(photo courtesy of Terry Cowan)
Bell County Cemeteries
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Mayberry Cemetery
(aka Mayberry Park
Cemetery)
(photo courtesy of
Terry Cowan)
CEMETERY DETAILS
| COMMUNITY | SW of Killeen, on Fort Hood grounds |
| STILL IN USE? | No |
| LIST OF BURIALS AVAILABLE ONLINE? | Yes |
| US Geological Survey Coordinates | Available |
| US Geological Survey TIGER MAP | Available |
| US GEOLOGICAL SURVEY TOPOGRAPHICAL MAP | Available |
| DIRECTIONAL MAP | Available |
| SATELLITE PHOTO | Available |
| FINDAGRAVE.COM ENTRY | Available |
| TEXAS HISTORICAL MARKERS | #1 |
SITE/GRAVE PHOTOS
(click link above to view photos from this cemetery!)
RESEARCHERS OF THIS CEMETERY
OTHER INFO
(courtesy of
Terry Cowan)
Mayberry Cemetery is located in southwestern Bell County, within the boundary of Fort Hood. The cemetery is on the south side of Mayberry Park Road, about 2,000 feet west from the intersection of same with the old Maxdale Road. The public apparently has access along these roads, though signs indicate that vehicles are subject to being stopped and searched.
The cemetery is in a scenic oak grove, located between the road and Reese’s Creek. Fort Hood has erected a chain link fence around the site and a sign posted states that it has been “adopted” by the 3rd Personnel Group. A state historical marker outlines the known history of the cemetery. The original name of the cemetery is unknown, and the name “Mayberry” was assigned as it was located on the road to Mayberry Park.
The cemetery is located just within, or just outside the Alexander Walters Survey. This 160 pre-emption grant was purchased by Drury J. Smith who lived in the area from 1865 to 1878. The adjoining survey to the south is the John Russell Survey. John Russell was both the son-in-law and brother-in-law of Drury J. Smith (Russell married Smith’s daughter and Smith married Russell’s sister as his second wife). Other adjoining surveys included the James M. Cowan Survey, the R. J. Cowan Survey and the T. P. Edgin Survey, whose owners were members of the William F. Cowan family. These families are all near neighbors on the 1870 census of Bell County (pages 119 and 120 of census).
The cemetery contains a number of scattered fieldstones, indicating at least a dozen identifiable graves. The only inscribed marker is for James Moses Cowan (1834-1888), the James M. Cowan above. The cemetery probably includes a number of early Cowan burials.
Two children of Drury Jackson Smith and his first wife, Siambra Westerman Smith, died in Bell County. They are undoubtedly buried in this cemetery. In 1923, family members from Llano County and Bell County sought to relocate the graves. They found the cemetery, but could not find the actual graves, as it had been “turned back to pasture.” The Smith siblings probably buried here are:
John W. Smith
01 February 1853 – 13 June 1870
(thrown from horse)
Sciotha Harriet Smith Russell
12 November 1850 – 25 March 1869
(wife of John Russell)
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