ^ Dallas County (Texas) Deed Book 69169:1750–1754 Oakland Cemetery Lot Owners to City of Dallas, 29 August 1969.
  18. ^ Dallas County Deed Book 97062 pp. 04642–04644, Texas Graduate Nurses Association to Oakland Cemetery Lot Owners Association, 11 March 1997
  19. ^ Dallas County Deed Book 172:2 Oakland Cemetery Company to John M. McCoy, purchased 18 April 1893; filed 17 May 1893.
  20. ^ Dallas Morning News, June 1, 1902, p. 29, col. 5.
  21. ^ "Leader in Dallas Affairs, George Loudermilk Dies," Dallas Morning News, July 10, 1948, p. 18, col. 1–2, photo
  22. ^ "Affidavit Charges Arson," Dallas Morning News, October 7, 1916, p.
  23. ^ "Vandals fail to burn records," Dallas Morning News, February 6, 1946, p. 4.
  24. ^ "Markers over Graves of United Daughters of 1812 Will Be Unveiled," Dallas Morning News, January 8, 1930, p. 6.
  25. ^ "Talked with Barrow in Dallas Yesterday, Citizen Tells Police," Dallas Morning News, April 7, 1934, pp. 1 c7, 12 c7.
  26. ^ "Granite Tombstone Stolen," Dallas Morning News, January 16, 1934, p. 2.
  27. ^ "Cemetery Vandals". Abilene Reporter-News. Abilene, Texas. September 18, 1937. p. 4. Retrieved January 10, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.  
  28. ^ "Five-Year Terms Given Oakland Cemetery Man," Dallas Morning News, February 11, 1938, p. 5.
  29. ^ "New Office Building Erected in Cemetery," Dallas Morning News, October 5, 1952, p. 8.
  30. ^ "Why Oakland Cemetery, where 127 years of Dallas' history is buried, has suddenly been abandoned". Dallas Morning News. Dallas, Texas. August 30, 2019.
  31. ^ Hart, Brian (June 15, 2010). "Holland, Franklin Pierce". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved January 10, 2016.
  32. ^ Dallas Morning News, October 29, 1959, p. 20, col. 1 and September 13, 1958, p. 5
  33. ^ "Oakland Cemetery Lot Owners Association". familysearch.org. Retrieved 9 January 2022.
  34. ^ "Historic Marker Placed at Cemetery," Dallas Morning News, January 13, 1968, p. 3.
  35. ^ "Art Publisher Here Selling Over the country," Dallas Morning News, March 4, 1929, p. 13
  36. ^ "Frank Beaumont Dead; Was Old-Time Ranger," Dallas Morning News, December 17, 1909, p. 5
  37. ^ "Former Texas Ranger Dies," Dallas Morning News, February 7, 1912, p. 10
  38. ^ "Confederate Markers Set," Dallas Morning News, May 17, 1963, Section 4, p. 1, col. 5.
  39. ^ Summerlin, Travis L. (June 15, 2010). "Gambrell, James Bruton". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved January 8, 2016.
  40. ^ "Honor sought for inventor," Dallas Morning News, July 14, 1985, p. 46A.
  41. ^ Amer, Areeba (February 3, 2018). "It is time for Dallas to finally create an official Santos Rodriguez memorial". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved September 3, 2018.
  42. ^ Dallas County Deed Book 265:475, J. A. Crawford and wife to city of Dallas, filed 23 October 1901.
  43. ^ "New Cemetery for City," Dallas Morning News, December 4, 1906, p. 5.
  44. ^ Dallas County Deed Book 265: 604–605, J. A. Crawford and wife to Dallas County, filed 28 May 1901.
  45. ^ "Will Change Cemetery Site," Dallas Morning News, April 23, 1912, p. 16.
  46. ^ "Confederate cemetery passes to city control," Dallas Morning News, November 18, 1936, p. 13, col. 2.

External links Edit

  • Official website  

oakland, cemetery, dallas, texas, this, article, multiple, issues, please, help, improve, discuss, these, issues, talk, page, learn, when, remove, these, template, messages, this, article, external, links, follow, wikipedia, policies, guidelines, please, impro. This article has multiple issues Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page Learn how and when to remove these template messages This article s use of external links may not follow Wikipedia s policies or guidelines Please improve this article by removing excessive or inappropriate external links and converting useful links where appropriate into footnote references February 2023 Learn how and when to remove this template message This article has an unclear citation style The references used may be made clearer with a different or consistent style of citation and footnoting February 2023 Learn how and when to remove this template message Learn how and when to remove this template message The Oakland Cemetery is a historic cemetery in Dallas Texas United States It originally stood on 180 acres in rural Dallas County 1 5 miles southeast of the county court house when it opened in 1892 Economic problems court judgements land sales and acquisitions altered the cemetery to approximately 48 acres by 1969 About 27 000 people have selected Oakland Cemetery as the burial location for themselves and or their family members Burials include many prominent politicians educators physicians ministers business leaders military service members ancestors of famous individuals and ordinary citizens The cemetery has a number of interesting memorials sculptures and vaults Mount Auburn pauper cemetery owned by the city of Dallas a Dallas county pauper cemetery Rest Haven and Opportunity Park a city of Dallas public park border Oakland Cemetery A Confederate cemetery cared for by the city of Dallas Parks Department is nearby Oakland CemeteryOakland Cemetery in 2014DetailsEstablished1892LocationDallas TexasCountryUnited StatesCoordinates32 45 45 N 96 45 27 W 32 7625 N 96 7574 W 32 7625 96 7574TypePublic non denominationalOwned byOakland Cemetery Lot Owners AssociationWebsiteoaklandcemeterydallas wbr comFind a GraveOakland Cemetery Contents 1 History 1 1 Oakland Cemetery Company 1 2 Can t Mortgage Cemeteries finances and court cases 1 3 Land sales acquisitions change in ownership 1 4 Cemetery sections 1 5 Cemetery management 1 6 Oakland through the years 1 6 1 1900s through 1920s 1 6 1 1 Oakland Cemetery Lot Owners Association 1 6 2 1930s through 1950s 1 6 3 1960s through 1980s 1 6 4 1980s through 2000s 2 Current state 3 Notable burials 3 1 Mayors state and national politicians 3 2 Educators and others 3 3 Artists athletes business and civil leaders 3 4 Military 3 5 Ministers medicine and scientists 4 Adjacent cemeteries 4 1 City Pauper Cemetery 4 2 County Pauper Cemetery 4 3 Confederate Cemetery 5 Photo gallery 6 References 7 External linksHistory EditThe Oakland Cemetery was built on land which Thomas Lagow was awarded for emigrating to Texas before March 2 1836 He received a First Class Headright of a league and labor 4 605 50 acres from Republic of Texas in 1841 After his death in 1844 1 000 acres were deeded to Lagow s father in law Armstead Bennett 1785 1859 Bennett s son in law and daughter Daniel and Judith Bennett Parker sold 680 acres to Nathaniel C Floyd 1796 1870 in 1854 1 Floyd divided the land into 19 blocks which his probate distributed to his wife and three daughters 2 The land as covered with trees which Floyd used to describe in the division of the land post oak blackjack oak Spanish oak American elm mulberry ash pecan hackberry burr oak and honey locust trees Oliver Perry Bowser and William Henry Lemmon real estate brokers purchased over 232 acres from N C Floyd s daughters in 1888 3 O S Riggen purchased 30 acres that comprise NW 1 2 of Block 4 of the Floyd estate from Bowser and Lemmon with the idea of establishing a cemetery outside the city limits 4 The Rules and Regulations of the Oakland Cemetery Company published in 1892 credits Riggen with beginning the effort to establish a rural garden cemetery in Dallas County 5 His death in 1891 caused his 30 acres to be sold to Joseph Weil Others followed adding 120 more acres to the project The final acquisition consisted of Blocks 1 3 and 4 each approximately 567 5 square varas about 60 acres in an L shape Oakland Cemetery Company Edit On 6 June 1891 the Texas Secretary of State approved the incorporation of Oakland Cemetery Company 6 James C O Connor John S Armstrong B Blankenship Thomas J Oliver James Moroney William H Lewis William N Coe and John P Murphy were directors of the company On 24 September 1892 they elected J P Murphy President T J Oliver Vice President and C B Gillespie Secretary Treasurer In August 1892 William H Lewis Zachariah E Coombes amp William B Gano Joseph Weil and William N Coe sold The Oakland Cemetery Company a total of 180 acres of the N C Floyd Estate that they acquired through various transactions with O P Bowser W H Lemmon and others The Oakland Cemetery Company Board dedicated the 180 acres for the purpose of a cemetery 7 The company hired J B Buchanan as superintendent and landscape gardener Benjamin Grove a cemetery engineer from Louisville Kentucky produced a design in the style of a rural garden cemetery similar to Mount Auburn Cemetery near Boston 8 The land that the cemetery company acquired was L shaped consisting of Blocks 1 3 and 4 of the Floyd estate The spot was covered with a thick growth of trees 5 While old oak trees were kept landscape gardeners added rose bushes and graveled pathways to the land Groves submitted a plan for a total of 120 acres of the180 acres which the became the official plat of the cemetery which the cemetery association filed with the county 9 The Oakland Cemetery Company in a 1899 lot owners meeting said that the grounds shall be limited exclusively to the purchasers respectively of lots therein and that 25 per cent of the sum received in the sale of each and every lot in all time to come shall be and is hereby set apart and made a perpetual fund to be loaned upon the best securities by three trustees one to be selected by the company and two by the lot owners and the interest received there form devoted to the care and keeping of the grounds graves etc 10 Can t Mortgage Cemeteries finances and court cases Edit Several court cases arose when the Oakland Cemetery Company borrowed from various banks and individuals in the 1890s American National Bank and others sued the company and its officers for failure to pay debts 11 The district court charged the county sheriff or constable to sell cemetery property The county sheriff sold 30 acres each to E O Tenison and Guy Sumpter who six months later conveyed the property to the newly formed People s Cemetery Association 6 Both the Oakland Cemetery Company and the People s Cemetery Association sold burial lots in the cemetery The Oakland Cemetery Company appealed The case was eventually brought to the Texas Supreme Court which ruled that land dedicated for a cemetery could not be sold to resolve a debt 12 The Dallas Morning News summed up the results with the headline Can t Mortgage Cemeteries 13 Land sales acquisitions change in ownership Edit Burials only occurred in Floyd s Block 1 Oakland Cemetery Company sold various parcels from Block 3 and 4 Later the company purchased additional land on the northwest side of the cemetery 14 In 1926 the Oakland Cemetery Company was dissolved and replaced by the Oakland Lot Owners Association Of the land originally acquired from the Nathaniel C Floyd estate only Block 1 remained in the cemetery Oakland Cemetery Company sold the 55 28 acres of the cemetery to Oakland Cemetery Lot Owners Association 15 A trust fund for maintenance costs was established 16 Oakland Cemetery Lot Owners sold 9 125 acres on the southeast line to the City of Dallas for Opportunity Park in 1969 The deed stated that there have been no burials in this portion of the cemetery and that no lots or burial rights were every conveyed out of Oakland Cemetery Lot Owners Association Incorporated to any person in this section of the cemetery 17 The land was part of the NE 1 2 of the SE 1 2 part of Block 1 of the Floyd estate nbsp Oakland Cemetery MapCemetery sections Edit The cemetery is laid out in sections containing lots and sections containing tiers rows Besides family plots and individual graves Oakland Cemetery Company rules and regulations stated that it would supply ample grounds for societies and religious denominations and when such organization have chosen a part of the cemetery it would be well for them to select an appropriate name for it 5 Three sections exist today Elks Rest Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks Woodmen of the World and Texas Graduate Nurses Association The Texas Graduate Nurses Association sold much of their section to Oakland Cemetery Lot Owners in 1997 18 There are markers for Masons Shriners Knights Templar Order of Eastern Star Knights of Pythias Fraternal Order of Eagles Independent Order of Odd Fellows and International Association of Rebecca Assemblies Woodmen of the World and Sons of Hermann through the cemetery There are a few Daughters of the American Revolution Sons of the American Revolution United Confederate Veterans and Grand Army of the Republic symbols on markers in the cemetery Dallas County Deed Book 172 was created especially to record the sale of lots The first recorded sale was to John Milton McCoy He purchased all of Lot 1 Section 2 845 square feet 19 The first burial was that of John M s wife Mrs May Alice Peel McCoy in 1892 In June 1893 he had six members of his family removed from Masonic Cemetery in Dallas and reinterred in Oakland Cemetery These were his uncle John Calvin McCoy Cora McDermett McCoy wife of John C Eliza McCoy Cora McCoy Grimes and J C Taggart Odd S Riggen the man credited with the first purchase of land on which to Oakland Cemetery was built died before it opened He and his wife who predeceased him were initially interred in Greenwood Cemetery They were removed to Oakland Cemetery in May 1893 There is a pet section in the Oakland cemetery A rumor says that a horse and a monkey are buried there No records support this The pets buried there do not have interment cards One dog is buried next to Nellie Wood Kiest in Oakland Section 1 The curious thing is that the dog s interment is listed as 1965 on the lot owner s card Cemetery management Edit J B Buchanan was the first Oakland Cemetery superintendent A S Hall was superintendent in 1896 George W Loudermilk 1870 1948 became cemetery superintendent in 1902 20 and continued through 1920 While managing his responsibilities at Oakland Cemetery he continued in the undertaking business and served as superintendent at Greenwood Cemetery in Dallas Although there is a striking Loudermilk monument he is not buried in Oakland 21 Others who followed Loudermilk include M H Duncan 1924 H C Early 1925 J A Centerwell 1930 J L Osborne 1937 Joe J Chambers 1940 During Loudermilk s time at Oakland and later C H Brantley was the sexton Captain L Fulps was the supervisor and landscape gardener in the 1920s and 1930s Oakland through the years Edit A stroll through Oakland cemetery will reveal the names of individuals whose families are in the written history of Dallas Dealey Thornton Hobby Bolanz Murphy O Connor Blaylock Samuell Grauwyler Armstrong Zang Belo Jalonick It is also the burial location of others whose lives were a struggle but still contributed to the fabric and growth of the city Many beautiful monuments and sculptures adorn the cemetery grounds Some show the signs of pollution and vandalism Others have sunken into the sandy soil or been have damaged by mowing Few family members visit long ago ancestors but some of the recent burials are cared for 1900s through 1920s Edit According to a 1915 map by Koch amp Fowler Engineers Oakland Cemetery was still outside of the city of Dallas The city held an annexation election in 1919 and added 5 75 square miles to the city of Dallas Oakland Cemetery was part of that annexed area Tombstone marks the 1900 Galveston hurricane A 1916 arson of the George W Loudermilk office at Oakland cemetery destroyed many records 22 Subsequent superintendents and sextons recreated interment cards and made lists of burials from books that escaped the fire In 1946 the records of Oakland Cemetery was again the target of fire after the files were rifled It did not result in much damage 23 Burials in sections 18 and 19 attest to the devastation of the meningitis outbreak 1911 1912 and the 1918 flu pandemic Death certificates identify those who died of these two illnesses These single sections seem to have burials in chronological order in those time periods There are few tombstones in these sections The 1922 Sanborn Map 491 shows the cemetery and surrounding area including Sarvers Floral and cemetery buildings Spencer street on the southeast is now Pine Street October 12 1923 p 13 Plan Discussed to Beautify Cemetery Dallas Morning News May 2 1924 p 13 In 1924 W H Wray was elected cemetery association president and Oakland Cemetery Association applied for and received a new charter In 1925 Wray resigned and George W Jalonick became president of the association Oakland Cemetery Lot Owners Association Edit Oakland Cemetery Lot Owners Association incorporated on December 1 1924 Oakland Cemetery Company dissolved December 31 1925 In January 1926 Oakland Cemetery Lot Owner s Association announced in the Dallas Morning News that they had purchased from the old cemetery company all the unplatted acreage and unsold lots for 48 750 This included about one hundred and fifty 20x30 lots and 600 single grave lots Part of the improvements involved connecting Oakland to the city water system and adding three inch and four inch water lines to insure water for the entire cemetery during the summer Oakland Cemetery to Be Improved Owners Association Announce Dallas Morning News March 2 1926 p 14 Louisiana Plan Adopted by Lagow District Owners in Effort to Get Segregation Dallas Morning News October 26 1926 p 13 Answer South Dallas Protest Negro School to be in Center of Wheatley Addition Dallas Morning News January 1 1929 p 13 Negro High School Proposal Opposed By South League Dallas Morning News January 10 1929 p 13 Guards Placed Over Graves Dallas Morning News August 30 1929 p 13 Molesting graves Josepha Soerbel 1930s through 1950s Edit Cemetery Safes Opened by Yeggs But Found Empty Dallas Morning News Jan 12 1931 p 9 Yeggs burglar or safecracker Pair Held After Disappearance Week Ago of Curly Woodruff Warned His Wife Moves Away Dallas Morning News February 8 1931 the body of a man was hastily loaded into a car and carried away by two men who fled from the pauper section of Oakland Cemetery Oakland Cemetery To Be Beautified With Landscaping Nonmonument Section to be Added to South Dallas Park Dallas Morning News June 24 1931 p page needed More Improvements Planned at Cemetery Dallas Morning News July 3 1931 new memorial lawn of the cemetery is to have walks laid out and built in and is to be landscaped Into this will come new property acquired by the association In this memorial lawn all interments will be under the nonmonument plan Mr Byalock said Wife s Body Thrown in Grave Without Casket Man Claims Dallas Morning News November 19 1931 p 1 Memorial Day Observed for Person Aiding in Making World Better May 31 1933 includes mention o Mrs Emma H Grauwyler who gave land for Dallas parks Oakland Lot Owners to Build Upkeep Fund Dallas Morning News December 15 1933 p 11 Cemetery Society May Ask Federal Improvement Cash Dallas Morning News December 23 1933 p page needed The Daughters of 1812 organization honored Lucy Jeanette Power Cary 1842 1924 wife of Joseph Milton Cary with a marker as a Real Daughter of 1812 in 1932 Her father fought in the War of 1812 24 She is the mother of Dr Edward H Cary The Dallas Morning News reported that a Dallas citizen saw and spoke to Clyde Barrow who was parked in Oakland Cemetery with Raymond Hamilton and two women in the early evening of April 6 1934 25 Granite tombstone stolen from Oakland in 1934 26 An Abilene Texas newspaper reported that 28 tombs at Oakland were vandalized in 1937 27 The Dallas criminal court judge sentenced an Oakland Cemetery Lot Owner Association officer to five years for each of five cases in 1938 for embezzling cemetery funds 28 Five Year Terms Given Oakland Cemetery Man Dallas Morning News February 11 1938 p 5 Tacit Threats Made in Negro Home Dispute Dallas Morning News September 30 1939 Discussion on Racial Segregation Move to black Negro Church Erection Set Dallas Morning News December 30 1939 The Oakland Cemetery Lot Owners Association built an office for the cemetery in the front drive of the cemetery in 1952 Roger L Tennant an association director told the Dallas Morning News that the funds for the building came from voluntary subscription 29 Other directors were Joseph Agee Ben Y Cammack Henry Exall Stephen J Hay B Manning Miss Roberta Reeves and Judge Town Young Fund Drive Launched for Old Cemetery Dallas Morning News 22 October 1957 p 14 1960s through 1980s Edit 1980s through 2000s Edit Oakland Ave name change Dallas Morning News November 13 1997Plotting a Course Historic Cemetery seeks help preserving resting place of some of city s top names Christine Wicker Dallas Morning News June 27 1999 section A p 33The Genealogical Society of Utah microfilmed the Oakland Cemetery interment and lot owner cards in 1998 These are now available in digital form on the Family Search website Current state EditA Dallas Morning News article announced that the cemetery was officially closed in August 2019 due to lack of operating funds 30 Now the Oakland Cemetery Lot Owners Association has new leadership It meets annually in the spring Its Board of Directors meets quarterly The office at Oakland is closed but the cemetery is open 9 00 a m to 5 00 p m daily Oakland Cemetery s website includes the video Forgotten Ground The Oakland Cemetery Lot Owners Association placed the cemetery s records in the Dallas History and Archives Division of the J Erik Jonsson Central Library The Dallas Genealogical Society has a map of the cemetery and a searchable database of interments on its website based on more than ten years of work surveying the cemetery Twice the society has recognized members of the DGS Oakland Cemetery survey team with awards Friends of Oakland Cemetery Dallas a volunteer group works tirelessly to assist visitors who come to the cemetery and those who contact them on their Facebook page The Dallas Genealogy Society recognized the Friends with the 2021 DGS Heritage Preservation Award Notable burials EditMayors state and national politicians Edit Henry Ervay mayor from 1870 to 1872 Winship C Connor mayor from 1887 to 1894 Franklin Pierce Holland mayor from 1895 to 1897 31 William Meredith Holland mayor from 1911 to 915 Louis Blaylock mayor from 1923 to 1927 Barnett Barney Gibbs Texas senator 1883 1885 and Lieutenant Governor 1885 1887 Edwin Le Roy Antony member of the United States House of Representatives 1892 to 1893 James Andrew Beall U S congressman 1903 to 1915 Judge John Bookhout Judge Fifth Court of Civil Appeals 15 years Dallas Alderman in 1885 amp 1886 for Ward 3 in Dallas Educators and others Edit Some Dallas schools were named for those buried at Oakland Cemetery Florence Edna Rowe High school English teacher supervisor of penmanship and drawing Mary Frances Lida Hooe Teacher art supervisor Nancy Dickerson Moseley primary teacher and primary supervisor 32 Martha Coke Turner Reilly a founder of the Congress of Mothers Clubs Edwin John Kiest Owner and publisher Dallas Times Herald and KRLD Radio James Albert Brooks Superintendent from 1911 to 1914 no school was named for him William Lipscomb Principal at Dallas High School 1894 1899 His remains later moved to Grove Hill Cemetery Pauline Periwinkle 1863 1916 journalist poet teacher feminist 33 Dr W W Samuell was originally interred at Oakland among his Samuell and Worthington family in Section 3 His remains were later removed to Hillcrest Mausoleum Artists athletes business and civil leaders Edit John C McCoy described as first lawyer to practice law in Dallas Texas Historic Marker placed in 1968 34 His remains were moved to Oakland Cemetery by his nephew John M McCoy This family is among the first buried at Oakland Allie Victoria Tennant sculptor of Indian archer at Hall of State Fair Park Gordon Conway Stage and Costume designer Harry Kinzy baseball player Oscar Dugey baseball player Charles Harrington pitcher hit and killed by baseball Antonio Louis Pires wealthy banker born in Madeira Islands whose monument is one of the most outstanding in the cemetery See photo above Minyard Family Minyard Food Stores John Franklin Strickland President Texas Power amp Light builder of Interurban line Daniel F Sullivan Fire and Police Commissioner and later first Water Commissioner for Dallas George Clapp Greer attorney Magnolia Oil Company State senator George W Ware Founder of Practical Drawing Company 35 Military Edit Oakland Cemetery is the burial location for many who served this country in the military Mexican American War 1 Civil War 68 Spanish American War 18 World War I and AEF 194 World War II 206 Korea 17 Vietnam 10 and Military Service not specified 102 and Texas Rangers 2 Frank A Beaumont Texas Ranger 1880 1881 36 Henry Coleman Texas Ranger 1858 1861 37 Richard Montgomery Gano a Brigadier General in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War 16 Texas State Historical Marker placed in 1963 38 James Bruton Gambrell Confederate veteran President of Southern Baptist Convention 1917 1920 39 Ministers medicine and scientists Edit William M Anderson LLD Minister First Presbyterian Church 1894 1901 1914 24 Henry Arthur Moseley M D one of the founders of Baylor Hospital Charles M Rosser M D a founder of Baylor Hospital Joseph Stephens Letcher M D called chief spirit for raising money the site for St Paul Sanitarium Rev James W Hill Minister First Methodist Church Rev Alexander Charles Garrett DD LLD Bishop Episcopal Diocese of Dallas Jesse L Gray received a patent for short wave sound system for visual observation of aircraft and boats 1936 40 Also buried or memorialized at Oakland Cemetery Santos Rodriguez the 12 yr old victim of a police killing 41 Willis A and Sallie E Crane Skinner who froze to death on Pike s Peak in August 1911 Dr John B Sawyer who died in the 1900 Galveston Hurricane His name is inscribed on his wife s tombstone May Sawyer Howth who died in the 1900 Galveston Hurricane Her name is inscribed on her mother s tombstone Some who helped establish Oakland Cemetery Odd S Riggen William B Gano William H Lewis John P Murphy John S Armstrong and T J Oliver Adjacent cemeteries EditCity Pauper Cemetery Edit The places for the city of Dallas to bury its pauper death were filling up by the early 1900s The city officials received complaints about the downtown cemetery and the pauper section of Trinity cemetery now called Greenwood Cemetery So in 1901 the city council decided to purchase 6 acres from James A Crawford and his wife Martha Hord Crawford The land was alongside the newly opened Oakland Cemetery 42 The city arranged for any individual pauper who died within its boundaries or at the city hospital to be buried It was not easy to get undertakers to use this rural cemetery By 1906 former Mayor Barry reminded the city council that land had been purchased for a pauper cemetery Mayor Curtis P Smith instructed the city engineers to lay out the cemetery in two sections one for white paupers and the other for Negroes 43 Death certificates as early as 1910 and the 1920 revised city code call this cemetery Mount Auburn The name city cemetery continues to appear on death certificate at the same time Today the City of Dallas calls this cemetery Opportunity Cemetery since the land is adjacent to Opportunity Park and is maintained by the City of Dallas Parks and Recreation Department It is difficult to know exactly when burials began in this city cemetery aka Mount Auburn because the state did not required death certificate until 1908 The cemetery was replaced with a new pauper cemetery in northwest Dallas in 1932 There are many death certificates that list Oakland Cemetery as the place of burial but for whom there is no record among the Oakland Cemetery interment records It may be that undertakers listed the cemetery as Oakland on the death certificate because the city cemetery was located behind Oakland One death certificate lists a cemetery as Oakland Annex County Pauper Cemetery Edit Dallas county purchased 6 acres from James A Crawford and his wife adjacent to the city s property in 1901 44 The county buried paupers who died in Dallas county but outside the city limits Paupers from the county could be provided housing on the county poor farm The farm had its own cemetery In 1912 Southern Traction Company planned a right of way for the new interurban through the farm that bifurcated its cemetery 45 Dallas county buried many of those dying on the county farm in this new county pauper cemetery Death certificates listing the cemetery as county cemetery or as Rest Haven aka Resthaven date from 1917 The county sold part of its cemetery property to a church part is a ball park The remainder on Pine and Electrical is still called Dallas County Pauper Cemetery Adjacent to this is the Confederate Cemetery which was first sold given to the Sons of Confederate Veterans Confederate Cemetery Edit Dallas County authorized the Sterling Price Confederate Veterans Camp to use a portion of the land from the Dallas County pauper cemetery for a Confederate cemetery In 1936 the city of Dallas began caring for the Confederate cemetery 46 The cemetery is at the corner of Electra and Reed streets In 1970 Dallas County officially deeded the cemetery to the city of Dallas for 1 The land adjacent to the cemetery bordering on Electra and Pine streets remains designated as part of Dallas County Pauper Cemetery in the Dallas County Appraisal District records Photo gallery EditTombstones monuments and other photos nbsp Entrance to Oakland Cemetery 2001 nbsp Oakland cemetery on 1900 Sam Street s map nbsp Loudermilk family monument nbsp McCoy Lot First lot purchased at Oakland nbsp McCoy inscription on family marker nbsp Woodman of the World marker Frank Collins nbsp Cenotaph for two who died in 1900 Galveston storm nbsp Tombstone for Mayor Henry S Ervay nbsp Samuel Dealey marker nbsp McIntyre double maker nbsp Holland family marker nbsp Eels family marker nbsp Beans Fields nbsp Tinsie Fields nbsp Woodmen of the World Monument nbsp Steps to Elks Rest section nbsp Knights of Pythias memorial for F J Bell nbsp Woman and cross at Young Witwer family lotReferences Edit Dallas County Texas Deeds D 524 525 Daniel Parker and Judith Bennett Parker to N C Floyd 26 October 1854 Dallas County Texas Deeds N 321 324 N C Floyd decd to Susan U Floyd et al 22 October 1870 Dallas County Texas Deeds 91 11 13 Susan A Floyd Good and husband to Oliver Perry Bowser and William Henry Lemmon 13 March 1888 Dallas County Deed Book 144 155 O P Bowser and W H Lemmon to O S Riggen 1 May 1891 Dallas County Deed Book 145 69 O P Bowser and W H Lemmon to O S Riggen 12 May 1891 Dallas County Deed Book 145 71 O P Bowser and W H Lemmon to O S Riggen 12 May 1891 a b c Oakland Cemetery Company Dallas Texas Rules and Regulations of the Oakland Cemetery Company adopted 21 November 1892 accessed Briscoe Center for American History The University of Texas at Austin 6 July 2021 a b Biennial Report of the Report of the Secretary of State of the State of Texas 1895 Table Miscellaneous Charters filed from December 20 1871 to the date of this report Dallas County Deed Book 158 628 630 Board of Oakland Cemetery Company December 10 1892 Oakland Cemetery A Sacred Resting Place Whose Beauty Suggests the Eternal Dallas Morning News 11 June 1893 p 12 accessed GenealogyBank 21 July 2021 Oakland Cemetery The Galveston Daily News Galveston Texas August 27 1892 p 6 Retrieved January 10 2016 via Newspapers com nbsp Notice of Cemetery Lot Owners Meeting Dallas Morning News March 22 1899 p 10 14th District Court Cases 12 720 and 17 058 manuscripts of court minutes in Dallas History and Archives Division of the Dallas Public Library Texas Reports Cases Adjudged in The Supreme Court to the Close of The Term Ending June 1900 Reported by A E Wilkinson Vol 93 p 569 The State of Texas 1900 Dallas Morning News Dallas Texas June 1 1900 p 4 Dallas County Texas Deed Book 680 75 76 T L Camp to Oakland Cemetery Company 1 June 1916 Dallas County Texas Deed Book 1280 125 127 Oakland Cemetery Company to Oakland Cemetery Lot Owners 18 January 1926 a b Stowers Carlton July 12 2001 Grave Matters Dallas Observer Retrieved January 10 2016 Dallas County Texas Deed Book 69169 1750 1754 Oakland Cemetery Lot Owners to City of Dallas 29 August 1969 Dallas County Deed Book 97062 pp 04642 04644 Texas Graduate Nurses Association to Oakland Cemetery Lot Owners Association 11 March 1997 Dallas County Deed Book 172 2 Oakland Cemetery Company to John M McCoy purchased 18 April 1893 filed 17 May 1893 Dallas Morning News June 1 1902 p 29 col 5 Leader in Dallas Affairs George Loudermilk Dies Dallas Morning News July 10 1948 p 18 col 1 2 photo Affidavit Charges Arson Dallas Morning News October 7 1916 p Vandals fail to burn records Dallas Morning News February 6 1946 p 4 Markers over Graves of United Daughters of 1812 Will Be Unveiled Dallas Morning News January 8 1930 p 6 Talked with Barrow in Dallas Yesterday Citizen Tells Police Dallas Morning News April 7 1934 pp 1 c7 12 c7 Granite Tombstone Stolen Dallas Morning News January 16 1934 p 2 Cemetery Vandals Abilene Reporter News Abilene Texas September 18 1937 p 4 Retrieved January 10 2016 via Newspapers com nbsp Five Year Terms Given Oakland Cemetery Man Dallas Morning News February 11 1938 p 5 New Office Building Erected in Cemetery Dallas Morning News October 5 1952 p 8 Why Oakland Cemetery where 127 years of Dallas history is buried has suddenly been abandoned Dallas Morning News Dallas Texas August 30 2019 Hart Brian June 15 2010 Holland Franklin Pierce Handbook of Texas Online Texas State Historical Association Retrieved January 10 2016 Dallas Morning News October 29 1959 p 20 col 1 and September 13 1958 p 5 Oakland Cemetery Lot Owners Association familysearch org Retrieved 9 January 2022 Historic Marker Placed at Cemetery Dallas Morning News January 13 1968 p 3 Art Publisher Here Selling Over the country Dallas Morning News March 4 1929 p 13 Frank Beaumont Dead Was Old Time Ranger Dallas Morning News December 17 1909 p 5 Former Texas Ranger Dies Dallas Morning News February 7 1912 p 10 Confederate Markers Set Dallas Morning News May 17 1963 Section 4 p 1 col 5 Summerlin Travis L June 15 2010 Gambrell James Bruton Handbook of Texas Online Texas State Historical Association Retrieved January 8 2016 Honor sought for inventor Dallas Morning News July 14 1985 p 46A Amer Areeba February 3 2018 It is time for Dallas to finally create an official Santos Rodriguez memorial The Dallas Morning News Retrieved September 3 2018 Dallas County Deed Book 265 475 J A Crawford and wife to city of Dallas filed 23 October 1901 New Cemetery for City Dallas Morning News December 4 1906 p 5 Dallas County Deed Book 265 604 605 J A Crawford and wife to Dallas County filed 28 May 1901 Will Change Cemetery Site Dallas Morning News April 23 1912 p 16 Confederate cemetery passes to city control Dallas Morning News November 18 1936 p 13 col 2 External links Edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Oakland Cemetery Dallas Official website nbsp Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Oakland Cemetery Dallas Texas amp oldid 1178468120, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

article

, read, download, free, free download, mp3, video, mp4, 3gp, jpg, jpeg, gif, png, picture, music, song, movie, book, game, games.