Our Mission
Located in Dallas’ s Forest Hills neighborhood on the original homestead of Warren Angus Ferris, the 1847 Ferris Historic Cemetery is the final resting place of early settlers and possibly indigenous folk. It is the mission of the Friends of the Warren Ferris Cemetery to recognize those buried there and honor those who came before them, evolve an ongoing landscape restoration plan, and to beautify and maintain the landscape to the standards of a certified wildlife & monarch butterfly way station, and to promote environmental stewardship.
Cemeteries are important keys to history. They are tangible reminders of the indigenous, settlement patterns and reveal information about historic events, religion, lifestyle, and genealogy. By tying together historical, educational and native wildlife components, our ultimate goal is to support other neighborhoods across the state in revitalizing their own fallen cemeteries.
The Friends of the Ferris Cemetery will secure the funds, report historic findings, and hire the necessary staff to continue ongoing projects.
The Warren Angus Ferris Cemetery was established in the mid-1800s on the Ferris 640 acre homestead and was used by the Ferris family and the neighboring community. There is historical evidence that it also contained the graves of freedmen and possibly Latino residents. The last person buried there was Rev. R.F. Taylor, 1901, an African American minister who lived nearby.
Due to vandalism over the past 100 years, all headstones have been removed, only a few names of those buried there are known. Genealogist Donald Payton has completed a one year research into finding the other people buried on the property, see list below. A marker naming all those found, including Warren Ferris, has been installed. It has been documented that Warren Ferris never enslaved African Americans.
Updated List of Those Persons Buried in the Ferris Cemetery - 2022 by Donald Payton, Susanne Starling and Marilyn Kosanke
Bell family - 2 Afro-American females, sister Lucretia and infant daughter Lizzie of William “Bill”
Bell who worked for the Tuckers and/or the Caruths. The 1870 Census shows they worked for
Abe Freeman on land near Turtle Creek.
George T. Boyette - June 10, 1843 - July 29, 1903
Boyette infant - 1886-1886
Elizabeth Hatfield Chenault - May 9, 1820 - Sept. 12, 1858 - died of typhoid fever
Chenault infant - 1858 - typhoid fever
Lucy Jane Sage Chenault - 1838-1863
Wesley Marshal Chenault - 1819 -1896. Probably buried in Ferris Cemetery
Frederick M. Dean - 1810 - Sept. 17, 1867
Benjamin Dye - 1793 - July 20. 1852
Sarah Cozear Dye - 1798 (or 1801) - May 24,1879
Emily Ferris - Aug. 16,1848 - Apr. 15, 1853
Price Ferris - 1862 - July 6, 1867 - kicked by a horse
Sarah Frances Moore Ferris - Sept. 1,1829 - Mar. 21,1869 - died after childbirth
Warren Angus Ferris - Dec. 26,1810 - Feb. 8,1873
Warren “Bud” Ferris, Jr. - Mar. 8, 1844 - Aug. 7, 1847 - 1st burial in cemetery
William Ferris - Dec. 13,1850 - July 12, 1866
Jennie Allis Herndon - July 24, 1880 - June 16, 1899
Clarence Linden Pemberton - Oct. 25, 1867 - July 26, 1869
Louisa Jane Ferris Rutledge - 1858 - 1886. Probably buried in Ferris Cemetery
Daniel Harrison Sage - Nov. 5,1802 -Feb. 10,1866
Jane Dye Sage - Jan.17,1816 -1892
Lucy Sage - year of birth? -1863
Charles T. Tabor - Nov. 10,1878 - Oct. 8, 1878. Same as infant Tabor.
Rev. Robert F. Taylor - Aug. 22, 1867 - Apr. 11, 1901
Robert T. Taylor - (1842-1906). Farmer who owned land on White Rock Creek, Father of R. F.
Questionable, possible burials in Ferris Cemetery:
Ruben Kirby - dates unknown, worked for the Caruth family.
Perhaps Sarah Sage, Mary Sage, Jeff Sage, James Henry Chenault.
Atwood children, two children, no dates
J.M. or J.W. Tucker - dates unknown
“The Prairies are boundless and present a most beautiful appearance being extremely fertile and crowned with flowers of every hue.” ”
Ferris Cemetery Achievements & Ongoing Plans
Ultimate Goal
In our third year as a 501C3, we have guided four other historic cemeteries in the process of becoming non-profits and developing native landscape plans for the benefit of wildlife. We provide a template for other neighborhoods to establish wildlife habitats as a means of honoring those buried in historic cemeteries across the state.
“It is estimated that there are roughly 15,000 + cemeteries in Texas. There are have roughly 5,000 historic cemeteries locations mapped in our Texas Historic Sites Atlas. Based on feedback from our county historical commissions, we believe about one-third of these have no caretakers responsible for their care.”
Carlyn Copeland Hammons, Cemetery Preservation Program Specialist, Texas Historical Commission
Current Status
State Historic Cemetery Designation
State historical marker present
No historic headstones on-site
1980 SMU archeological survey
Numerous artifacts and field-stones found