The McAdam's Family Cemetery is located in the Oak Cliff Section of Dallas just south of the Illinois Exit of R.L. Thornton Freeway on the dead end of the  Broodhaven service road. This is a portion of the J.M. Robertson original Peters Colony Land Grant # 1219. 

The McAdams family consisted of N.O. (1820-1897) and his wife, Mary M. (1825-1882) and two children Mary (1851-1916) and Thomas (1853-1919) when they came to Dallas County from Tennessee in 1856 (census1860). A third child was born in Dallas, Elizabeth, in 1862. N.O. McAdams dedicated this cemetery site in 1892 "for the purpose and consideration that the graves of buried dead be preserved and perpetuated."

N.O. and Mary had a large farm on Lisbon Road three miles south of what would become Oak cliff that they were able to manage with help. The 1860 census shows a farm laborer and three other men living in the same house on this property. The Lisbon Presbyterian Church was started on the McAdams farm property.

N.O. McAdams (1822-1897) was the first elected sheriff of Dallas County for the term 1862-1864. He was re-elected for the term 1864-66. His bond was set at $5000.00. The records show he had only on deputy during this period, J.M. Brown. He serve on term as Justice of the Peace from December 1873 until 1875. He was elected a County Commissioner of Precinct 4 in 1876 and served in that capacity for nine additional elections and died in office in 1897. He suffered a stroke and was in failing health for a year before he died. At one time he held the record for the number of years spent serving the public. The name of N.O. McAdams is on the cornerstone of the "Old Red Courthouse" that was completed in 1892. He was on of the County Commissioners at this time.

McAdam's Cemetery is no longer a work in progress, but now a matter of maintenance.  NTCP will continue to maintain this Texas Historic Cemetery. NTCP would like to place a Texas Medallion with interpretive plaque when funding is available.  Pictures on this page show the state of the cemetery prior to Christmas 2003 before NTCP began restoring this cemetery and after the headstones were repaired and leveled in January 2006. 

(After) (photos by Dan Fauver)

Notice how the head stones have been repaired a leveled by hand. No machines were used in order to prevent any damage to these beautiful head stones. This is a service we can provide to any cemetery headstones. Just call or email and ask.