Haley-Smith Cemetery
Rio Vista, Johnson County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Thomas Haley came to Johnson County by 1852. After purchasing land from Henry Briden, he built a race track along the Nolands River and began breeding fine horses. Haley was a captain in Parson's mounted volunteers (4th Tex. Dragoons) during the Civil War; he died in February 1865 of wounds sustained in battle. His is the oldest marked burial in Haley-Smith Cemetery. Veterans Leonard Fisher (Civil War) and John Hubble (Texas War for Independence) are also buried here, along with several Johnson County pioneers. There are nine identified graves, although unmarked burials are believed to exist. Since the 1990s, the Rio Grange Cemetery Association has cared for this pioneer burial ground. Historic Texas Cemetery – 2006
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Thomas Haley reached Johnson County by 1852, built a race track along the Nolands River, and bred fine horses before serving as a captain in Parson's mounted volunteers during the Civil War; he died in 1865 of battle wounds, and his is the oldest marked grave here. The cemetery also holds Leonard Fisher, another Civil War veteran, and John Hubble, a veteran of the Texas War for Independence, among the county's pioneers. Since the 1990s a cemetery association has cared for the small burial ground.
Why it matters
This pioneer cemetery gathers, in a handful of graves, the founding generations of Texas—from the fight for independence through the Civil War—that settled the north-central frontier.
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Related people
- · Thomas Haley
- · Leonard Fisher
- · John Hubble
Themes & tags
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