The Old Durrett Cemetery, Lancaster, Dallas County, Texas (Used With Permission)
by Dottie Durrett
The search for the Durrett Cemetery began with a meeting of Frances James, The Cemetery Lady, as she was so fondly called by all. She told Tim during introductions, “You have people buried in Lancaster, there is a Durrett Cemetery.” This got Tim’s interest since he had run across this before in his family history search. This was in 2010 at a Dallas County Pioneer Association meeting.
Tim, always interested in family history, started the search for the old Durrett family cemetery without knowing what the future would hold. Tim would mention it from time to time, searching on the Internet or driving by on occasion, and stopping to talk to anyone in the area. Most had heard of the old farmstead there, but no one knew exactly where it was. Then one day, out of the blue Tim received an e-mail mentioning Lana Filgo knowing where the Old Durrett Cemetery was. Tim’s luck was changing! Tim immediately contacted Lana and set up a meeting at the Edgewood Cemetery in Lancaster (where her husband is buried). It was such a joy to meet her.
Lana told Tim that her deceased husband, Roy Lee Filgo, had known exactly where the old family cemetery was located. She had been there with him on occasion and had done rubbings on the stones. The Dallas Genealogy Society now has the rubbings. Lana said she knew the general location but might not be able to find the exact location. Her husband had been able to find it by the size and type of trees, and he could have taken Tim right to it.
We picked up Lana at her home, nearby the old farmstead. It was a sunny May morning. After getting permission from another neighboring landowner, we drove as close as we could. Lana told us it was across the fence in some thick overgrown woods. We did not locate the cemetery that day.
Tim contacted the Railroad Commission, but it had no records of the cemetery; he contacted TxDOT, but no records of the cemetery turned up after an extensive search. No one had recorded this cemetery. The next step was to contact the Dallas Genealogical Society. They were able to provide the GPS coordinates but were not sure how they acquired them. I am thinking Mr. Filgo provided them in the past. Tim purchased a GPS and we were ready.
On June 23, 2018, Tim, along with his wife, Dottie, and his brother, Mike, set out to locate the old Durrett cemetery. We drove to the point that Lana had taken us, then parked and walked over a mile going past the old, overgrown, horse racetrack in Lancaster. We finally came to the fence. We all crossed not knowing if we would be stampeded by cattle or shot. Now into the thick growth of the woods, Mike was leading with a machete and breaking twigs to mark the trail for the way out. We knew if we followed the creek, we could find our way back. The breaking of twigs helped us to know where to turn and go up the hill to get out.
We followed the creek for a while; it was much easier than going through the brush that was attacking our legs with every step. We followed the GPS up the hill to the right. As we topped the hill, I saw it! To the left was the rusty, ornate, old cemetery fence, which we still have a piece of. Barely visible in the growth of time, the gate was open as if to welcome us in. Wow! After so much searching there were the Durretts. We quickly did high 5s and told George and Elizabeth they were not forgotten anymore, then started taking inventory and photos. Tim discovered a broken-handled old shovel, discarded long ago that had been used to dig into the graves with no success it appeared. We rested with George and Elizabeth for a while before starting the trek out. We also discovered a third grave. The name on the tombstone looked like “Armstrong.”
Tim was anxious to give this news to the landowner and was able to locate the rancher that evening. When the rancher told the landowner where the Durrett Cemetery was located, the owner wanted it moved immediately, whatever it cost. What a shock! The landowner contacted his attorney and title company to get them working. They researched to discover that the Durrett Cemetery had never been recorded and would have never turned up in a title search. The title company was liable for the cost of moving the Durretts and the third grave of a baby girl that was discovered. The title company went to work with the landowner’s attorney to start the process of relocating the Durretts and Baby Girl Strong. (Tim found out who she was.)
Tim then went to work on finding some descendants. Through the long years of looking Tim knew he was not close kin to George, but up high on the family tree George had been a brother to one of Tim’s grandfathers. Now George was Uncle George!
After many hours of Internet searching and phone calls Tim was able to locate John Watson, a great-great-great-grandson of George and Elizabeth Durrett. John agreed to sign the approval paperwork for the process of the disinterments. Tim then located Richard Warner for approval of the same for the baby girl. Richard was the closest living relative of the baby girl, Nancy Strong. Now we knew her whole name!
After a long wait, it was time for the meeting in the courtroom. Following the meeting, we had to secure new resting places we hoped to be next to family. Tim found out from Richard that Nancy Strong’s mother was buried in nearby Hutchins Cemetery. Richard worked on getting approval to bury her on top of her mother. What a perfect place! Baby girl laying in her mother’s arms. Tim contacted the funeral home in Lancaster to see if space was available at Edgewood Cemetery where many of the Durrett family were buried. A spot was found right next to the Filgo family. They were neighbors in life and now in afterlife as well. All things were now in place for moving the Durrett Cemetery. This took place in September 2019. Such a happy ending to an incredible journey of discovery and family. This cemetery would have been bulldozed right over into the creek as Tim had said over and over. There would have been no visibility of the cemetery when the pasture land was cleared for future development. A huge thanks to my husband, Tim Durrett, who in his stubborn way would not let this go.
In attendance at the disinterments and reinterments were: Tim Durrett (had to leave for a business trip after a short while there), Dottie Durrett, Sheila Green (a close family friend of the Durretts), Nathan Watson, great-great-grandson of George and Elizabeth, his wife Missy, their son Jim Watson and Sandy, Canda Foesher, Richard Warren, Perry Cockerell, Deborah Franklin, Brian Gunn, Kathy Ann and John Reid, along with others from Dallas County Pioneer Association, plus the funeral director, and Steve and Mike Lamb with Metroplex Grave Services. Everyone was so great in doing their part to make this Durrett Day one to remember.
The original tombstones were moved, restored beautifully, and placed upon their new graves.
Rest in Peace
George and Elizabeth Durrett
And baby girl, Nancy Strong “Never to be Lost Again”
August, 2021
