George Washington Smith

Duane's take

Here's how the marker tells it, and I'll do my best to do it justice. George Washington Smith (even the name sounds like it was carved out of a different era, doesn't it?) Born around 1796 in Wilson County, Tennessee, this man had a life that stretched across some of the most consequential chapters Texas ever wrote. He came to Texas in 1834, and he didn't come alone.

He brought his wife, Elizabeth Briggs, with him, the two of them stepping into a land that was already humming with the tension of what was coming. And what was coming arrived fast. The Texas War for Independence, 1835 to 1836.

Smith was in it as a private in Captain Clendennin's Company, 1st Regiment Artillery. Not an officer, not a general. A private.

The man who does the work. Then, if you thought one war was enough for a lifetime, George Washington Smith apparently did not agree with you. When the Mexican War came around (1846 to 1848) he was back in it, this time as a sergeant.

Company K, 1st Regiment of the Texas Rangers, riding under Colonel John Coffee Hays; Jack Hays, as folks called him. Two wars, two different centuries of his life, and still the story keeps going. The Smith family settled in Collin County in 1852, putting down roots at last.

When Smith died, around 1876, he was buried near the entrance of what is now the Blue Ridge Cemetery. But even in death, things didn't stay settled. His grave was later moved a mile and a quarter to the northwest to the grounds cemetery.

A man who spent his life in motion, it seems, couldn't quite stop moving even afterward. That's George Washington Smith. Born about 1796, gone about 1876, and buried twice in Texas soil.

What the marker says

(1796?-1876?) Born in Wilson county, Tennessee, George Washington Smith came to Texas in 1834 with his wife Elizabeth Briggs. He fought in the Texas War for Independence (1835-36) as a private in Capt. Clendennin's Company, 1st regiment artillery. In the Mexican War (1846-48), he served as a sergeant in company, K, 1st regiment of the Texas Rangers, under Col. John Coffee (Jack) Hays. The Smith family settled in Collin county in 1852. When Smith died about 1876, he was buried near the entrance of the present Blue Ridge Cemetery. Later his grave was moved to the grounds cemetery (1.25 miles northwest). (1979)