1860-1900
Headstone of Malinda Dwight Hill at Lonesome Dove cemetery. Malinda and 14 others survived the 1836 raid on Fort Parker, infamous for the Comanche kidnapping of Cynthia Ann Parker.
"Old Dove Church House," one of several early Lonesome Dove Baptist Church buildings, circa 1880s. Courtesy Tarrant County College District Archives, Fort Worth, Texas
Lonesome Dove Baptist Church members in front of the church, circa 1870-1880s. Courtesy of Joyce family
A brief history of Lonesome Dove Baptist Church was recorded in 1995 on this pink granite marker in front of the church grounds at 2380 Lonesome Dove Road in Southlake.
At the 1995 church homecoming, a copy of the Lonesome Dove Baptist Church granite marker inscription was handed out to congregants.
The men and sole woman, dressed in white and seated at upper right, of the Lonesome Dove Baptist Church may have gathered for this 1899 photograph while attending the annual church homecoming.
Early white settlers who traveled to now-Southlake in the 1840s, known as Missouri Colonists, included Jarrett Foster, seated center, who moved to the Dove community with his father, Ambrose, and is buried in Lonesome Dove cemetery. His headstone reads, "Last survivor of the first settlers of Missouri Colony…" 1896. Tarrant County College District Archives, Fort Worth, Texas
Sam Street's map
Sam Street's 1895 Tarrant County map shows the Dove community (in all caps) on the route between Roanoke and Grapevine. Courtesy E. I. "Jack" Wiesman
Dove, Texas map 1894-1904
E. I. "Jack" Wiesman was a local historian who used recollections from longtime residents collected in the 1990s to recreate the Dove community as it existed from 1894-1904. Courtesy E. I. Wiesman
Dove general store, circa late 1800s
Area farmers came to the Dove general store for provisions. Milk cans lined up on the porch testify to the dairy farming being done here in the late 1800s.
Torian Woodmen of the World ribbon
Woodmen of the World was a men's fraternal group organized in 1890 to provide life insurance and other benefits to members. This ribbon belonged to a Torian family member and reads Dum tacet clamat, "Though silent, he speaks." Several WOW headstones, carved to look like tree trunks, can be found in the Lonesome Dove Cemetery in now-Southlake.
Identified only as a Cate family reunion in the Dove community, it's likely that with so many musicians for kinfolk, the family in this undated photo was anticipating some serious toe tapping and, unless everybody there was a Baptist, lots of dancing. Courtesy Tarrant County College District Archives, Fort Worth, Texas
Identified as Fannie Cate and her son, Stephen Milton, they are standing in front of their home in the Dove community. Date unknown. Courtesy of Tarrant County College District Archive, Fort Worth, Texas
The handwriting is hard to read, but this 1869 deed was agreed to for $75 by William Graham and Jas. F. Morris, early settlers to the area, and was "sworn to and subscribed before" Denton County Justice of the Peace Joel B. Sawyer. Courtesy of Shivers family
One of William Graham's sons, Spencer, enlisted in the Confederate Army in 1862. Descendants sought confirmation of Spencer's service and received this letter dated and signed by the Texas State Library archivist in 1944. Courtesy Shivers family
A year after returning from the War Between the States, William Graham's son, Spencer, married Martha Ann Reynolds. They established a home, shown here in an undated photograph, in the Dove community. Their house was located on Graham property near N. Peytonville Avenue between Hood cemetery and W. Dove Road. Courtesy of Shivers family
Family members still have Spencer Graham's Confederate Army medal. Courtesy of Shivers family
In 1902, Spencer Graham, seated at far right in the front row, W. O. Medlin, middle back row, (Medlin family members were Missouri Colonists) and five other surviving soldiers from McKittrick's Company G, 18th Texas Cavalry posed for their unit's 40th reunion held in Dallas. Courtesy Denton Public Library
Spencer Graham died in 1906 and is buried in Hood Cemetery, in Coventry Manor subdivision in now-Southlake. His obituary mistakenly gives his interment at Medlin Cemetery, located in Trophy Club. Courtesy Shivers family
A circa 1920s photograph of Spencer Graham's obelisk headstone in Hood Cemetery, inscribed, "S. Graham, Born Dec. 14, 1840, Died Mar. 7, 1906." Courtesy of Shivers family
Spencer Graham's family record of his marriage and children. Courtesy of Shivers family
Spencer and Martha Ann Graham's daughters, Bertha, left, (born 1873) and Ora, right, (born 1875), grew up in the Dove community. Courtesy of Shivers family
Spencer Graham's widow, Martha Ann Reynolds Graham, in her later years. She remained in the Dove community after her husband's death in 1906 and is buried in an unmarked grave next to his in Hood cemetery. Courtesy Shivers family
In 1881, Robert Emmett Wilson purchased property near Keller-Grapevine Road, now- Davis Blvd. at FM1709. The area came to be known as Jellico and included a general store and a post office. He stands in this undated photograph in front of his home which began as "an old log house," according to family records. Courtesy of E. I. "Jack" Wiesman
The women seen in this circa 1900 photograph seated on the porch of the Robert Wilson house, are very likely his wife, Sarah McGinnis Wilson (front), and her mother. Courtesy of E. I. Wiesman
The Wilson house as it appeared in 1990. The house was razed in 2018 and sat in the vicinity of the now-Winding Ridge subdivision on the east side of Davis Blvd. south of FM1709. Courtesy of the Historic Preservation Council for Tarrant County, Texas
John R. Torian moved to the Dove community in the 1870s and in 1886 bought a cabin "built along a creek at the edge of the Cross Timbers," according to a Texas historical marker, east of Lonesome Dove Baptist Church toward Grapevine.
Torian family members occupied the Torian cabin until the 1940s. In 1975, Torian descendants donated it to the city of Grapevine, it was dismantled and rebuilt on Main Street. This undated photo is of John R. Torian in his later years.
Woodmen of the World was a men's group organized in 1890 to provide life insurance and other benefits. There was a Woodmen of the World lodge in the Dove community. This badge belonged to a Torian family member.
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Mary Hemphill, age 15, stands between her sisters, Maria and Eveline, circa 1879. SHS archives
Benjamin Wilkinson, seen here, and his wife, Nancy Austin Wilkinson, moved to the White's Chapel community in 1892. They joined her parents, Mary Ann and Stephen Blevins Austin, who settled the area in 1870. Courtesy of Tarrant County College District
Sarah Wilkinson Castleberry, pictured with her husband, children and father-in-law, was the daughter of Benjamin and Nancy Austin Wilkinson. Courtesy of Tarrant County College Archives, Ft. Worth, Texas
By the 1890s, White's Chapel school had two rooms, one made of logs and the other wood framed. The school had no well from which to draw water, so the teachers and students got water from a water tank west of the church. Courtesy of Shivers family
James Joyce was born in 1810 in Georgia and married Miranda Grandberry in 1835. The couple moved to Texas in 1852 where he served as a deacon in Lonesome Dove and Mt. Gilead Baptist Churches. Courtesy Joyce family
Joyce's land grant was issued by the Texas General Land Office for 320 acres and is dated January 25, 1860. Courtesy of Joyce family
Miranda Grandberry Joyce holds the family Bible. Miranda died in 1870 and her husband, James, died in 1882. Both are buried in Mt. Gilead cemetery in Keller, Texas. Courtesy Joyce family
James J. Joyce, the youngest child of James J. and Miranda Joyce, attended Sams School then college before holding various positions with the Tarrant County Court House where he was respected for his expert handwriting. Courtesy of Joyce family
Mt. Gilead Baptist Church was established in 1852 in present-day Keller. In 1881, two acres were purchased for a "Burial ground," a portion of which came from the "James Joyce Reserve," according to this warranty deed. Courtesy of Joyce family
11e The Joyce children attended Sams School, established in the late 1870s on land donated by Calvin A. and Lucinda Sams. The school, shown in this circa 1895 photograph, was located near Dove and Sams School roads. Courtesy of Joyce family
Sams School pay voucher dated December 5, 1879. Courtesy Shivers family
John Dolford "Bob" Jones was born in 1850 in Arkansas, one of five children born to Leazer Jones, a white businessman and his slave, Lizzie. The family moved to Roanoke, Texas around 1859. Courtesy of Jones family
When Bob Jones was eleven his father, Leazer, returned to Arkansas where he had left his white wife and children. Bob and his brother stayed with their mother and sisters and later bought the 60-acre farm from their father. Courtesy of Jones family