Warner Cemetery

Duane's take

The official marker for Warner Cemetery in Dallas County tells it like this, and I'm just the one passin' it along. Back in 1852, Robert and Sarah Dean Warner packed up their family and made the long journey to Texas, all the way from Ireland. They came as members of the Peters Colony, which is how they came to acquire land out in this area, where they put down roots and established a farm.

You can imagine what that must have taken, startin' fresh on new ground, buildin' something out of what was essentially wide open possibility. The Warners did exactly that. They built a family, they built a farm, and in time, they and their descendants became leaders in the Carrollton community.

But every family that puts down roots eventually puts down something else, too. This graveyard was begun upon the death of Robert Warner, Jr., in 1873. Ten marked graves rest here in total, and all but two of them belong to Warner family members.

And then there's at least one unmarked grave known to exist, a quiet presence that the record acknowledges but cannot fully name. That detail has a way of settling over you, doesn't it. The Warner family cemetery stands today as a reminder of the early period of settlement in this area.

A family crossed an ocean, joined a colony, claimed land, and left something behind that outlasted the farm, outlasted the daily work, outlasted nearly everything else. Just the graves, and the silence around them, and the story the marker asks us to remember.

What the marker says

In 1852, Robert and Sarah Dean Warner brought their family to Texas from Ireland. As members of the Peters Colony, they acquired land in this area and established a farm. This family graveyard was begun upon the death of Robert Warner, Jr., in 1873. There are a total of 10 marked graves, and all except two are Warner family members. At least one unmarked grave is known to exist. The Warner family and their descendants became leaders in the Carrollton community. Their family cemetery is a reminder of the early period of settlement in the area.