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Located within the Laurel Oaks Memorial Park cemetery, Bennett Family Gardens is the final resting place for many of eastern Dallas County's early settlers. Hiram Bennett (1796-1888) moved to Texas in 1845 with his family after receiving a land grant as part of the Peters Colony. Arriving with him were two adult sons, William Hardy Bennett (1825-1898) and James Madison Bennett (1821-1883), and their families.
Hardy Bennett, along with his wife, Sidney (Manning) Bennett (1827-1910), and their children, settled in what is now Mesquite. Bennett Family Cemetery was established when Hardy and Sidney lost their infant daughter, Terniece C. Bennett, in 1847. She was buried atop a small tree-covered knoll on the family farm, and the grounds were set aside for all of Hardy's descendants.
What started as a family burial ground soon extended to other Bennett family lines and neighbors. Among the burials are Citizens of the Republic of Texas, Civil War veterans and members of fraternal organizations, including Woodmen of the World. There are a number of primitive markers that are no longer legible and a few hand-carved stones.
In the early 1950s, Laurel Oaks Cemetery purchased the site and additional surrounding land and renamed the historic portion, Bennett Family Gardens. Laurel Oaks Cemetery continues to expand as a perpetual care cemetery in a beautiful park setting, serving families in Balch Springs, Mesquite, Dallas and communities in the surrounding area.
Historic Texas Cemetery - 2020 |
