Hillcrest Cemetery
Forney, Kaufman County, Texas
Marker Inscription
The grave of M. Elizabeth Collins (1813-1867), the earliest marked in this burial ground, predates the settlement of Forney. In 1880 the site was platted and formally set aside as a public cemetery for the growing railroad town. It was later enlarged through additions of adjoining land. Early efforts to provide maintenance for the cemetery included a brief experiment which allowed sheep to graze on the grounds. Burials in Hillcrest Cemetery include those of pioneer area settlers, prominent community leaders, and five known veterans of the Civil War.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
The oldest marked grave here, that of M. Elizabeth Collins (1813–1867), predates the founding of Forney itself. When the railroad town took shape, the site was platted in 1880 as a public cemetery and later enlarged with adjoining land—early upkeep even included a short-lived experiment of grazing sheep on the grounds. Those buried at Hillcrest include pioneer settlers, community leaders, and five known Civil War veterans.
Why it matters
Hillcrest ties a North Texas town's origins to the coming of the railroad and preserves the memory of the settlers and veterans who first populated it.
The story behind this marker
AI contextThe era
Forney, in Kaufman County east of Dallas, owes its existence to the railroad. In the decades after the Civil War, rail lines pushed across Texas, and new towns sprang up along the tracks almost overnight. Farmers and merchants clustered near depots, where cotton and other crops could be shipped to distant markets.
But people lived and died on this land before the town existed. The earliest marked grave in Hillcrest Cemetery belongs to M. Elizabeth Collins, who died in 1867, before Forney was settled. Her burial is a reminder that pioneer families had already made homes in the area during the years of early statehood and the Civil War.
By 1880, the growing railroad town needed a formal place to bury its dead, and the site was platted and set aside as a public cemetery. As Forney grew, so did the cemetery, enlarged over time with adjoining land, a quiet record of the community's expansion.
People & events
The oldest story in Hillcrest begins with M. Elizabeth Collins, born in 1813 and buried here in 1867. Her grave is the earliest marked one on the grounds, and it predates the settlement of Forney itself. We know little else about her from the marker, but her resting place anchors the cemetery in the pioneer era, before the railroad transformed the area.
In 1880 the site became an official public cemetery for the young railroad town, and it was later enlarged as the population grew. Caring for such a place was a real challenge for a small community, and early efforts at maintenance included a charming, practical experiment: for a brief time, sheep were allowed to graze on the grounds to keep the grass down. It was short-lived, but it captures the resourcefulness of a frontier-era town.
The people buried here span the community's history. They include pioneer settlers who worked the surrounding land, prominent leaders who shaped Forney's civic life, and five known veterans of the Civil War, men whose lives bridged the nation's great conflict and the rebuilding that followed.
Its place in the American story
Hillcrest Cemetery tells a story repeated across the American West and South: the railroad created towns, and towns created institutions. As tracks spread in the late nineteenth century, communities formed around them, and among the first civic needs was a proper cemetery. Its platting in 1880 marks Forney's shift from a settlement to an organized town.
The cemetery also reflects how the Civil War's shadow lingered in communities long after 1865. The presence of five known Civil War veterans among the burials links this North Texas town to the national struggle and to the veterans who returned home to build new lives.
Even the sheep have a place in the bigger picture. Before mowers and professional groundskeeping, many American communities improvised to maintain public spaces. That brief experiment is a small but telling window into how ordinary towns managed their shared responsibilities.
If you visit
Hillcrest Cemetery is a peaceful place to reflect on Forney's beginnings. As you walk among the graves, look for the older stones that hint at the pioneer era, and consider that the earliest marked grave here was laid before there was a town at all.
Watch too for markers of veterans and for the family names that recur across the grounds, clues to the settlers and leaders who built the community. Please treat the cemetery with respect: stay on paths where possible, avoid touching fragile old stones, and remember that it remains a place of remembrance for local families.
Forney makes an easy stop on a drive east from the Dallas area into the farm country of Kaufman County. Pair your visit with a look at the town itself, keeping in mind that the railroad was the reason it grew here in the first place.
Written by AI to add context, grounded in the marker’s inscription and the historical record. The inscription above is the original, unaltered text.
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Related people
- · M. Elizabeth Collins
Themes & tags
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