KEENAN CEMETERY
Thomas (1808-1879) and Sarah McCallister
Keenan (1807-1872) came to this area as members of the Peters
Colony in 1842. When their two-month-old son, John, died on
November 11, 1843, they buried him at this site, establishing one
of the earliest cemeteries in present-day Dallas County.
The large number of early infant graves are testimony to the
hardships endured by the area's pioneer settlers. Thomas
and Sarah Keenan and Many of their descendants are buried here.
The Area's first Baptist church, Union
Baptist, was organized in the Keenans log cabin in 1846 by the
Rev. David Myers, who was buried here in 1853. The church, which
erected a sanctuary nearby, was closely associated with the
cemetery and in a deed executed by John R. West conveying 1.5
acres to the church in 1875 the cemetery was legally set aside.
The Farmers Branch (Keenan) Cemetery association was established
in 1938 to maintain the grounds.
The cemetery covers three acres and contains
about 600 marked and an estimated 100-200 unmarked grave sites.
Among the people buried here are many of the area's earliest
settlers and their descendants and veterans of conflicts ranging
from the Civil War to the Vietnam conflict.
Note: Marker Erected in
1995 by the Texas Historical Commission (Marker Number 5750). Located
just tinside the West gate as pictured above.
GATE MARKERS
Main Entrance Gate