Robert Bonner Halley
Salado, Bell County, Texas
Marker Inscription
A native of Georgia, Robert B. Halley brought his family to this area about 1853. With partner T.J. Eubanks, he operated a liquor distillery and a flour and grist mill on the Lampasas River. Halley served as Bell County Commissioner in 1859 and as a delegate to the State Democratic Party Convention the following year. He recruited and served as captain of a volunteer cavalry unit during the Civil War. Elected Bell County Sheriff in 1874, he died while in office in 1875. Halley and his wife Lydia (1831-1928) were the parents of eight children. (1991)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Arriving in Bell County around 1853, Georgia-born Robert B. Halley helped turn a frontier settlement into a working community, running a liquor distillery and a flour-and-grist mill on the Lampasas River. He served as county commissioner and a state Democratic convention delegate, then recruited and captained a volunteer cavalry company during the Civil War. Elected county sheriff in 1874, he died in office the following year.
Why it matters
His life traces the familiar 19th-century arc from pioneer entrepreneur to Confederate soldier to local officeholder in Central Texas.
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Related people
- · Robert B. Halley
- · T.J. Eubanks
- · Lydia Halley
Themes & tags
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