Alley Cemetery

Duane's take

The official marker for Alley Cemetery in Colorado County — let me tell you what it says, in my own way. Now, out in Colorado County, under a stand of oak trees that have been standing watch longer than most folks can reckon, there's a piece of ground that holds some of the first Anglo settlers ever to call Texas home. It goes by a few names — the Glaiser Cemetery, the Alley Family Cemetery — but most people know it simply as the Alley Cemetery.

And the story of how it came to hold that name is worth pullin' over for. The man it's named for is Rawson Alley, born in 1793. He came to Texas as the surveyor for Stephen F.

Austin's original expedition in 1821, walkin' and measuring much of the land along the Colorado River. That's no small thing — to be the one drawin' the lines on a place that didn't yet have lines. His family followed not long after.

Brothers Abraham — who also went by Abram — and Thomas Alley came to Texas in 1822, counted among that storied group known as the Old Three Hundred settlers. But Rawson himself never got to see what became of the land he helped map. In 1833, during a flood on the Colorado River, he died of illness.

And they buried him here, beneath these oaks, in ground that wouldn't even be officially deeded as a cemetery for another forty-eight years. That official deeding came on November 2nd, 1881, when Nicola and Elizabeth Glaiser transferred the land for that purpose. But the marker is clear about one thing — earlier burials already existed.

The first, in fact, had nothing to do with the Alley name at all. That distinction belongs to the Millar family. Dr.

John Millar, born in 1787, and his youngest children, William and Julia Millar, were the first to be buried here. The Millars had settled on the west bank of the Colorado River in 1831, and shortly after arriving, smallpox came for them. Several of the family succumbed that same year, 1831, and were laid to rest in this ground before anyone had thought to call it a cemetery.

The Alleys kept coming, though. Abraham — Abram — Alley, born in 1803, was a veteran of the Texas Revolution. He rests here next to his wife, Nancy, born as Nancy Millar in 1817 and dying in 1893.

The Millar and Alley families, it turns out, are bound together in this ground just as they were in life. Generations of Alleys followed. And then there's Shelly Lee Alley, born in 1894 and dying in 1964 — a World War One veteran, a famed bandleader, and the founder of a country blues band called the Alley Cats.

Shelly was inducted into the Western Swing Hall of Fame in 1994. A man who went from these oak-shaded Colorado County roots to the Western Swing Hall of Fame. That's a life with some range to it.

The Alley Cemetery remains. The oaks remain. And underneath them lie people who were here before the Republic, before the Revolution, before the state of Texas existed in any legal sense.

Some of these graves predate the Texas Revolution itself. That's not history you read about in a book — that's history you're standing on. Next time you're rolling through Colorado County, remember: that quiet ground under the trees has been keeping its stories a good while longer than any of us.

What the marker says

The Alley Cemetery, also known as the Glaiser Cemetery and Alley Family Cemetery, is the final resting place for some of the first Anglo settlers of Texas. The cemetery was not officially established until November 2, 1881, when the land was deeded by Nicola and Elizabeth Glaiser; however, earlier burials exist. The Alley Cemetery was named for Rawson Alley (1793–1833), the surveyor for Stephen F. Austin’s original expedition in 1821, surveying much of the land around the Colorado River. His family, including brothers Abraham (Abram) and Thomas, came to Texas in 1822 with the ‘Old Three Hundred’ settlers. Rawson died of illness during a flood on the Colorado River in 1833 and was buried here. Abraham (Abram) Alley (1803-1862), Texas Revolution veteran, is buried next to his wife, Nancy (Millar) Alley (1817-1893). Generations of Alleys were buried at the Alley Cemetery, including Shelly Lee Alley (1894-1964), WWI veteran, famed bandleader, and founder of the “Alley Cats,” a country blues band. Shelly was inducted into the Western Swing Hall of Fame in 1994. While named for the Alley Family, the first burials at the cemetery were those of Dr. John Millar (1787-1831) and his youngest children, William and Julia Millar. The Millars settled on the west bank of the Colorado River in 1831 and, shortly after, several succumbed to smallpox that same year and were buried at the cemetery. Under these oak trees are the graves of generations of Texans, some predating the Texas Revolution. The Alley Cemetery remains as a testament to the people who helped shape the history and heritage of Colorado County since its settlement. Historic Texas Cemetery - 2021