Haley-Smith Cemetery

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about Haley-Smith Cemetery, out in Johnson County. Now, Thomas Haley arrived in Johnson County by 1852, and he didn't waste any time making himself at home. He purchased land from a man named Henry Briden, and what did he do with it?

He built a race track along the Nolands River and started breeding fine horses. A man with an eye for land and an ear for hoofbeats; that's Thomas Haley. But the 1860s had something else in mind for him.

Haley became a captain in Parson's mounted volunteers, the 4th Texas Dragoons, and rode off to the Civil War. He died in February of 1865, of wounds sustained in battle. His is the oldest marked burial in the cemetery that now carries his name.

He's not alone out there. Leonard Fisher, a Civil War veteran, rests nearby. And John Hubble, a veteran of the Texas War for Independence, is buried there too, along with several other Johnson County pioneers who laid the groundwork for everything that came after.

There are nine identified graves, though the marker tells us unmarked burials are believed to exist. How many stories are buried without a name to mark them? Well, that's a question the ground keeps to itself.

Since the 1990s, the Rio Grange Cemetery Association has been caring for this pioneer burial ground, making sure men like Haley, Fisher, and Hubble aren't forgotten by the county they helped build. A race track, a battlefield, and a quiet piece of Johnson County earth; Thomas Haley left marks on all three.

What the marker says

Thomas Haley came to Johnson County by 1852. After purchasing land from Henry Briden, he built a race track along the Nolands River and began breeding fine horses. Haley was a captain in Parson's mounted volunteers (4th Tex. Dragoons) during the Civil War; he died in February 1865 of wounds sustained in battle. His is the oldest marked burial in Haley-Smith Cemetery. Veterans Leonard Fisher (Civil War) and John Hubble (Texas War for Independence) are also buried here, along with several Johnson County pioneers. There are nine identified graves, although unmarked burials are believed to exist. Since the 1990s, the Rio Grange Cemetery Association has cared for this pioneer burial ground. Historic Texas Cemetery – 2006