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.
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