Municipal Archives

CONTACT INFO

Dallas Municipal Archives
1500 Marilla St.
L2DN
Dallas, Texas 75201
Phone: (214) 670-3738

MainTitleHeader
Frances James Cemetery Collection, 1965 -2018

SubTitleHeader
Collection 2019-010

Overview

Repository	Office of the City Secretary Dallas Municipal Archives 1500 Marilla Street, 5D South Dallas, Texas 75201
Creator	Frances James
Title	Frances James Cemetery Files Collection
Dates	1965 -2018 and undated
Quantity	6.25 linear feet
Abstract	Records documenting cemeteries in North Texas and local history
Identification	2019-010
Language	Records are in English

Scope and Content

Collection documents primarily the historic preservation of North Texas cemeteries and the work of local historian Frances James. The collection focuses on cemeteries in Dallas and North Texas, many of them having a connection to Dallas government through ownership, litigation, or other issues. While it is not comprehensive, the collection largely concerns endangered, neglected, and abandoned cemeteries.

Known as the "Cemetery Lady," James (1922-2019) spent her life during retirement not only by documenting cemeteries in North Texas and helping identify protect them, and but also by conducting research for state and local historical markers. Her research expanded to include genealogy and local history, and it is estimated she wrote more than fifty historical marker applications. James was a past president of the Dallas County Pioneer Association and served as a commissioner on both the City of Dallas Landmark Commission and the Dallas County Historical Commission.

"Cemeteries are sacred places," said James. "I just want to see that they are taken care of."

Organization

The following three series comprise the collection, and each series is arranged in alphabetical order. The maps are housed separately from the main collection; ask the archivist for the specific map needed.

• Cemeteries

• Biography

• Subjects

• Schools
• Maps

Cemeteries often have multiple names, be they former, formal, or casual. See the cemetery names list in Collection 2005-005 for a listing of known cemetery names.

Access

Permission to publish, reproduce, distribute, or use by any and all other current or future developed methods or procedures must be obtained in writing from the Dallas Municipal Archives. All rights are reserved and retained regardless of current or future development or laws that may apply to fair use standards.

Citation

Frances James Cemetery Files Collection, 1965-2018 (Box <x>, Folder <y>), Dallas Municipal Archives

Related Materials

Collection 1992-003—Deeds, 1874-1968
Collection 1995-023—Dallas Department of Park and Recreation General Subject Files, 1911-1960
Collection 1996-034—Paupers Cemetery and the Henninger-Brewer Company, 1914
Collection 2005-005—Public Works Survey Division Cemetery Files, 1887-2005

Index Terms

Cemeteries -- Texas -- Dallas
Cemeteries -- Texas -- Dallas County
Dallas -- Texas -- History
Dallas (Tex.) -- Genealogy
Dallas County (Tex.) -- Genealogy

Container List

Box	Folder	Title, Date
1	1	Cemeteries
	2	Agudas Achim (Scyene)
	3	Anderson Family (Garland)
	4	Antioch (Grand Prairie)
	5	Baccus (Collin County)
	6	Balch Springs
	7	Bear Creek
	8	Beatty (Oak Cliff)
	9	Beeman Memorial 1
	10	Beeman Memorial 2
	11	Beeman Memorial 3
2	1	Bennett Family Gardens - Laurel Oaks Memorial
	2	Bethel Coppell
	3	Big A (Garland)
	4	Big Springs
	5	Blewett
	6	Brick Yard (Mesquite)
	7	Buckner 1
	8	Buckner 2
	9	Buckner 3
	10	Bullock (Coppell)
3	1	Butler Nelson 1
	2	Butler Nelson 2
	3	Butler Nelson 3
	4	Butler Nelson 4
4	1	Calvary 1
	2	Calvary 2
	3	Calvary 3
	4	Cameron Family
	5	Camposanto de Cemento Grande 1
	6	Camposanto de Cemento Grande 2
	7	Caruth 1
	8	Caruth 2
	9	Caruth 3
5	1	Carver Abraham
	2	Carver Albert 1
	3	Carver Albert 2
	4	Coats
	5	Cochran Chapel
	6	Cockrell Wesley 1
	7	Cockrell Wesley 2
6	1	Confederate
	2	Cory-Cox
	3	Cottonwood
	4	Cox 1
	5	Cox 2
	6	Cox 3
	7	Cox 4
	8	Cox 5
7	1	Crawford
	2	Crown Hill
	3	Cumby-Webster-Bailey (Seagoville)
	4	Dallas-Fort Worth National
	5	Daniel (Danieldale)
	6	Daniel Family University Park
	7	Durrett
	8	Balis Edens (Grapeland, TX)
	9	Edgewood 1 (Lancaster)
	10	Edgewood 2 (Lancaster)
	11	Edgewood 3 (Lancaster)
	12	Elam
	13	Elmwood Pleasant Mound
	14	Emanu - El
8	1	Warren A. Ferris 1
	2	Warren A. Ferris 2
	3	Warren A. Ferris 3
	4	Warren A. Ferris 4
	5	Warren A. Ferris 5
	6	Warren A. Ferris 6
	7	Fields
9	1	Fish Trap - La Reunion Colony 1
	2	Fish Trap - La Reunion Colony 2
	3	Fish Trap - La Reunion Colony 3
	4	Fish Trap - La Reunion Colony 4
	5	Fish Trap - La Reunion Colony 5
10	1	Five Mile
	2	Fletcher 1
	3	Fletcher 2
	4	Fletcher 3
	5	Floyd
	6	Floyd-Taylor
	7	Frankford
11	1	Freedman's 1
	2	Freedman's 2
	3	Freedman's 3
	4	Freedman's 4
	5	Freedman's 5
	6	Freedman's 6
	7	Freedman's 7
	8	Freedman's 8
	9	Freedman's 9
12	1	Fugitt
	2	Garland Memorial
	3	Garvin 1
	4	Garvin 2
	5	Garvin 3
13	1	Garvin 4
	2	Garvin 5
	3	Garvin 6 - African American inventory
	4	Garvin 7 - appraisal district
	5	Garvin 8 - archaeology
	6	Garvin 9 - clippings
	7	Garvin 10 - correspondence
	8	Garvin 10 - deeds
	9	Garvin 11 - Geo-Marine dig
	10	Garvin 12 - inventory
	11	Garvin 13 - Kelso - Daugherty
	12	Garvin 14 - landmark
	13	Garvin 15 - landmark application
	14	Garvin 16 - legal correspondence
	15	Garvin 17 - maps
	16	Garvin 18 - notes
	17	Garvin 19 - preservation criteria
	18	Garvin 20 - Smith Hall
	19	Garvin 21 - Sons of Confederate Veterans
14	1	Garvin 22 - Swor 1
	2	Garvin 23 - Swor 2
	3	Garvin 24 –timeline
	4	Glover 1
	5	Glover 2 - correspondence
	6	Glover 3 - deeds
	7	Glover 4 - Garrett Family
	8	Glover 5 - Hunnicutt Family
15	1	Gravel Slough
	2	Greenwood 1 - archaeological evaluation
	3	Greenwood 2 - archaeological evaluation
	4	Greenwood 3 - biographical clippings
	5	Greenwood 4 - case correspondence
	6	Greenwood 5 - Christopher Columbus Slaughter
	7	Greenwood 6 - Christopher Columbus Slaughter historical marker dedication
	8	Greenwood 7 - City of Dallas correspondence
	9	Greenwood 8 - City Plan Commission notebook
16	1	Greenwood 9 - Claude Albritton
	2	Greenwood 10 - correspondence
	3	Greenwood 11 - correspondence
	4	Greenwood 12 - correspondence
	5	Greenwood 13 - correspondence
	6	Greenwood 14 - correspondence
	7	Greenwood 15 - correspondence
	8	Greenwood 16 – correspondence - City of Dallas
	9	Greenwood 17 – correspondence - La Tour
	10	Greenwood 18 – correspondence - La Tour
	11	Greenwood 19 – correspondence - La Tour
	12	Greenwood 20 – correspondence - La Tour
	13	Greenwood 21 – correspondence - La Tour
	14	Greenwood 22 – correspondence - La Tour
	15	Greenwood 23 – correspondence - La Tour
	16	Greenwood 24 – correspondence - La Tour
	17	Greenwood 25 – correspondence - La Tour
	18	Greenwood 26 – correspondence - La Tour
17	1	Greenwood 27 - decertification
	2	Greenwood 28 - deeds and ordinances
	3	Greenwood 29 - Don Henley
	4	Greenwood 30 - Friends of Greenwood
	5	Greenwood 31 - Friends of Greenwood
	6	Greenwood 32 - Friends of Greenwood fundraising
	7	Greenwood 33 - Friends of Greenwood - Orion Marketing
	8	Greenwood 34 - Greenwood Cemetery Association
	9	Greenwood 35 - Hunter family
	10	Greenwood 36 - John Williams/Post Properties
18	1	Greenwood 37 - Kings Daughters
	2	Greenwood 38 - Kings Daughters
	3	Greenwood 39 - Kurtz & Company
	4	Greenwood 40 - maps
	5	Greenwood 41 - maps
	6	Greenwood 42 - maps
	7	Greenwood 43 - Photographic prints and slides
	8	Greenwood 44 - Photographic prints and slides
	9	Greenwood 45 - Photographic prints and slides
	10	Greenwood 46 - Photographic prints and slides
	11	Greenwood 47 - Photographic prints and slides
	12	Greenwood 48 - Photographic prints and slides
	13	Greenwood 49 - Photographic prints and slides
	14	Greenwood 50 - Photographic prints and slides
19	1	Grove Hill 1
	2	Grove Hill 2 - Rowan Family
	3	Haley
	4	Harrington/Estelle
	5	Haught
	6	Honey Springs 1 - Homecoming binder
	7	Honey Springs 2 - loose pages
	8	Horton 1
	9	Horton 2
	10	Horton 3
	11	Horton 4
20	1	Horton 5
	2	Housely/Myers 1
	3	Housely/Myers 2
	5	Hutchins - Atwell
	6	Jordan-Hight
	7	Keenan (Farmers Branch)
21	1	Kinard/Smith
	2	Kit
	3	Kleberg 1
	4	Kleberg 2 - Glenn Hickory
	5	Lagow 1
	6	Lagow 2
	7	Lancaster - Edgewood 1
	8	Lancaster - Edgewood 2
22	1	Lancaster - Edgewood 3
	2	Ledbetter
	3	Lee - Seagoville
	4	Letot 1
	5	Letot 2
	6	Letot 3 - Letot Family
	7	Lincoln Memorial
	8	Lisbon
	9	Little Bethel
	10	Long Creek 1
23	1	Long Creek 2
	2	Long Creek 3
	3	Long Creek 4
	4	Long Creek 5
	5	Long Creek 6
24	1	Long Creek 7
	2	Long Creek 8
	3	Long Creek 9
	4	Long Creek 10
	5	Long Creek 11
	6	Lumley
25	1	Lyons
	2	McAdams
	3	McCombs
	4	McCree 1
	5	McCree 2
	6	McGarrah (Collin County)
	7	McKinney
	8	McShan (Rowlett)
	9	Marsh
	10	Merrell
	11	Mesquite
26	1	Miller Family
	2	Mills
	3	Missionary Baptist Church/Haymarket
	4	Motley Family
	5	Mount Auburn - Opportunity
	6	Mount Calvary
27	1	Oakland 1
	2	Oakland 2
	3	Oakland 3 - O'Connor Mausoleum
	4	Old Dallas Burial Ground
	5	Overton
	6	Parkland/Woodlawn 1 - clippings
	7	Parkland/Woodlawn 2 - correspondence, clippings
	8	Parkland/Woodlawn 3 - Hartnett
	9	Parkland/Woodlawn 4 - land
	10	Parkland/Woodlawn 5 - landmark designation
	11	Parkland/Woodlawn 6 - planned development
	12	Parkland/Woodlawn 7 - problems at Parkland
28	1	Parrish
	2	Patrick/Pruitt
	3	Pauper 1
	4	Pauper 2
	5	Pauper 3 (City - Shady Trail)
	6	Perry
	7	Pioneer Park 1
	8	Pioneer Park 2
	9	Pioneer Park 3
29	1	Pioneer Park 4
	2	Pioneer Park 5
	3	Pioneer Park 6
	4	Pioneer Park 7
	5	Pioneer Park 8
	6	Pioneer Park 9
	7	Pioneer Park 10
	8	Pioneer Park 11
	9	Pioneer Park 12 - alphabetical interments
	10	Pioneer Park 13 - city landmark designation
	11	Pioneer Park 14 - city section
	12	Pioneer Park 15 - clippings and deeds
30	1	Pioneer Park 16 - Conger
	2	Pioneer Park 17 - correspondence
	3	Pioneer Park 18 - Geo-Marine environmental study
	4	Pioneer Park 19 - Jewish section
	5	Pioneer Park 20 - Landmark Commission nomination
	6	Pioneer Park 21 - Jewish section
	7	Pioneer Park 22 - missing graves
	8	Pioneer Park 23 - Odd Fellows section
	9	Pioneer Park 24 - Odd Fellows section
	10	Pioneer Park 25 - Odd Fellows/Elks
	11	Pioneer Park 26 - photographic prints
	12	Pioneer Park 27 - research notes
	13	Pioneer Park 28 - Willemet
	14	Pleasant Mound 1
31	1	Pleasant Mound 2
	2	Pleasant Mound 3 - Park Department
	3	Pleasant Ridge
	4	Pleasant Valley - Cedar Hill
	5	Pleasant Valley - Sachse
	6	Porter
	7	Potter Family (Mesquite)
	8	Prospect Hill
	9	Rawlins
	10	Rhodes
	11	Ritter
	12	Robinson Family/Fish Creek
32	1	Routh (Richardson)
	2	Rowlett 1 - First Christian Church
	3	Rowlett 2 - history
	4	Rylie
	5	Sachse
	6	Sacred Heart (Rowlett)
	7	Shady Grove (Grand Prairie)
	8	Shearith Israel
	9	Simpson Stuart
	10	Smith (Lewisville)
	11	Snyder - Kennedy
	12	Southland (Grand Prairie)
	13	Sowers
	14	Stadden (Wilmer)
	15	Stringfellow
	16	Tompkins Family
	17	Trees
	18	Trinity (Wilmer)
33	1	Trinity Farms/Rancho Grande
	2	Vincent
	3	Warner
	4	Webb Chapel
	5	Western Heights 1
	6	Western Heights 2
	7	Western Heights 3
	8	Western Heights 4
	9	Western Heights 5
	10	Western Heights 6
34	1	Western Heights 7
	2	Wheatland/Wesley Chapel
	3	Wolf Springs/Tennessee 1
	4	Wolf Springs/Tennessee 2
	5	Wolf Springs/Tennessee 3
	6	Wolf Springs/Tennessee 4
		Biography
35	1	Harold Abrams, William Abrams
	2	Joshua Addington
	3	Benjamin Dodson Atwell family
	4	Karl Axe family
	5	William D Baird
	6	Jerry Bartos
	7	Beeman and Gilbert descendants
	8	Hiram Bennett
	9	Robert and Electa Ann Bethurum
	10	John Henry Brown
	11	James Bracken Bryan (nephew to JNB)
	12	Chenault family
	13	Thomas Cheshire
	14	John Jacob Clark family
	15	James M Cochran
	16	Sarah and Alexander Cockrell - historical marker dedication, 1976
	17	Cole family - deeds to City of Dallas, 1940
	18	Hattie Crowder Connor
	19	John Cooper Cook
	20	Cox family
	21	Coyle family
	22	John Crockett
	23	Fred Cuny
	24	Pierre Dusseau
	25	Elam family
	26	Ernest T Fleming and Fleming Paper Mill
	27	Floyd family
	28	Thomas Flynn
	29	John J Good
	30	George Guess (10th mayor of Dallas)
	31	Alexander Harwood family
	32	Haught family
	33	Catherine Haughton
36	1	TC Hawpe
	2	Thomas Lagow family
	3	John Lane
	4	Anthony M and Frances Brockman Leake family
	5	Arthur Ledbetter and starting Mesquite churches
	6	Amos McCommas
	7	John C McCoy
	8	Alice Moseley
	9	Major BC Nickelson family and A Brief Sketch of The Life of a Confederate Soldier and the Ups and Downs During Pioneer and Indian Warfare in Texas
	10	Dallas Sheriff Charles Nichols
	11	Bonnie Parker
	12	Tom Parmer
	13	James Martin Patterson
	14	John C Pelt Home 1
	15	John C Pelt Home 2
	16	John C Pelt Home 3
37	1	William Henry Pippen
	2	Ermance Ryjibian - Brief History of Dallas [pages missing]
	3	Christopher Columbus Slaughter - marker dedication
	4	John Thomas family
	5	Mike Thomas family
	7	Viola Torbett
	8	Lucretia (Barker) and Charles Vinyard family
	9	Henderson Walker family
	10	Andrew Jackson Witt family
		Subjects
	11	AT&T and Dallas telephone history
	12	Black Dallas Remembered
	13	Boy Scouts cleanup
	14	Buckner Terrace
	15	Civilian Conservation Corps
	16	Cemetery laws 1
	17	Cemetery laws 2
	1	Charles L Dexter and Company 100 Years
	2	Churches
	3	Compact Discs [Are We There Yet? Voices of the Dream Oak Lawn United Methodist Church and Community Outreach Center, MVSU Class of 1962 50th Year Anniversary, MKL [sic] NAACP, Texas African American Veterans Recognition (Juanita Wallace, Jerry Chambers, Robert E. Davis, Ester Davis)]
	4	Concave receivers patent
	5	Correspondence 1
	6	Correspondence 2 - Diane Bumpas
	7	Correspondence 3 - Charles Powers
	8	Cultural and Natural Resources Contextual Guide to the White Rock Heritage District by Tim Dalbey
	9	Dallas County
	10	Dallas County Appraisal District
	11	Dallas County Pioneer Association
	12	Dallas Freemasons
	13	Dallas parks
	14	Dallas population
	15	Dallas Public Library
	16	Dallas streets
	17	Denton County
	1	Goats
	2	Grave marker repair
	3	Historical locations address list
	4	Hunter sawmill and bridge (Benjamin Hunter)
	5	Irish in Dallas
	6	Joseph Kovandovitch concrete house 1
	7	Joseph Kovandovitch concrete house 2
	8	La Prada Drive Church of Christ
	9	Legacies article
	10	La Prada Drive Church of Christ marker
	11	Lou Foote Flying School
	12	Murphy/Locke House (2516 Maple)
	13	Oak Cliff
	1	Oral history interview resources
	2	Peak and East Side Church of Christ
	3	Photographs [Grave marker photographs of Louis and Armanda Lucas, "Daddy" R.E. Bob Griffin, Harry Feldman, JD and Hattie Mae McMakin, Tommy L King, Emma K. King, Robert Lee Smith, Jr.]
	4	Sharrock-Niblo Cabin 1
	5	Sharrock-Niblo Cabin 2
	6	Texas senators of Dallas County
	7	Town of Garland
	8	White Rock Lake
	9	WRR
	10	Wylie, Texas
		Schools
	11	WH Adamson High School
	12	Black Barber School
	13	James Bowie Elementary School
	1	Davy Crockett Elementary School
	2	Dallas High School (Crozier Tech) 1
	3	Dallas High School (Crozier Tech) 2
	4	Dallas High School (Crozier Tech) 3
	5	Frederick Douglass Elementary
	6	James Fannin Elementary School
	7	Forest (Madison) High School
	8	Harllee Elementary School
	9	Stephen J Hay Elementary School
	10	The Hockaday School
	1	The Jackson School
	2	Lake Highlands Elementary School
	3	William Lipscomb Elementary School
	4	JL Long Middle School 1
	5	JL Long Middle School 2
	6	North Dallas High School
	7	Reinhardt Elementary School
	8	Richardson Independent School District
	9	School buses
	10	School names
	11	Seagoville ISD
	12	The Sowers School
	13	Spence Middle School
	14	St Ann's School
	15	St Mary of Carmel 1
	1	St Mary of Carmel 2
	2	St Mary of Carmel 3
	3	Sunset High School
	4	Terrell Flight School
	5	Urban Park Elementary School PTA, 1982-83
	6	Ursuline Academy
	7	Woodrow Wilson High School 1
	8	Woodrow Wilson High School 2
	9	Woodrow Wilson High School 3
	10	Woodrow Wilson High School 4
		Maps
		1876 Insurance Map of Dallas (All Buildings Then in Town) from Time Herald, 2/25/1923
		Beatty Cemetery, North Addition, Part of W5 Beatty Survey Abstract No 57; oldest cemetery in Dallas County 1844, 1892
		City and County of Dallas Levee Improvement District Map [774D-1], undated
		City of Dallas landmarks map, 1990
		City of East Dallas map [6 copies], 1880s
		Clyde Housing Urban Association near Greenwood Cemetery, housing plans [2 copies], 1997
		Dallas Convention Center Expansion - master plan scheme, 1/22/1999
		Dallas Convention Center Expansion - site definitions and constraints, 11/12/1998
		Dallas County Plat Book Page 1595 - related to Long Creek Cemetery, 9/25/2001
		Dallas County, 1893
		Dallas County, undated
		Dallas Floodway Extension Chain of Levees and Floodway Plan, 1996
		East Dallas [4 copies], 1880s
		Fair Park poster
		Ferris Cemetery map
		First Insurance Map of Dallas, Tex Drawn for the use of Charles L Dexter and Company, 1876
		General Land Office partial map of Peter's Colony Map [official copy], 1852
		Geological Atlas of Texas, Dallas Sheet, Gayle Scott Memorial Edition, 1972
		Greenwood Cemetery
		Greenwood Cemetery topographic survey, Acrey Roberts Pierson Inc., Consulting Engineers, 1980
		Highland Park First Installment Map, 1907
		Horton Survey #246, Wesley Cockrell Survey [2 copies], undated
		Hutchins Area Map, copied pages from a Bracey's Book, undated
		Irving Heritage Society Early North Texas Trails poster [2 copies], 1990
		JERL Properties, Interstate 30 Addition Number 4, 1985 copy [2 copies], undated
		Jones and Murphy's Map of the City of Dallas, 1878
		Jones and Murphy's Map of the City of Dallas, 1882
		JW Lindsley and Company Map of Dallas County, Texas, 1930
		L Butler Nelson aerial view, undated
		Long Creek Cemetery # 2 map, undated
		Long Creek Cemetery Northside #2, undated
		Long Creek Cemetery Southside II map with names on plots [2 copies], undated
		Map of Dallas - Cram, 1893
		Map of La Réunion, Texas
		Map of Reinhardt, Texas
		Munger Place Addition, 1907
		Plat of 21.92-acre tract purchased by the city from JL Proctor for the new pauper cemetery, City Engineer's Office [3 copies], 3/23/1929
		Plat of Pauper's Cemetery Adjoining Greenwood Cemetery [2 copies], 1928
		Post offices of Dallas County, 1846-1946
		Sam Street's Map of Dallas County, Texas, 1900
		Some part of Dallas County/Ellis County line map, undated
		Stephen F Austin's Map of Texas published by HS Tanner, Philadelphia, 1836
		Texas Electric Dallas Area map, undated
		Trinity Heights First, Second, and Third Sections, Seay-Cranfill Company, 1913
		United States, published by Charles DeSilver, Philadelphia, 1856
		US Department of the Interior Geological Survey
		USGS Dallas map, 1958
		USGS Duncanville map, 1958
		USGS Hutchins map, 1958
		USGS Oak Cliff map, 1958
		USGS White Rock map, 1958