Garland’s Mills Cemetery has been designated a Historic Texas Cemetery by the Texas Historical Commission. Besides being a recognition of the historic significance of the cemetery, the designation will serve as a legal protection from the possibility of future encroachment by adjacent property owners.
The cemetery was established by Edward C. Mills, one of the earliest settlers in what is now the Garland area. Mills received a headright of 640 acres in Dallas County as a Peters Colonist in 1847. Elizabeth Collins Mills, wife of Edward, died in 1854 and was the first burial in the family cemetery. At first the cemetery was only for the Mills family but soon neighbors were allowed to bury there and Mills Cemetery in effect became a neighborhood burial ground.
In 1925 a new cemetery was developed adjoining the west side Mills Cemetery and was given the name Garland Cemetery. This name was a poor choice since there were already two cemeteries, Masonic and Knights of Pythias, which local people thought of as “Garland cemeteries.” Soon the 1925 Garland Cemetery came to be viewed by people of the area as part of Mills Cemetery and the name has stuck. It is now maintained and administered by the Garland-Mills Cemetery Foundation.
Besides Edward C. Mills, two of his sons, James and John, who were also Peters Colonists, are buried in Mills Cemetery, as are several Civil War veterans, including another Mills son, Robert. A fourth son, Hope, also a Peters Colonist, died at the Battle of Vicksburg.
Application for the designation was sponsored by Charles Mills, a descendant of Edward C. Mills.
Application for an Official Texas Historical Marker will be made at a later date.