corner of Hidden Acres Drive and Apache
Oaks Drive
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Early
Williamson County graveyard has been referred to as
Smalley Cemetery due to its connection with the family
of pioneer Baptist preacher Freeman Smalley. Early
settlers of this area, the Smalleys were associated with
the nearby Anti-Slaveholdinlg Union Baptist Church.
Though the oldest grave marker is dated 1853, it is
believed that Freeman Smalley, Jr., was the first person
buried in the cemetery in 1849. The land on which the
cemetery is located was deeded to trustees of the church
in 1854.
The historical marker is in Round Rock, TX, in
Williamson County on Farm to Market Road 1460 near
Timberline Drive.
Marker erected 1986 by the Texas Historical Commission.
(Marker Number 13769.)
view interment list
- this location is not the cemetery but a memorial
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view the Texas Historical Marker for this site
aerial view map
click on thumbnail
image for an enlarged view
GPS
Coordinates
Latitude: 30.525106 -
Longitude: -97.652078
Easting: 629320
Northing: 3377746
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Anti-Slaveholding Union Baptist Cemetery
Historical Narrative
by Irene Varan
The Anti-Slaveholding
Union Baptist Cemetery (commonly known as
Smalley Cemetery) is one of the oldest
graveyards in Williamson County. It is located
northeast of Round Rock, seven-tenths of a mile
north of U.S. Highway 79, on County Road 1460.
Surrounded by an old wire fence, it lies on the
north side of a road leading in an easterly
direction to the Apache Oaks subdivision. [1]
The old Double File Trail, which crossed
Williamson County, and was laid out by Indians
as early as 1830, ran just west of the cemetery.
[2]
Members of the Rev.
Freeman Smalley family are buried in this
cemetery, and it is believed to have been
established upon the death of Freeman Smalley,
Jr. in 1849. [3] In 1960, Paul
Wilson, Jr. of
Galveston, Texas listed the following existing
markers:
MARY COX Oct 21, 1811
Died August 17, 1855
MARY SMALLEY the wife
of J. K. SMALLEY was born June the 17, 1825 Died
October the 10 AD 1853
J. W.
(Only these initials on a stone)
A. W. P. SMALLEY born
August the 26 1828 Died August 6, 1857 [4]
Freeman Smalley, Jr.
was one of the earliest settlers in Williamson
County, having arrived in the fall of 1846 with
the families of his father-in-law, Levi Asher,
and Dr. W.I. Anderson. These families settled on
Brushy Creek about one mile below Wadkins
Crossing. [5]
Many of the early
marriages in this county were performed by Rev.
Freeman Smalley, Sr. and his son, Rev. James
Knight Smalley. The first Baptist church
services in the county of which any records
exist were held in 1847 in the log home of
Freeman Smalley, Jr.. Reverend R. H. Taliaferro
preached the sermon. [6] On January 12, 1854,
James K. Smalley deeded to the trustees of
Anti-Slaveholding Union Baptist Church two acres
of land originally belonging to his brother,
Freeman, and believed to be the land on which
Freeman's home was located. The deed specified
that the land was to be "for the use of said
church as a burying ground". [7]
William M. Smalley,
great grandfather of Freeman Smalley, Sr., is
believed to have been born in France in 1697,
and to have come to America in 1714. Many of his
descendants settled early in Texas, several of
whom were among the signers of Petition to Form
Williamson County on February 2, 1848. These
included Freeman Smalley, Jr., his brother,
William A. Smalley, their nephew, John R.
Smalley, William Knight, William Knight, Jr.,
and John S. Knight. ES) William Smalley, son of
immigrant William M. Smalley, was killed by
Indians about 1762, at which time William's
young son (also named William) was carried away
by Delaware Indians and held captive for five
years and seven months. After being sent by the
Delawares on a peace mission to Fort Pitt in
about January of 1785, young William was allowed
to return to his home. He married Prudence Hoel
about 1786. In May of 1792, William Smalley was
sent by the Government as a guide and
interpreter with Major Alexander Trueman, on an
ill-fated mission of peace to the Indians. He
was taken capture for the second time. On this
occasion, he was aided in his escape by his
foster Indian father,
and he returned to his family in September of
the same year. He died in 1838. [9]
Freeman Smalley, Sr.
was born on March 3, 1790 or 1791 to William
Smalley and Prudence Hoel. He grew up in what is
now Clinton County, Ohio. No record has been
found of his ordination, however it is believed
that he was ordained there as a Baptist
Minister. He married Catherine Trader in Miami
County, Ohio on July 31, 1808. In the War of
1812, he served in Captain Samuel Cox's Company
from Clinton County during the period May to
September 1812, and during his residence in
Clinton County he preached at the Baptist Church
in Liberty Township. [10]
Rev. Freeman Smalley
first arrived in Texas around 1822. The purpose
of this trip was to search for a sister who had
married and moved to Texas some years before.
Having had no word from her since her departure,
he set out alone to look for her. It is said
that he found his sister, Mrs. William Newman,
in a settlement on the Red River in what is now
Lamar County, but which was thought at that time
to have been a part of Arkansas instead of
Texas. There, in 1824, he preached one of the
earliest Baptist sermons in Texas (if not the
first, as some have claimed). [11]
Leaving Texas, Rev.
Smalley returned to Ohio, and in 1832 he moved
to Vermilion County, Illinois. In 1846 or 1847,
he returned to Texas, first stopping in Fayette
County. In 1849 he joined his sons in Williamson
County. [12].
The 1850 census for
Williamson County shows Rev. Smalley with
children Moses, Elizabeth and William in his
household. Sons, Benjamin F., James K., and
Jesse J., and the family of son, Freeman, Jr.
(who had died the previous year), are also known
to have been residing in the county at that
time.
The children of
Freeman and Catherine Trader Smalley were:
1. Esther Smalley,
born about 1808-1810. Little is known about her
life. She is thought to have married a Mr.
Whistler, and to have died in Mexico. [13]
2. Mary Smalley, born
October 21, 1811, married a Mr. Cox. She died
August 17, 1855 in Williamson County, and is
buried in this cemetery. [14]
3. Sabra Smalley,
born 1815, married Robinson Ross. No further
information has been found concerning her. [15]
4. James Knight
Smalley, born July 28, 1819, was also a Baptist
Minister. He married first to Mary Purcell, and
secondly to Cynthia Ann Stearns on February 20,
1854 in Williamson County, Texas. [16] He later
moved to Bourbon County, Kansas, where he died
in December 1876. [17]
5. Freeman Smalley,
Jr., born August 14, 1822, married Nancy Ann
Asher on April 14, 1842. He died in September
1849, C183 and was probably the first to be
buried on this land which was later to be
designated as a cemetery.
6. Daughter (name
unknown), born 1820-1825. No further records are
available. [19]
7. Sarah Ellen
Smalley, born January 22, 1825, married Aaron
Rubel (Ruble) on August 18, 1844 in Vermilion
County, Illinois. Her husband is said to have
worked on the construction of the State Capitol
building at Austin in 1856. Descendants beleive
he is buried in this cemetery, although no stone
remains to confirm this. Sarah died on September
15, 1871 in Falls County, Texas. [20]
8. Benjamin Franklin
Smalley, born 1826, was married first to
Angeline Millican amd second to Margaret Wilson.
[21] He died in Xenia. Kansas. [22]
9. Moses W. Smalley
was born August 26, 1828. He died August 6, 1857
[23], and is buried in this cemetery. Moses
married Louisa M. E. Freeman in Williamson
County, Texas, on September 5, 1852. His
brother, Rev. James K. Smalley, officiated. [24]
10. Elizabeth C.
Smalley, born 1831. (25]
11. William Anderson
Montgomery
Smalley was born June
18, 1837.
He died March 6,
1905. (26] He was married to Mary E. Allen
in
Williamson County on
January 13, 1856. Rites were performed by his
father. [27]
Catherine Trader
Smalley died sometime between 1860 and 1870.
[28] No record exists of the exact time or
place. Possibly it was because of his wife's
death that Rev. Smalley, Sr. left Williamson
County in 1866, or perhaps his unpopular views
on abolition were a factor in his move shortly
after the end of the Civil War.
Whatever the reason, he sold his land [29] and
moved to Kansas, spending his remaining years
near his two sons
there. He died
in Bourbon County on October 31, 1874. [30]
ANTI-SLAVEHOLDING_UNION_BAPTIST_CEMETERY
ENDNOTES .pdf
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addendum
Smalley Cemetery
The Smalley Cemetery, established in
1849, is one of the oldest burial plots
in Williamson County. It is located
northeast of Round Rock, seven-tenths of
a mile north of U.S. Highway 79 on
County Road 1460. Surrounded by an old
wire fence, it lies on the north side of
a road leading in an easterly direction
to the Hidden Acres subdivision. The old
Double File Trail, which crossed
Williamson County and was laid out by
Indians as early as 1830, ran just west
of the cemetery.
Members of the Freeman Smalley family
are buried here. In 1960, Paul Wilson,
Jr. of Galveston, Texas listed the
following existing markers:
FREEMAN SMALLEY, JR. (Grave has no
marker)
B 1820-25
D 1849
MOSES W. SMALLEY (Marker badly broken)
B Aug 26, 1828
D Aug 6, 1857
MARY COX
B Oct 21, 1011
D Aug 17, 1855
MARY SMALLEY the wife of J.K. Smalley
was born June the 17, 1825 Died October
the 10 AD 1853
A.W.P. SMALLEY (Author-genealogist Paul
C. Wilson
born - August the 26 1828 noted
similarity of dates and initials
D--- August 6, 1857 with Moses W.
Smalley)
J.W. (Only these initials on a stone)
Freeman Smalley, Jr. was one of the
earliest settlers in Williamson County,
having arrived in the fall of 1846 with
the families of his father-in-law, Levi
Asher, and Dr. W. I. Anderson. These
families settled on Brushy Creek about
one mile below Wadkins Crossing.
The signatures of Freeman Smalley, Jr.
and his brother, William A. Smalley,
appear on the Petition to Form
Williamson County, which was signed on 2
February 1848.
The first Baptist church services in the
county of which any record exist were
held in 1847 in the log home of Freeman
Smalley, believed to have been on the
same land where the cemetery is located.
Reverend R.H. Taliaferro preached the
sermon. On January 12, 1854, James K.
Smalley deeded to the trustees of
Anti-Slave Holding Union Baptist Church
two acres of land which originally
belonged to Freeman Smalley.
Rev. Freeman Smalley, father of Freeman
Smalley, Jr., first arrived in Texas
around 1922 and visited with a cousin,
Rachel Rabb Newman, in Red River County.
In 1324, at Pecan Point on the Red
River, he preached one of the earliest
Baptist sermons in Texas, if not the
first as some have claimed. In 1632 Rev.
Smalley moved to Vermilion County,
Illinois, but returned to Texas in 1846,
first to Fayette County and then to
Williamson County in 1849.
The 1850 census for Williamson County
shows Rev Smalley with children Moses,
Elizabeth and William in his household.
Sons, Benjamin F., James K., and Jesse
J. were also residing in the county at
that time.
Born in Fayette or Greene County,
Pennsylvania, on March 3, 1790, to
William Smalley and Prudence Noel,
Freeman Smalley moved with his family to
Ohio before he was two years old. His
father, William Smalley, had twice been
a captive of the Delaware Indians, the
first time having been held for five
years and seven months before his
release in about January of 1785, when
he was sent by the Delawares on a peace
mission to Ft. Pitt and then allowed to
return home. In May of 1792, he was sent
by the Government as a guide and
interpreter with Major Alexander Trueman
on /4;1 ill-fated mission of peace to
the Indians. He was capture for the
second time, but was aided in his escape
by his foster Indian father, and
returned to his family in September of
the same year.
Freeman Smalley married Catherine Trader
in Miami County, Ohio on July 31, 1008.
In the War of 1812, he served in Captain
Samuel Cox's Company from Clinton County
during the period May to September 1812.
No record has been found concerning
Reverend Smalley' _s ordination,
however, he was one of the ministers at
the Baptist church during his residence
in Liberty Township in Clinton County,
Ohio.
The children of Freeman and Catherine
Trader Smalley were
1. Esther Smalley, born about 1808-1810.
Little is known about her life. She is
thought to have married a Mr. Whistler,
and to have died in Mexico.
2. Mary Smalley, born 1811, married a
Mr. Cox. It is possible that this was
her second marriage, and that she is the
same Mrs. Mary Linzey who married Rev.
Thomas Washington Cox in Fayette County
Texas on September 12, 1848. This
marriage was performed by Rev. Freeman
Smalley, Sr. She is buried in this
cemetery.
3. Sabra Smalley, born 1815, married
Robinson Ross.
4. James Knight Smalley, born July 28,
1819, was also a Baptist Minister. He
married first to Mary Purcell, and
secondly to Cynthia Ann Stearns on
February 20, 1854 in Williamson County,
Texas. He later moved to Bourbon County,
Kansas, where he died in December 1876.
5. Freeman Smalley, Jr., born August 14,
1822, married Nancy Ann Asher. He died
in 1849. His burial was the first in
this cemetery.
6. Daughter (name unknown), born
1820-1825-
7. Sarah Ellen Smalley, born January 22,
1825, married Aaron Rubel (Ruble). She
died September 15, 1871.
8. Benjamin Franklin Smalley, born 1826,
married first to Angeline Millican amd
second to Margaret Wilson.
9. Moses W. Smalley, born August 26,
1828, married Louisa M.E. Freeman. He
died August 6, 1957, and is buried in
the Smalley Cemetery. - - No further
information is available
10. Elizabeth C. Smalley born 1831 - -
No further information is available.
11. William Anderson Montgomery Freeman
born 18 June 1837, died 6 March 1905.
Catherine Trader Smalley died sometime
between 1860 and 1870. No record exists
of the exact time or place. Possibly it
was because of his wife's death that
Rev. Smalley left Williamson County in
1866, and moved to Bourbon County,
Kansas to spend his last years near his
two sons there. He died in Bourbon
County on October 31, 1874.
Footnotes, References and Interviews:
1. Historical Round Rock Texas, page 455
2. Land of Good Water, " 118
3. A Forgotten Mission to the Indians,
Paul C. Wilson, Jr.
4. Land of Good Water, page 110 S. Land
of Good Water, page 120
6. 1850 Census, Williamson County, TX
7. Historical Round Rock Texas, page 87
S. Elsie Waller
9. The History of Baylor University,
1845-1861
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Williamson County 
