Merrell Cemetery in Dallas, Texas, is a small Historic Pioneer Cemetery. It was originally created out of necessity for Peter’s Colony pioneers in Dallas County. Eli Merrell and his large family came to Texas in 1844 and received land grant eligibility 640 acres from Peter’s Colony. The land that the cemetery is located on belonged to Benjamin Merrell (b.1801). Eli’s brother David’s son and Eli’s nephew. Eli was an Elder in Disciples of Christ Church and performed the first marriage in Dallas County in 1846. When Eli died his many heirs inherited his land.
To protect the one-acre cemetery it was purchased for $35 by Connell, Luna, Merrell and Straight families from the Latham (Lathem) family.
The Merrell Cemetery Association was formed in 1965 to raise funds for a fence to protect the property. The founding Pioneer families and their neighbors, mostly with connecting land and connecting marriages are buried in Merrell Cemetery. Prior to the MCMA organization and the State of Texas Incorporation there were very few boundaries for eligible burials. Like the Bobo’s there are several other non-related families buried there.
On July 20, 1917, an eight-year-old girl named Agnes Bobo (b. 20 Jul 1909) succumbed to pneumonia and was subsequently interred at that location. No information was found that this Bobo family had a DNA connection to any of the Pioneer families.
Charles Crawford Bobo, with his family, lived a few houses away from John R. Cochran (Insurance Co. Mgr.) and William A. Welch (truck driver) in Precinct 1, District 1050. The Cochran and Welch families are direct descendants of the Merrill family through marriages.
Agnes Bobo’s father, Charles Crawford Bobo (b 1884) buried his son J. T. Bobo (b. 6 Mar 1921- 26 Nov 1921) and passed from influenza. He was 8 months old and buried at Merrell Cemetery. Agnes’s brother Jack Hanna Bobo (b. 1907) buried his stillborn son Jack Bobo (b. 29 Jun 1928 – d. 29 Jun 1928) in Merrell Cemetery. Cause of Death: Stillborn. Jack Hanna Bobo buried his second infant son Baby (boy) Bobo (b 04 Jun 1933- d 04 Jun 1933). Cause of death: Breech birth.
Charles Crawford Bobo (b 25 Sept 1884 – d 29 Dec 1928) is buried in Merrell Cemetery. He was forty-four years old.
Agnes’s brother Jack Hanna Bobo worked as a helper for National Air Transport Inc. located at Preston & Walnut Hill Lane, Motor Route A, Box 450, Dallas. Jack Hanna and his wife Florence Drake moved to California after 1933. I found several articles on his unequaled ability to repair airplanes. One article stated he worked on the Blue Angels jet planes. Jack Hanna Bobo passed in 1963. He is buried in California.
This week the Merrell Cemetery Maintenance Association is honoring the Bobo family from another era. We are placing headstones on their unmarked graves. I have searched endlessly for decedents and the answer I continued to get “not my Bobo’s”. I hope that somewhere their descendants know that their ancestors are well respected, and their graves are beautifully maintained in our little one-acre Pioneer cemetery called Merrell Cemetery.
June Jordan Time. May 18, 2024
