Husband of Emily Manly Hunnicutt

This cemetery contains over 100 graves, including a slave of John's by the name of Jack who came to Texas with the Beeman family from Illinois. Seely Mill was built by John Beeman & James Beeman in Illinois in 1821. They sold the mill to Judge A.S. Seely. John (1799-1856) and Emily Hunnicutt (1806-1892) Beeman brought their family to Texas during its days as a Republic. April 8, 1842, John BEEMAN, brought his family to White Rock Creek; building his cabin and planting the first corn in Dallas County, TX. Records show John Beeman migrated to the Peters Colony with his family prior to July 1, 1844. He was issued a land certificate and patented 640 acres in Dallas County (Nacogdoches Third Class No. 522) according to the colony agent's report for 1844. He was living on White Rock Creek in old Nacogdoches County. He is listed on the Census of 1850 (Dallas County, Family No. 65) Shortly after John BEEMAN settled in Dallas County, he set aside about seven acres of the most beautiful part of his farm for the family cemetery. The settlement of Dallas chose John BEEMAN as their first representative to the first legislature after their annexation to the United States. John Beeman lived at first in a sort of fortified camp, near his future home, on the north side of the road, about a mile beond the State Fair Grounds, where he plowed the first land and raised the first crop in the county. Returning from the colony surveyor's camp on Farmer's Branch, Mr. Beeman, riding one of the horses captured when Denton was killed in 1841 at Village Creek, was chased by Indians from near the site of the Episcopal college to his camp, losing his hat and some letters, which were found the next day. The Indians refused to risk an attack on the camp and retired. Mrs. Beeman, with her daughters, and Mrs. James J. Beeman, was the second white woman to see and to settle in Dallas County. She was born Emily Hunnicut. She lived out her life near her original home. The Pioneer Association at the time of her death decreed that she should be kept on the rolls as "Mother of the Pioneer Association". From the book: History of Dallas County, Texas 1837-1887.(Provided by Sherry)