Smith Cemetery
Palmer, Ellis County, Texas
Marker Inscription
(Established in 1852) Burial place of pioneers and generations of descendants; on a knoll that was in wilderness when cemetery opened, but now overlooks nine urban areas. Founded by Nancy Owen Smith for her family and neighbors. First burial was for her husband Hans Smith (1799-1852), lawmaker in Missouri (1830-32, 1834-36) and Arkansas (1844-46), who moved here in 1846. He opened area's first cotton gin, helped organize Ellis County (1850), and was robbed and murdered while buying goods in Houston for his store. The Smith Cemetery Association, organized in 1953, was chartered in 1955. (1973)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Established in 1852 on a lonely knoll then surrounded by wilderness, Smith Cemetery was founded by Nancy Owen Smith for her family and neighbors. Its first burial was her husband Hans Smith, a former lawmaker in Missouri and Arkansas who moved to Ellis County in 1846, opened the area's first cotton gin, and helped organize the county before being robbed and murdered in Houston. Generations of pioneer descendants followed him into the ground here, and a cemetery association was chartered in 1955.
Why it matters
The graveyard preserves the memory of the founding families who organized Ellis County, marking how quickly a frontier wilderness became settled American farmland.
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Related people
- · Nancy Owen Smith
- · Hans Smith
Themes & tags
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