Ferris Cemetery is a cemetery without original gravestones. However, there is one interesting marker shaped like a gravestone. It is an authentic War of 1812 marker used by the Veterans Administration as a gravestone and dedicated to Benjamin Dye, a veteran of the War of 1812. Dye is buried somewhere in the Ferris Cemetery, though the exact location of his grave is unknown.

The marker was dedicated in a colorful ceremony on January 24, 2015. Craig Austin Rowley Chapter, General Society of the War of 1812, sponsored installation of the marker. Paul Ridenour was Master of Ceremonies. The Color Guard was dressed in costumes of the 1812 era and came with their muskets, prepared to fire a celebratory salvo. A little drama occurred when a neighbor threatened to call the police. The re-enactors settled for three hardy “huzzahs”for Benjamin Dye.

Crowd and Dye family descendants

A sizable crowd of dignitaries and several descendants of Benjamin Dye was present, including Lisa Dye Bentley, sister Cynthia Dye Lennox, and Lisa’s sons Hunter and Brayden. Lisa and Cynthia are descendants of George Washington Dye, Benjamin’s son. M.C. Toyer and his mother Lois Beeman Toyer, sister Cynthia Toyer Fusco, M.C.’s cousins Cathy Albritton Chaney and Elizabeth Beeman Allbritton were also present; they are descendants of Martha Dye Beeman.

Dye Family Descendants - Left to right: Lisa Dye Bentley, Cyndie Dye Lennox, Hunter and Brayden Bentle

Benjamin Dye (1793-1852) was born in Virginia where, after serving as a private in the militia, he married Sarah “Sally” Cazier (1798-1879) in 1816. Ben was 22.; Sally 13. From Virginia we can trace the migrations of the Dyes to Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Kentucky, and Texas. The couple moved to Oldham County, KY in the 1830’s. With them were their sixteen children, including their oldest daughter Jane who married Daniel Sage while they were still in Virginia.

Farmers Benjamin Dye and his son-in-law Daniel Sage sold their produce and livestock in nearby Louisville, KY. Ben prospered and was elected sheriff of Oldham County. When the Dye/Sage families moved to Texas in the late 1840’s, some of Dye’s adult children stayed behind in Kentucky. The Dyes first appear in the Dallas County census of 1850 where Ben is listed as a farmer, with a wife and 9 children. His younger, unmarried brother William also lived in the household. Benjamin Dye received a 640 acre land grant from the Peters Company which he located near Duck Creek (present Garland, Texas). Due to a lost certificate, the land was not patented until 1853 after his death.

In addition to marital ties to the Sage family, the Dyes also allied with the John Beeman family when Martha Dye married Beeman’s oldest son William H. Beeman. Another Dye daughter, Cora, married John C. McCoy, respected Dallas lawyer. Son Enoch married Elvira Keen, daughter of Rev. Abner Keen. Benjamin died in 1852 at age 59, having lived only 5 years in Texas. His widow Sally inherited the land and lived into her 80’s. Both she and her husband are buried in the Ferris Cemetery.

Ruth Cooper, a Dye/Beeman descendant, wrote in 1961 to Dye descendant Betsy Elizabeth Ross of Albany, Tx. of the old cemetery near White Rock Creek: I started out to find it and when I did, I was heartsick. It has been so desecrated that nothing remains. Vandals have desecrated, broken, stolen, and carried off all but a couple of stones. The place is overgrown with briars until it is impossible to get through… A number of years ago a road (St. Francis) was put through the cemetery which started the desecration…in all the notices… in the newspaper - not one time was the name of the cemetery mentioned. It was just “old cemetery.”

Paul Ridenour at Podium - Photo by Tom Whitelock

Ruth Cooper heard stories of train trips to visit cousin Addie Dye McDermett who lived in Reinhardt just north of the Ferris Cemetery. Transportation was so difficult by road that Ruth’s grandmother Sonoma Beeman Myers preferred taking the train from Dallas to Reinhardt. Today Reinhardt is part of Dallas, swallowed by development of Casa Linda and Casa View. Ruth, as a child, was fascinated by stories of pioneer days told by her Dye/Beeman relatives. Addie Dye McDermett, youngest daughter of Benjamin Dye, gave a detailed memoir of early Dallas life to W.S. Adair of the Dallas Morning News in 1925. (See attached newspaper article. Zoom in to read).

Written by Susanne Starling with information furnished by Paul Ridenour, Lisa Dye Bentley, M.C. Toyer, and Johna Armisteads. Photos by Ben Sandifer and Paul Ridenour. Map by M.C. Toyer.