Polley Cemetery
Sutherland Springs, Wilson County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Joseph Henry Polley (1795-1869) was born in Whitehall, New York to Jonathan and Rachel Hubbard Polley. He later moved to Missouri, where he was a friend of Moses Austin, with whom he traveled to Texas in 1820. The next year, he returned to Texas with Stephen F. Austin as one of the original "Old 300" colonists. Polley settled in the Brazoria District and wed Mary Augusta Bailey, daughter of pioneer Brit Bailey. The couple built a home that they named Whitehall. Polley served as sheriff and assisted retreating settlers during the Runaway Scrape, 1836; Mary helped mold candles for use by the first Texas Congress. Polley moved his family in 1847 to this area, then a part of Guadalupe County. The family established a cemetery as this site in 1848, when Emeline Elizabeth Polley James, one of the eleven Folley children, died while giving birth. Two years later, her daughter of the same name was interred next to her. The family completed the Whitehall home about 1850. Over the years, several family members, including Joseph Henry Polley, were laid to rest in the cemetery. Mary Bailey Polley (d. 1888), the family matriarch, was the last to be buried here. Historic Texas Cemetery - 2005
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Joseph Henry Polley came to Texas in 1820 with Moses Austin and returned in 1821 as one of Stephen F. Austin's original "Old 300" colonists, settling in the Brazoria District and marrying Mary Bailey, daughter of the pioneer Brit Bailey. Polley served as sheriff and aided fleeing families during the Runaway Scrape of 1836 while Mary molded candles for the first Texas Congress. In 1847 the family moved to this area and built their home, Whitehall; the cemetery began the next year with the burial of a daughter who died in childbirth, and Mary, the matriarch, was the last laid to rest here in 1888.
Why it matters
The Polley graves link Wilson County directly to the founding generation of Anglo Texas—the Old 300 colonists and the flight and independence of 1836.
Plan your visit
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Attractions
- Green Acres Golf and Games14.8 mi away
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Related people
- · Joseph Henry Polley
- · Mary Bailey Polley
- · Stephen F. Austin
Related events
- · Runaway Scrape
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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