Riley Cemetery
Colleyville, Tarrant County, Texas
Marker Inscription
About 1856 Jonathan Riley (b. ca. 1791) brought his family to this area from Kentucky. He received this land grant in 1863. The burial ground began, legend says, when a thief was killed nearby and Riley gave permission for his burial here. Riley's family and neighbors also used the cemetery. In 1883 Thomas Riley and William Autry set aside this one-acre tract for a graveyard. Burials stopped here before 1897, except for that of Riley's daughter Mrs. Martha Susan Autry (b. 1853) who was interred here in 1937. Some graves are now designated only with sandstones; many others are unmarked.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Around 1856 Jonathan Riley brought his family from Kentucky to this part of Tarrant County, receiving a land grant in 1863. Legend holds that the burial ground began when a thief killed nearby was laid to rest here with Riley's permission, after which family and neighbors also used the site; in 1883 Thomas Riley and William Autry formally set aside an acre for a graveyard. Most burials ended before 1897, though Riley's daughter Martha Susan Autry was interred here as late as 1937, among graves now marked only by sandstones or left unmarked.
Why it matters
Small family graveyards like this one preserve the presence of the Upper South migrants who settled North Texas, even as time erases the names cut into their soft stone markers.
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Related people
- · Jonathan Riley
- · Thomas Riley
- · William Autry
- · Martha Susan Autry
Themes & tags
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