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The Denny Cemetery

Bluff Dale, Erath County, Texas

Marker Inscription

(1 mile north) Alfred W. Denny (d. 1877) came to Texas in 1853, settling first in Clarksville, and then moving to Weatherford in 1860. During the Civil War (1861-65) Denny served in a Ranger unit stationed at Stephenville that guarded Texas' western frontier. In 1867 he bought 320 acres, which included the site where he was later interred. There are 17 known gravesites of family members in the Denny Cemetery, including Denny's wife Mary Elizabeth and infant grandson Walter Calloway Baldwin, who was killed by a horse in 1879. The burial ground was restored in 1982. (1983)

Erected by Texas Historical Commission

The Story

Alfred W. Denny came to Texas in 1853 and, during the Civil War, served in a Ranger company based at Stephenville that guarded the state's exposed western frontier. In 1867 he bought 320 acres that would become both his home and his final resting place. The family cemetery holds seventeen known graves, among them his wife Mary Elizabeth and an infant grandson, and it was carefully restored in 1982.

Why it matters

The burial ground preserves the memory of the frontier Rangers who defended Texas settlements even as the Confederacy's armies fought far to the east.

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Related people

  • · Alfred W. Denny
  • · Mary Elizabeth Denny

Themes & tags

Civil WarWestward ExpansionFrontier HistoryMemorial

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