HistoricSiteMarkers
Early Republic

Anderson Family Cemetery

Garland, Dallas County, Texas

Marker Inscription

Opened with burials of William (1785?-1858) and Celia (Lair) Anderson (1791?-1859), Kentuckians who lived on Missouri frontier before following to Dallas County a son, John Lair Anderson (1819-85), a Peters colony settler of 1846, also buried here. The William Anerson home stood about 90 yards to the southwest of this cemetery. Incise on back: Marker erected by family of T.S. Anderson, I.

Erected by Texas Historical Commission

The Story

This cemetery opened in 1858 with the burial of William and Celia Anderson, Kentuckians who had lived on the Missouri frontier before joining their son in the raw new settlements of Dallas County. That son, John Lair Anderson, arrived in 1846 as a settler of the Peters Colony, one of the empresario grants that populated North Texas. Their family home once stood just southwest of these graves.

Why it matters

The Anderson graves trace the westering path of an American frontier family from Kentucky through Missouri to the Peters Colony that settled early North Texas.

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Related people

  • · William Anderson
  • · Celia Lair Anderson
  • · John Lair Anderson

Related events

  • · Peters Colony settlement

Themes & tags

Westward ExpansionFrontier HistoryLandmark

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