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In 1870, Captain Henry J. Thompson, Chief Justice of Jack County, Texas Ranger and Fort Worth Mason, allowed his neighbor and Confederate veteran, William Terry Allen, to bury his first wife, Sarah Anne “Fannie” Grant Allen (1849-1870), on his property. This established Thompson Public Cemetery, one-third mile from the Allen log cabin home. Six months later, their son George E. Allen joined her, followed by another son, Willie Allen, in 1884. William T. Allen later was buried in the cemetery in 1893. His late wife’s younger sister who became his second wife, Theodocia “Docia” Earnest Grant (1854-1931), is buried next to him. A third Grant sister buried in the cemetery, Martha Jane Grant (1842-1885), married Confederate veteran John Jay Ingram. Thompson Public Cemetery has also been known by other names, such as Allen, Farmer, Thompson Community Cemetery, Thompson Neighbors’ Cemetery, and Thompson Cemetery. Many pioneer settler families of White Settlement, River Oaks and Westworth Village are buried in the cemetery, including James Ventioner, founder of River Oaks, and his wife, Millie Farmer. They were the first couple married in White Settlement in 1851. Cleo Akins, a child from a wagon train passing through the area, was laid to rest in an undated grave, with pebbles spelling out her name. Dollie Shrewder Smith, a widow of Civil War and Mexican War Veteran Alexander Purnell Smith, is buried in the cemetery along with her son and father. Also buried in the cemetery are the Farmer brothers, Joseph, Elijah, and David, who were the first to build homes in White Settlement. Today this cemetery is a reminder and a reflection of the lives of pioneer settlers and their descendants. Historic Texas Cemetery – 2010 |
