By Mike Judd Born in Asheville, North Carolina on February 24, 1852, J.W. Ray spent his youth working as a teamster loading and unloading barges on the docks of the French Broad River. The end of the Civil War and emancipation found him in Maryville, Tennessee where he entered Maryville College and earned a B.A.…
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Monroe County, Kentucky To Dallas, TX It was during the early fall of 1854 when a small group of Kentucky settlers prepared for their overland journey to the Texas frontier. The caravan of eleven covered wagons left Monroe County, Kentucky and traveled first to Memphis where they crossed the mighty Mississippi River and then on…
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John Milton McCoy was a nephew of John C. McCoy. John M. McCoy was an early resident of Dallas, moving to the area in 1870. McCoy served as Dallas’ first city attorney. McCoy also wrote the 1871 charter for the City of Dallas. John M. McCoy (1838-1922) was the son of Lewis C. McCoy (1806…
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John C. McCoy (1819 – 1887) was the first president of the Dallas County Pioneer Association. He lived a long and interesting life. He practiced law in Kentucky before coming to Texas in 1845. Was agent for Peters’ Colony located in Dallas and adjacent counties. He was the first attorney to practice law in Dallas…
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Historic trees have been recognized in Texas for many years. The City of Dallas recently joined the movement by recognizing a 175 year old pecan tree known as the West Dallas Gateway Pecan. It stands at the west end of the Commerce Street Bridge opposite the Trinity River from downtown Dallas, on the south side…
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From Proud Heritage, Volume I by DCPA, currently out of print. Francois Santerre was born near Blois, France, in 1809, an only son and a descendant of an old French family. Scholarly in nature, he was well educated and mostly interested in scientific agriculture. As a young man he served in the French Army and after his…
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By Frances James Routh Cemetery, also known as Spring Creek Cemetery The two cemeteries known as the Routh Cemeteries are located about fifteen miles northeast of the Dallas County Court House. Situated east of Central Expressway (US Highway 75), south of Renner Road, and north of Glenville Avenue, they are located a short distance east…
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By Frances James The Crawford Cemetery has an address of 700 Cedar Hill in Cedar Hill, Texas. This site is in the southwest corner of Dallas County. Ever since histories have been written about Dallas County mention has been made of “the tornado that wiped out the village of Cedar Hill in 1856.” The death…
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The above image is a portion of an article in 1976 discussing the congregation of the First United Methodist Church of Cedar Hill, which traces its membership back to the congregation that met in the Methodist church destroyed by the tornado. The article below is transcribed from The Dallas Daily Herald issue of May 10, 1856. Warning: Some…
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The Munger family got its start in the cotton industry in the Mexia area. Henry Munger was the patriarch. He was born in Colchester, Connecticut in 1825. When he was still a child his parents, Sylvester Munger (1787 – 1838) and Asenath “Sene” Ingham Munger (1777 – 1840), moved to South Carolina. By 1840, both…
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