Burials in Old Dickson Cemetery

Benton County, Arkansas

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This old cemetery had thirteen burials between 1839 and 1882, mostly of Woods and Dickson families who were early settlers and prominent families in Benton County. The purpose of this page is to provide a reliable reference to the families of those thirteen, limited to just a couple of generations of both ancestors and descendents by gathering together names and dates from Woods family bible, Dickson and Woods families genealogy papers, census, obituaries, land grants, and wills.

Apparently the only list of gravestones was by Bentonville Mayor and Benton County Historian Alvin A Seamster(1891-1974), sometime before 1955. But even then, the cemetery was over grown with brush and several gravestones already damaged. That account was first published in Washington County Flashback, vol V, no 6, December 1955, again in the Benton County Pioneer Vol 6, no.4, page 25 May 1961, and a third time in Cemeteries of Benton County, Arkansas Vol V, Winter 1976, page 30. The trees of the cemetery are clearly visible in aerial photograph of August 7, 1954.

The cemetery was legally abandoned about 1958-9 when Wayne Carlson built two houses east of the burial ground. The neighbor across the highway, Mac McKee removed the remaining gravestones, most likely as Carlson was starting earthwork for his house and it's original unpaved driveway. The stones were certainly removed well before McKee's airplane crash in 1964. McKee, his widow, and one of his sons, stored the gravestones until they were moved to the Peel Mansion Museum about 1990.

My house, 1603 SW 2nd Street, was built shortly after parcel was deeded to Rick and Fredra Carlson on November 21, 1974. Memories of those who had seen the cemetery before gravestones were moved, indicate this house was placed slightly north of most, if not all, of the burials. The aerial photo of 1954 supports those memories. Note that the graves have not been disturbed, and remain in place as of 2018 though not marked. A new marker was put near center of the fenced yard in March 2018 with names and dates from Mayor Seamster's list plus name of spouse and/or parent of most. Gravestone for Infant Woods, born and died Feb 1839, found and returned May 2021.

This is private property and not open to unscheduled visitors. Location is NW 1/4 of NE 1/4 Section 36 T20N R31W about 1/2 acre.
N36° 22.254’ W094° 13.762’


  1. Dickson Robert 1773-1849 m 1796 Esther Moore 1775- bef 1849
  2. Dickson, Joseph Samuel 1797-1845 son of Robert & Esther m 1821 Mary Hare 1803-1869
  3. Dickson, Mary Hare 1805-1867 wife of Joseph, mother of 11
  4. Woods, Samuel 1799-1871, m1818 Sarah Adams.. son of Francis Harper 1776-1849 and Martha Leeper
  5. Woods, Dysart 1806-1882 son of John 1774 -1846, grandson Samuel 1740-1825 and Margaret Holmes
  6. Woods, Sarah Holmes 1810-1859 wife of Dysart,
    dau of Phineas 1784-1860 and Rachel Stewert 1807-1855
  7. Woods, Phineas H 1833-1860, son of Dysart 1806-1882 and Sarah 1810-1859
  8. Woods, infant 5 Feb 1839 - 26 Feb 1839, son of Dysart and Sarah
  9. Woods, infant b&d Mar1852, son of Dysart and Sarah
  10. Burns, Mary Ann 1806-1870 of consumption, m 1828 wife of Thomas Patrick Burns 1797-1838
  11. Burns, Robert L 1832-1860 son of Thomas Patrick Burns and Mary Ann Knot
  12. Wooden, Rebecca Eleanor 1824-1868, daughter of Isaac 1801-1865 and Rebecca Stephenson of Carroll County Mo,
    She signed a will June 1868, it was probated January 1869 Carroll County, Missouri
    brother Cornelius Wooden in NW Benton County in 1870 with his family.
  13. Kirby, M. B. maybe family of Henry Kirby, born abt 1819, constable in 1850 & 1860 census Osage, Benton County, Ark...
    Findagrave.com has 51 Kirby in Benton County, names could include son and grandson.

Close Family and Genelogy of the 13 known burials in Old Dickson Cemetery, Bentonville Ark. This study and database is a new active study, and includes some theories for testing, some errors, and more than a few similiar names that are not yet in the right family or relation..... please help us gather strong edvience as who is who.

It is a little curious that the property holding these burials was apparently never owned by either Dickson or Woods families. Samuel Woods owned quite a bit of land adjoining on west side, While Robert Dickson owned land about 1/2 mile east and north. Premeption Cert 3624 dated 10 March 1843 was to Edward Cunningham and his heir's sold to Levi W Paul in 1869.

Most of these families and others prominent in Benton County then and now served in the American Revolutionary War. Records of the Burke County North Carolina Regiment of Militia commanded by McDowell, Sharp, and Robert Holmes include: John Holmes, Samuel Moore, Robert Patton, Samuel Woods, John Dysart, James Dysart, William Dysart. The adjacent Lincoln County,North Carolina Regiment include Joseph Dickson, William Moore, and Daniel McKisick. In other North Carolina units are found Captains George and James Maxwell, James and William Purviance, and Samuel Patton, who we haven't yet studied. These families intermarried, probably before service in the war, migrated west together, lived close together with children and grandchildren intermarrying for a least a century.

A useful reference about Woods family is Captain Samuel Woods of King's Mountain and his descendents by Lucile Womack Bates as published in The Benton County Pioneer. volume 10, numbers 2 and 3, 1965.

In April 1852, Doghead Glory, a Cherokee Indian was indicted in Benton County for murder of another Indian named David Scoutie. In October, he was tried, found guilty, and sentenced to hang. Following appeal to the state's supreme court, he was hanged 4 February 1853.

According to Alvin Seamster, Doghead Glory was buried in the Dickson Cemetery, west of Bentonville, with his gun. About 100 years after his death, someone walking through the (Old) Dickson Cemetery noticed the barrel of a gun sticking out of the ground at that (sunken) grave. The gun was later given to Mr. Seamster for his museum near Pea Ridge. Today's location of that gun is unknown.
Thank you Randy McCrory, Vintage Bentonville for sharing this story.






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Questions, additions, corrections, and comments to Arthur Bowie, Bentonville, Arkansas. .

24 May 2021