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Early RepublicReconstruction & Gilded Age

Cox Cemetery

Dallas, Dallas County, Texas

Marker Inscription

A reflection of the pioneer heritage in this part of Dallas County, Cox Cemetery contains more than 400 marked graves and an estimated 100 unmarked burials. The oldest tombstone dates to 1848 and marks the grave of Margaret Frances Dixon, the two-month-old daughter of Solomon and Lydia Dixon. Located near White Rock Lake on the John H. Hyde headright, the cemetery was set aside permanently for that purpose by Absalom Humbard (1835-1909), who came to Texas with his wife, Mary (Cook) (1835-1900), and family after he had been wounded and imprisoned during the Civil War. The Humbards settled near other families, some of whom had arrived in this area as early as 1843, including the Glovers, Lavenders, Mccommases, Coxes and Donagheys. They came to Texas from other parts of the United States and from Germany, and their family names appear on tombstones in this cemetery. Others buried here include Abraham (1822-1913) and Elizabeth (Ray) (d. 1900) Hart, who received one of the earliest marriage licenses in Dallas County in 1848. The cemetery served several early area communities, including Fisher (later known as Calhoun) and Reinhardt, railroad towns that later were absorbed into the city of Dallas. Members of the Fisher family, for whom that community was named, are buried in this cemetery. Vandalism and the effects of time have rendered some of the stones illegible, but they continue to be cared for by members of the Cox Cemetery Association, which has served for many years as the primary caretaker for this historic graveyard. (2001)

Erected by Texas Historical Commission

The Story

Cox Cemetery holds more than 400 marked graves and perhaps 100 unmarked burials, its oldest stone from 1848 marking a two-month-old child. Absalom Humbard, who came to Texas after being wounded and imprisoned during the Civil War, permanently set the ground aside for burials near White Rock Lake, where it served pioneer families—Glovers, Lavenders, Coxes, Donagheys and others who had arrived from across the United States and from Germany. It also served the vanished railroad communities of Fisher (later Calhoun) and Reinhardt before they were absorbed into Dallas.

Why it matters

Its weathered stones are a roll call of the American and immigrant pioneers who built Dallas County out of open prairie.

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Related people

  • · Absalom Humbard
  • · Margaret Frances Dixon

Themes & tags

Westward ExpansionImmigrationFrontier HistoryMemorial

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