By Frances James (1922 – 2019) After the railroads came to Dallas in 1872-73, the population rapidly expanded and by 1887, the four separate downtown cemeteries, the Masonic, the Odd Fellows, the Jewish and the City Cemetery, now known as Pioneer Cemetery were running out of space. George Loudermilk, an entrepreneur, along with other citizens…
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Ela Hockaday was born March 12, 1875 to Thomas Hart Benton Hockaday (1835 – 1918) and Maria Elizabeth Kerr Hockaday (1838 – 1881) in Ladonia, Fannin County, Texas. She was the eighth of nine children and the youngest daughter born to the couple. Mr. Hockaday was born in Virginia but grew up in Maury County,…
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Ela Hockaday was born March 12, 1875 to Thomas Hart Benton Hockaday (1835 – 1918) and Maria Elizabeth Kerr Hockaday (1838 – 1881) in Ladonia, Fannin County, Texas. She was the eighth of nine children and the youngest daughter born to the couple. Mr. Hockaday was born in Virginia but grew up in Maury County,…
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Marsha Leach writes: The TENNESSEE/WOLF SPRINGS CEMETERY on Wolff Springs Road may no longer exist, but we do know its former location. Frances James wrote about the cemetery in “Dallas County History – From the Ground Up, Book II”. It is a very interesting story about the mistreatment of this cemetery. Fortunately, Frances included a…
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From the Horse and Buggy Days to Tutoring Defensive Driving Vivian Marie Womack Warner celebrated her 100th birthday on October 18, 2001, and is happy that she is still able to live at home and take care of herself. Vivian was born October 18, 1901 at Blossom, Texas (near Paris) to Henry Marshal and Sarah…
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From the Horse and Buggy Days to Tutoring Defensive Driving Vivian Marie Womack Warner celebrated her 100th birthday on October 18, 2001, and is happy that she is still able to live at home and take care of herself. Vivian was born October 18, 1901 at Blossom, Texas (near Paris) to Henry Marshal and Sarah…
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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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