Denton Co., TX - Cemeteries - TAYLOR FAMILY CEMETERY History *********************************************** This file was contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by: "Richard Warner" Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgenwebarchives.org *********************************************** TAYLOR FAMILY CEMETERY City of Oak Point Denton County, Texas By J. Richard Warner March 8, 2004 Samuel L. Taylor and his wife, Martha, along with three sons, Benjamin F. Taylor, Moses B. Taylor, & Richard K. Taylor, and being accompanied by three slaves Kijeah, Matilda and James, migrated to Texas in 1859 from Davie County, North Carolina. Also accompanying Samuel & Martha Taylor on their journey west from North Carolina were friends William & Beulah Lunn and their son, E. S. Lunn. The Taylor’s settled and began farming on land (currently in the City of Oak Point) situated in a loose knit community originally known as “Sand Town”. Samuel L. Taylor and one of his sons, Benjamin F. Taylor, are noted as being two of the earliest settlers in the Little Elm area. Per the 1864 Denton County property tax records, the Taylor farm consisted of 460 acres. During the Civil War, Samuel and Martha’s son, Richard K. Taylor served with the Confederate Army for four (4) years in Louisiana and returned home to continue farming in the area. He passed away in1922 and is buried in the Good Hope Cemetery in Denton County. In addition to farming, Moses B. Taylor raised horses on the family farm and sold a sorrel mare to the infamous outlaw Sam Bass that became known in the area as the “race mare”. Often Sam Bass would race and place wagers with the mare. On many occasions these races were run down the main streets of Denton and, much to the dismay of many religious Dentonites, these races were often held on Sundays, the Sabbath. Benjamin Taylor moved from the farm to the City of Denton in the early 1880’s and established the second cotton gin in Denton County. The cotton gin continued to be operated by Benjamin’s two sons into the 1920’s. The Taylor Family Cemetery was established on the Taylor farm and the earliest marked gravestone, of those still remaining, is that of Beulah Lunn who died January 27, 1870. Of the 16 marked gravestones remaining in the cemetery today, 12 were members of the Taylor Family, including Samuel L. Taylor, Martha Taylor, and their son, Moses B. Taylor. In addition, the cemetery also contains the graves William and Beulah Lunn, and their son, E. S. Lunn. There are twelve (12) other marked graves (but not specifically identifiable) where the gravestones have either been lost to history or no stones were placed on the grave at the time of burial. Twenty-three (23) of the twenty-four (24) known burials occurred in the 1870’s and 1880’s. Many of the graves are those of children which indicates both the remoteness of the area and the lack of medical treatments in the late 1800’s.