Tarrant County TXGenWeb - Mustang Cemetery

Tarrant County, TXGenWeb

Mustang Cemetery

Contributed by Rob Yoder

The U.S. Army Corp of Engineers moved the graves from this cemetery and four others during the construction of Benbrook Lake. The new resting place was the Merinda Seminary Graveyard, now known as Benbrook Cemetery. All of the information on this page was abstracted from the Corp of Engineers 1949 report titled "Cemetery Relocation Plan, Benbrook Dam and Reservoir."

There is no public access road to this cemetery. It lies approximately one mile northerly from the railroad station at Plover, Texas, near the easterly right-of-way line.

This cemetery is very old and different legends have been handed down as to its existance. One of these legendary stories is that a family living in a house at this spot was massacred by Indians and the house burned. Later, pioneers passing through the country came upon the gory dee, stopped and buried the remains within the rock fenced enclosure. Mr. Ben Beaver, Joshua, Texas, who lived in the near vicinity as a boy, remembers that the old fireplace and chimney still stood, in part, some 60-odd years ago.

Another story that bears consideration is that church meetings were held in this grove of trees some 100 years ago, and a portion of it was set off for burial ground. It is purported that William Hunter, born August 28, 1813, died October 14, 1859, and his wife, Mary F. (Watson) Hunter, born December 8, 1813, died March 24, 1863, may be buried in this cemetery. The births and deaths of these deceased were secured from an old family Bible in the possession of Mrs. Mallie Pearson, Joshua, Texas, who is a granddaughter of the aforementioned.

If it is true that William Hunter and his wife are buried here, an imported gold cased key wind watch should be found upon opening one of these graves. Such a find would identify the grave as that of William Hunter. Expensive neck jewelry and possibly some finger rings should be found in the grave of Mary F. Hunter, his wife.

Six graves were located, yet none identified:

Grave #1
Unknown (Adult)
Relocated to Merinda Seminary Graveyard, Section E, Lot 2, Space A

Grave #2
Unknown (Small child)
Relocated to Merinda Seminary Graveyard, Section E, Lot 2, Space D

Grave #3
Unknown (Adult, probably)
Relocated to Merinda Seminary Graveyard, Section E, Lot 2, Space E

Grave #4
Unknown (Adult)
Relocated to Merinda Seminary Graveyard, Section E, Lot 2, Space H

Grave #5
Unknown (Adult, probably)
Relocated to Merinda Seminary Graveyard, Section E, Lot 2, Space B

Grave #6
Unknown (Adult, probably)
Relocated to Merinda Seminary Graveyard, Section E, Lot 2, Space C

This page was last modified 13 Mar 2003.