Introduction
Oakwood, known for the first few years as "City Cemetery", is the second
oldest cemetery in Fort Worth, and is the final resting place of cattle kings
and cotton kings, of oil barons and business tycoons, of bankers and statesmen.
There are writers, teachers and musicians, brave soldiers and beautiful women,
the notable as well as notorious, famous gunslingers and pistol duelist.
People from all walks of life sleep quietly here.
The cemetery was designated as an official historical site in 1966 through
the efforts of Mayor Willard BARR and members of the City Council; the marker
was placed at a dedication ceremony on April 2, 1967. Since that time a beautiful
ornamental gate and an iron fence along Grand Ave. has been erected with
donations from interested lot holders sought by the Oakwood Cemetery Association.
The Historical marker at Oakwood Cemetery reads, "Founded 1879 by John
Peter SMITH who donated the first 20 acres, since enlarged to about 100 acres.
Within the area are three separate cemeteries, known as Oakwood, Calvary
and Trinity. Many Fort Worth and Tarrant County men of distinction lie buried
here. Plots are owned by lodges, unions, Catholics, and Protestants, negroes
and whites. Tracts are dedicated to both Confederate and Union Soldiers.
The Chapel was built in 1912. Oakwood and Calvary Association provide care,
with some assistance from the City of Fort Worth."
A Part of the original tract was reserved for blacks and is called "Old
Trinity Cemetery". There are people of color also buried in Oakwood.
At the request of Bishop C.W. DUBOIS, of Galveston, a separate plot was
partitioned off by John Peter SMITH for the Catholic Church on June 9, 1880.
This part of the cemetery became known as "Calvary" and, like Oakwood, is
still having burials today.
White Settlement Cemetery with an estimated 350 graves was moved to Oakwood
in 1952/53 to make room for the extension of the Carswell Air Force Base
main runway. Many of these graves were unmarked and now have a number on
the stone which corresponds with photographs taken before the cemetery was
moved. If relatives can identify from pictures the spots where there ancestors
were buried, they can be told by the Corp of Engineers where the new graves
lie in Oakwood.
This book consists of Oakwood, Calvary and Old Trinity Cemeteries. There
are some biographical sketches and obituaries. Also included are letters
from those persons who submitted information on their ancestors and loved
ones. All of the letters we received have been used. Some of them were edited
for lack of space and the original letter has been placed in the files at
Oakwood Cemetery.
The cemeteries are listed in three different sections of the book. Each
one has been broken down into the bock numbers. The lot, space and row numbers,
where applicable, are listed under the block number heading. This was done
so that you may easily see who is buried near of with your family, and perhaps
find some missing links in your family tree. |
