Old Daniel Cemetery, Dallas Co. TX
Found in Historical Cemetery by Barbara Ann Hodson
Submitted by Kay Ieppert Kieppert221@aol.com
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Old Daniel Cemetery, article not dated

Behind the iron fence and tall shrubbery on Airline between Daviel and 
Milton lies buried a woman who helped to build the western frontier of 
a land that her father fought to create and her sons frought to divide. 
her name was Frances Sims Daniel.
Four years aafter Texas was annexed to the United States and eight short 
years after John Neely Bryan bilt his log cabin on the banks of the Trinity, 
this woman, widowed only the year before, brought six of her eight living 
children and her sister, mrs. Nancy Harlan, to the wilds of Texs from 
civilized Alabama.
With her carefully hoarded savings, she invested in the frontier's only 
security---land.  for her home place, she bought a section, 640 acres, 
around the location of today's Snider Plaza at 50 cents an acre.  Through 
other purchases she acquired land on both sides of the Trinity and some 
rich bottom land along the river.
Frances Sims Daniel was born in Hanover Co. Va on Jan 191796, the youngest 
daughter of Judith Cross Sims and William Sims, a revolutionary soldier.  
The family moved to Maury County TN, whee Frances married the Rev. John M 
Daniel on July 11 1816.  the Daniels then moved to Alabama where John died 
in 1848.
The year 1849 marks the beginning of the Daniel family in what is not 
University park.  With her household effects, children, sister and several 
slaves, mrs. Daniel made the long trek across county, and thus another 
southern family GTT---Gone to Texas.
The children, Jesse, Francis R., John, Thomals B. Isabella O and Margaret S. 
were the founders of several local families.
With the year 1850, the history of the family cemetery begins. On the tombstones 
is that two-acre plot can be read the story of a family.  Births, marriages, 
deaths--the tragic record on the many tiny stones marked"Baby
The cemetery was begun in the newly-planted orchard behing the house when Frank, 
one of the slaves who came from Alabama, died.  later four other slaves were 
buried in the north west corner of the orchard.
Frank was one of the slaves given to Frances when her father died in 1813.  
Williams Sims' will read, in part:
"I do lend unto my daughter Frances Sims, three Negroes, Kitty, Rose and 
Frank, also a colt, saddle, and bridle, also a walnut chest and at my 
daughter's death I give said negroes and their increase to her lawful isssue."
She also received her "respective bed and furniture, and a cow and the 
increase of said cow forever."
The east boundary of the home property were somewhere between Airline Road 
and Greenville Avenue and the house faced south.  The other boundaries were 
Lovers Lane on the north, maynie on the south and Turtle Creek on the west.
The first member of the family buried in the orchard was Isabella, who died 
in her teens leaving an infant daughter.  The wife of Alexander Harwood, county 
clerk of Dallas , she died in 1851 and was buried in the south east corner of 
the orchard. her daughter was buried beside her in 1860.  Mrs. Harlan, 
Mrs Danile's sister was also buried in 1850.
Margaret, the youngest Daniel daughter, married joshua Fayette Smith in 1853.  
Soon after the death of her oldest daughter, Sophronia, in 1897, she had a 
fence built around the little plot. Already outlined with the bois'arc trees 
planted by her mother.
On all the stones are inscriptions that reveal the shortness  of life , 
the terrile toll of infants taken by death and the sorrow of bereaved 
parents and children.  Francis Sims Daniel herself was only 57 when she 
was laid to rest.