From Proud Heritage, Volume I by DCPA, currently out of print.
James McCullough (1760-1838) was born in Rowan County, North Carolina, joined the militia in 1776, and moved to Kentucky in 1778. He lived first in Harrodsburg and then in Montgomery County until his death. His Revolutionary war pension number is S30570.
His first wife was Drucilla Moore, whom he married in Harrodsburg. Of this union there was only Elizabeth (1800-1869), the wife of Samuel Wilson (1769-1857), still living in Montgomery County in 1855. Also in 1855 there were four children of James and his second wife, Eleanor, living in Montgomery County, Kentucky:
Daniel (1801-1874) married Mary Ficklin and their children were; John Wesley (1833-1910), Susan (1835-1904), Eleanor (1838-1885), Emily (1840-1928) and William Franklin (1845-1881).
John McCullough (1805-1878) never married and always made his home with his brother Daniel. After Daniel died, John continued live with Daniel’s two daughters Eleanor and Susan.
Hannah McCullough (1816-1875) became the wife of James Newsome.
Fereby McCullough (1819-1895), became the wife of John Henry Jones (1815-1862), and their children were Eleanor Jane (1840-1919), James Thomas (1845- ?), and Armilda (1849- ?).
James McCullough’s second wife, Eleanor, and two of their children were living in Nicholas County, Kentucky in 1855. William McCullough (1814-1878), the youngest son, had been left the homestead by his father who also asked him to care for his mother, Eleanor, and his older brother, Thomas, (1810- ), who was deaf. This request was carried out, and it covered a period of more than 30 years. In 1855 William had sold the homestead in Montgomery County and moved to Nicholas County, Kentucky. He had taken with him his mother, his brother Thomas, William’s wife Ally Elizabeth Whilsett (1815-1864), and their children: James William (1837- ?) Jilson D. (1841-1909), Eliza M. (1843- ?), Daniel R. (1845-) and Sarah A.
Sometime between 1850 and 1855 Eleanor died and all of the above named children and grandchildren of James McCullough decided to “go west.” They formed a wagon train and started on a journey that would eventually terminate on Christmas Eve, 1855 at Fort Graham in Hill County, Texas. This proved to be only a temporary stop because gradually all of the McCullough family moved to Dallas County. Elizabeth Wilson and her family remained in Hill County. A story was carried down in the family that Samuel Wilson promised his wife, Elizabeth, that when she died he would take her body back to Kentucky for burial. Since he died first it is not known whether or not this was carried out. At any rate, this could indicate a lack of enthusiasm among the women for the move to Texas.
Daniel McCullough and John Henry Jones bought land in Hill County in February 1856, but William McCullough went to Dallas County in 1856 and bought 479 acres in the Prigmore survey. John Henry Jones sold some of his property in Hill County in 1857 but did not appear on the Dallas County tax rolls until 1858 when he bought land on White Rock Creek in the J. Jackson and C. A. Lovejoy surveys. It is possible that John Henry and Fereby Jones came to Dallas earlier after selling the Hill County property in 1857 and just did not buy land until later.
In 1862 Daniel and John McCullough joined the family in Dallas County. Their land was in the H. C. Davis and Soloman Dixon surveys.
This is the evidence that the children of the Kentucky James and Eleanor McCullough were among the earliest settlers in Dallas County. Furthermore they all bought property in the same general area and lived near each other.
The McCree Cemetery is at 9900 Audelia Road just behind the Southwestern Bell Telephone building. Some family members were buried there before it was designated as a cemetery. Mahala McCree deeded one and a half acres of land for the cemetery to William McCullough and James E. Jackson, trustees for the cemetery in 1866. The deed was witnessed by Daniel McCullough and James Newsome, the husband of Hannah McCullough. The first person known to be buried there was John Henry Jones, who died in 1862 from wounds received in the Civil War. The second known grave is that of William McCullough’s wife, Ally Elizabeth, who died in 1864. Other family members buried there are Daniel, William, John, and Eleanor McCullough, the daughter of Daniel. At the time this article is being written the McCree Cemetery is being considered for an Historic Marker.
Other early members of this McCullough family are buried in the Knights of Pythias Cemetery on Garland Road at Miller in Garland, Dallas County: B. S. (Bob) Pickett (1805-1887), the second husband of Fereby Jones Pickett; W. T. McCullough (1845-1881), the son of Daniel; Emily McCullough Strother (1840-1929), the daughter of Daniel; her husband Joseph Sales Strother (1836-1903); and Hannah Strother Ashburn, the eldest daughter of Emily and Joseph Strother, and the wife of I. S. Ashburn, a Methodist minister, all are buried in the Masonic Cemetery.
The McCulloughs were all farmers, hard working and very religious. The story is told about one of them who had the habit of gathering together all of the family and any guests who happened to be there for family prayers before breakfast. One hot summer day when a small cousin was visiting, they all gathered on the front porch where it was cool. While the lengthy prayer was in progress a man in a wagon passed along front of the house. He was included in the prayer. This struck the little visitor as being so funny she could hardly keep her composure.
Since all of these families lived near each other, the children as well as the adults were all very close. When one decided to move to New Mexico a devoted cousin was very unhappy and distraught. His consoling response to her was, “Oh, dear, it is just as close to heaven in New Mexico as it is in Texas.”
Another story concerns a member of the family named John who had joined the Baptist Church with his wife. He was also evidently a very large man. The majority of the McCulloughs and related families were Methodist and since John was a family name, there were many men named John. When identifying this particular John the family called him “Big John the Baptist.” We consider ourselves fortunate that some of the grandchildren of the original settlers were good listeners and remembered many good stories about these people. They are not only amusing but also tell a great deal about the various personalities.
William, Daniel, and Fereby McCullough Jones, each had large families and all of the children except Fereby’s two youngest were born in Kentucky. John Daniel Jones (1856-1935) and Sarah Emily Karnes (1863-1879) were born in Dallas County. Many of this second generation of children remained in Dallas and made significant contributions to its growth. Others followed the example of their forebears and moved on.
By Mabel E. Maxcy, Denton and Jimmie E. McSween, Dallas
