Texas Historical Marker #13121
Marsh Cemetery. In 1844, Harrison C. Marsh (1805-1889) and his wife, Mary "Polly" (Raymond) (1810-1888), natives of Harrison County, Kentucky, came from Independence, Missouri to Texas with their five children. They settled in Peters Colony on Farmers Branch Creek. Here they had two more children, and Harrison raised stock and farmed the land. Polly was a charter member of the Union Baptist Church, which later became First Baptist Church of Farmers Branch. The Marsh family grew, and many members became successful in farming, ranching, business, education and civic activities. Sons Thomas Corbin (1831-1899) and John David (1835-1900) both served as soldiers in the Confederate Army. Reflecting the Marshes' prominence in the community, the family name appears on a street, Marsh Lane, as well as on a school, The Thomas C. Marsh Junior High School. In the 1880s, John David donated one acre of land here for a family graveyard. Among the earliest burials were those of two children of a family passing through the area. The marker for Elizabeth Mcallister, who died in 1874, represents the earliest recorded death. The resting place for generations of Marshes and other area residents, the cemetery is still open to Marsh family descendants. Historic Texas Cemetery - 2002 #13121
?, Farmers Branch, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #06832
Rawhide Creek and Park. Named for enterprise of R. J. West (b. 1811), an 1845 settler and an organizer of Dallas County in 1846. West had tanyard (4/10 mi. SW) on this creek about 1846. To meet demand, half-cured hides came from his vats, giving name "Rawhide" to the creek. The historical park was established in 1969. #6832
?, Farmers Branch, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #06794
David Myers. (October 15, 1797 - March 9, 1853) William Myers (b. 1753) and his wife Flora moved from Virginia to Kentucky, where the last of their ten children, David Myers, was born. David married fellow Kentuckian Letitia Reddish (1801 - 1885) in 1820. They moved to Indiana in 1829 and to Illinois in 1831, where David became a well-established Baptist Preacher. In 1843 he was ordained at Taylor's Creek Church in Jersey County, Illinois. Inspired by the prospect of free land in Texas, David and Letitia traveled south with their children and grandchildren, and on Christmas Eve, 1845, they crossed the Red River into Texas. They settled on a land grant in Peters Colony located 12 miles northwest of the present-day city of Dallas. Myers quickly established himself as a religious leader of the pioneer settlements in this area and on May 10, 1846, organized the Union Baptist Church, the earliest continuing Baptist congregation in Dallas County. He served Union Baptist Church until his death and was instrumental in the establishment of other churches in the area including Bethel, Rowlett Creek, Liberty, and Lonesome Dove. Myers died of pneumonia resulting from exposure to cold rain on his return home after delivering a sermon in Collin County. #6794
2500 Valley View, Farmers Branch, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #06898
Texian Land and Emigration Company. Site of the first agency, January 1845 Generally known as "Peters' Colony" in honor of William S. Peters who, under a colonization contract secured in 1841 from the Republic of Texas, introduced more than ten thousand settlers to 17 counties of North Texas. (4 mi. E. Farmers Branch, Dallas County) #6898
?, Farmers Branch, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #06751
John Keenan. (September 3, 1843 - November 11, 1843) Known as first child born to settlers in area later to become Dallas County; son of Farmers Branch founders Thomas and Sarah Keenan, who started this cemetery for burial of their infant. #6751
2600 Valley View Lane, Farmers Branch, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #11822
First Baptist Church of Farmers Branch. Thomas and Sarah Keenan settled in Farmers Branch in 1842. They established a family cemetery when they buried their infant son on this site the following year. With the Rev. David Myers, the Keenans organized the Union Baptist Church in 1846, meeting in a structure on cemetery property. That group of Baptists moved to nearby Carrollton; in 1870, in order to reestablish Baptist worship in Farmers Branch, twelve members of the Union Baptist Church organized the Farmers Branch Missionary Baptist Church. Services were first held in the Farmers Branch School, which was probably located about two miles east of the cemetery. The first pastor was the Rev. George W. Good, whose parents had settled in the area many years before. By 1877, church membership had grown to 96. Deed records indicate that ownership of the property on this site was transferred from Thomas Keenan to trustees of the Farmers Branch Missionary Baptist Church in 1893. The congregation grew steadily, and many changes took place after 1930. In 1931 a new church building was erected, and another addition was made in 1944. The name of the church was changed to First Baptist Church of Farmers Branch in 1951. An auditorium was erected in 1956, and a church library was established in 1959. As membership continued to increase, new structures were erected, such as two educational buildings in 1960 and 1963 and a new sanctuary in 1986. The First Baptist Church of Farmers Branch supports such organizations as the Woman's Missionary Union and the brotherhood program. The church follows in the traditions of its ancestors through domestic and foreign mission work, community service, religious education and worship. (1999) #11822
13017 William Dodson Pkwy., Farmers Branch, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #06701
First Methodist Society, Dallas County's. (Webb Chapel United Methodist Church) Founded in Republic of Texas. Isaac Blackman Webb (1802 - 80), after moving his family from Missouri to the Peters Colony in 1843-44 winter, appealed for a visit by a missionary. On March 19, 1844, in log cabin of his brother-in-law, William M. Cochran, a worship service was held by the Rev. Thomas J. Brown, the first known Methodist minister to visit the Colony. On May 5, 1845, circuit services were begun by the Rev. Daniel Shook in Webb's Cabin, and a society was formed. The charter members: Nancy Jane Hughes Cochran (Mrs. William M., said to have been first professing Methodist in the Colony), M. Franklin and Margaret Fortner, and Isaac and Mary Hughes Webb. An 18' x 18' log cabin was built on Webb's land in springtime 1846, as the Colony's first church. The Rev. Joab H. Biggs was first (1847-48) pastor. The hewn-log cabin also served as schoolhouse, public meeting hall, and post office for community. Some local Methodists in 1850s met Cedar Springs members halfway, and built Cochran Chapel (5.3 mi. SE). Webb Chapel Cemetery (1.8 mi. SE) marks site where the others built a frame church in 1877. A second frame building of 1903 was used until present sanctuary was erected in 1955 to house this church body with a record of continuous services since 1845. #6701
2536 Valley View Lane, Farmers Branch, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #06820
Pioneers of Mustang Branch. During the early days of settlement in the northwestern part of Dallas County, the creek that runs nearby was known as Mustang Branch. Most likely named for the mustang horses that frequented the area or for the mustang grapes that grew here. The stream provided a focal point around which some members of the Peters Colony chose to settle. In 1841 Thomas Keenan built a cabin on the creek, and within a few years a number of settlers had come to the area, attracted by its fertile soil and available water supply. Their community came to be known as Farmers Branch. A blacksmith shop and gristmill were begun in 1845 by the Rev. William Bowles, a Baptist minister. The same year I. B. Webb, another early settler, donated land for a church and school. Webb also served as first postmaster when the Farmers Branch post office was established in 1848. By the end of the decade cotton and wheat had become very productive crops on area farms. The name for this stream later became commonly known as Farmers Branch. The pioneers who first settled near the tributary left a rich heritage. Today the city of Farmers Branch is a major Dallas County commercial center. #6820
?, Farmers Branch, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #06750
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 verterans of conflicts ranging from the Civil War to the Vietnam Conflict. #6750
2570 Valley View Ln., Farmers Branch, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #06725
Gilbert House. Dr. Samuel H. Gilbert (1828 - 1890) came to Texas about 1850. He settled first in Cass County, and in 1852 married Julia Ann Ritchie (d. 1881) Gilbert purchased 275 acres of land at this site about 1855 and by 1857 had this native limestone house constructed. In addition to his medical practice, Dr. Gilbert operated a farm here, growing vegetable crops and raising livestock. A respected community leader, he helped outfit a local militia unit during the Civil War and in later years held a number of local public offices. In 1874 Dr. Gilbert was instrumental in bringing rail service to the Farmers Branch community when he sold part of his property to the Dallas & Wichita Railroad for a right-of-way through the area. The parents of two daughters, the Gilberts continued to reside in this house for the remainder of their lives. The house remained in the Gilbert family until 1937. A rare surviving example of an early Texas home, the Gilbert House exhibits a vernacular center-passage plan with modest Greek Revival influences. Prominent features of the structure include its double-door entry with transom; a full-width front porch with box columns and classical detailing; twin chimneys; and a large hipped roof. RTHL - 1990 #6725
2540 Farmers Branch Lane, Farmers Branch, TX, United States