Stephens Cemetery
Dennis, Parker County, Texas
Marker Inscription
William Henry Stephens (1826-1891) and his wife Elizabeth Dockery (1827-1888) came to this area from Kentucky in the early 1860s. Together with their sons Shelby, Hugh, Nathan, and Jonas, they established a family farm. In 1876, at the age of 29, Hugh Stephens died and was buried on the family farm. His is the earliest documented burial in the Stephens family cemetery. Although only four graves are marked with legible stones, it is believed that at least twenty-seven family members are interred here. Descendants maintain the historic graveyard. (1989)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
William Henry Stephens and his wife Elizabeth came from Kentucky to Parker County in the early 1860s and, with their sons, carved out a family farm. When their son Hugh died in 1876, he was buried on the homestead, the earliest documented grave in the family plot. Though only four stones remain legible, as many as twenty-seven family members are believed to rest here, tended still by their descendants.
Why it matters
This small family graveyard preserves the intimate scale of frontier settlement, where a farm and its burying ground held generations of one pioneer family.
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Related people
- · William Henry Stephens
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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