The Nat Tobey family moved from Indiana to northeast Burnet County in the 1850s. Sons Avery and Samuel bought land here in Backbone Valley in 1868. At the death of N. W. Tobey, aged 12, this cemetery was opened in 1872. A church and school stood nearby, serving people of the ranches and farms of the valley. Within a century, over 200 graves were placed in this burial ground. In 1964 Tobey Cemetery Association was formed to care for the one remaining community landmark, since church and school were phased out in the 20th century. (1976)