History of Cemetery
SMITHFIELD CEMETERY
by Michael E. Patterson
2205 Glade Road
Colleyville, Texas 76034 © 1982
Tarrant County's Smithfield Cemetery lies in the John M. Crockett survey along the 6600 block of Smithfield Road, in present-day North Richland Hills. For more than a century, it has served not only the earlier-day community of Smithfield but also a large part of rural northeast Tarrant County as well. More than a thousand early settlers and their descendants lie buried in the plot, which is now maintained by the Smithfield Cemetery Association.
When it was begun, the cemetery was probably known by the name "Zion." Zion Methodist Church, formed during the 1850s in the home of pioneer minister William Turner (1803–1878) a short distance from the present cemetery site, eventually gave its name to the small community which grew around it. Several of Zion's institutions began changing their names to "Smithfield" after Eli Smith (1848–1879) and his wife gave land for a church and cemetery during the 1870s. The name change was gradual; Zion School became Smithfield School about 1880, and by 1884 the settlement was generally known as Smithfield. As late as the end of 1885, however, Zion Methodist Church retained its original name.
Probably near the mid-1870s, Eli Smith and his wife deeded a portion of their farm to the Methodist Church and cemetery. The original deeds were lost or destroyed, however, and in September 1890, Mr. Smith's heirs executed two new deeds to replace them. The lot, deeded by them to A. C. Brown, J. E. Turner, and A. B. Clark ("Trustees for a Public Burying Ground at Smithfield...") on September 25, 1890, constitutes the oldest portion of the cemetery and contains a little less than three acres. It lies adjacent to and east of the Methodist Church lot.
The present cemetery property contains more than six acres after numerous property acquisitions, dedications, and boundary adjustments. Some of the property is held by the cemetery association, while other portions remain in the hands of private individuals.
The cemetery's earliest marked grave is that of a child, Mattie J. Brownfield (August 2, 1871–October 13, 1872), the daughter of Joseph Collin Brownfield (1819–1905) and his wife Martha S. Brownfield (1827–1895), both of whom are buried there also. The cemetery grew rapidly after its beginning; more than seventy-five readable markers survive from the 1870s alone. More than two hundred markers dating before 1900 are now standing in the plot.
Several important community leaders in Tarrant County's history lie buried at Smithfield, including Eli Smith, for whom Smithfield was named. Smith, a native Missourian, was brought to the present-day Smithfield area as a child around 1859. He was married to Sarah J. Hightower and was a leader in early-day Smithfield's civic life. After Mr. Smith's death in 1879, Sarah married A. B. Clark.
Lilburn Howard Colley, a widely remembered pioneer physician for whom nearby Colleyville is named, is buried in the cemetery. Born in Pulaski County, Missouri, in 1843, he grew to manhood there and enlisted in the Union army on July 30, 1864. He served as a private and musician until his discharge on June 29, 1865, at St. Louis. He lived in Pulaski County until June 1875 when he moved to Chariton County, Missouri. On October 12, 1880, he moved to Parker County, Texas, where he lived until October 1885. In October 1885, he arrived in northeast Tarrant County. After 1900, he left Tarrant County for a time to live in Wilbarger County, Texas, but soon returned. He died in Wichita Falls, Texas, and his body was returned to Smithfield for burial.
The burial ground contains the remains of several other early-day physicians, including Henry C. Gilbert (1850–1932), Jeremiah Cloud (1821–1878), and John W. Boatner (1845–1904). Two pioneer preachers instrumental in founding Methodism in Tarrant County, S. D. Sansom (1816–1894) and William Turner (1803–1878), are also buried there. The plot contains the graves of numerous Confederate veterans, including Thomas Allen (c. 1840–c. 1916), W. R. Allen (1838–1884), A. M. Hightower (1825–1897), H. R. Sparger (1833–1914), Rufus P. Allen, Ralph Garrett (1842–1901), J. G. Lehew (1841–1906), James E. Turner (1842–1917), and W. M. Cross (1840–1912). At least four veterans of the Union army during the Civil War—L. H. Colley, Ozias Rumfield (1842–1919), Joseph Rutledge, and David Trimble (1819–1879)—share the cemetery with their former antagonists.
The Smithfield Cemetery Association presently maintains the plot and supervises new burials. The Association's current president is Jack Eustace.
Smithfield Cemetery, like many other pioneer burial grounds in growing suburban areas, has been vandalized repeatedly in recent years. Many of the older stones have been repaired several times. Its handmade grave markers contain examples of pioneer craftsmanship that are important cultural resources to a changing, progressing community such as the Smithfield of today.
Smithfield has experienced rapid changes and growth in the past twenty-five years. Once a separate rural community, it has, since its annexation by the adjacent city of North Richland Hills, become an integral part of a continuous suburban sprawl covering hundreds of square miles in Tarrant and Dallas Counties. But amid the changes and progress, a part of the Smithfield of the past remains in the minds of its residents and in the names of many of its social organizations. The Tarrant County Historical Commission recognizes the past century of accomplishments, sacrifices, and good influence upon the life of Tarrant County made by Smithfield's people and wishes to honor their importance by erecting this historical marker at their burial place.
List of Association and Board Members
Jack Eustance
Vickie Coles
Wesley Coles
Cheryl Keith
John A. Congleton
Cecilla Congleton
Eileen Dibble
LaVerne Williams
Rhoda Eustace
Preserving Legacies With Dignity and Professionalism
Smithfield Cemetery is more than a burial ground; it's a landmark of heritage and remembrance. For over 150 years, we've provided a place of peace for families and history enthusiasts alike. Nestled in North Richland Hills, our six-acre site tells stories of the past while embracing modern care standards.
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