James Robert Godley

Anderson County Sheriff's Department — Palestine, TX

Felonious

End of Watch December 13, 1874

Age 31

Tour of Duty

The Vigil Panel 5 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Department 4

Incident

Sheriff Ed Davis deputized and ordered James Robert Godley, a doctor by trade, and J. F. Henderson to arrest Bob Smith. Smith was wanted on a charge of bigamy. When the two deputies attempted to make the arrest, Smith using a shotgun, shot and mortally wounded Godley. Godley died the next day.

Bob Smith escaped in a hail of gunfire. He was arrested several weeks later. A poem, The Ballad of Bob Smith, by Lucius Dow Henderson, written in the middle 1950s, states that Bob Smith was lynched in his jail cell at Fosterville.

Dr. Godley was survived by his wife, Georgia, and four children. He is believed to be buried in an unmarked grave in the area of the former town of Fosterville, in northeastern Anderson County, Texas.

Survivors

Godley was survived by his wife, Georgia, and four children.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier: BO-US-TX-DC3D17A0
Stewardship: Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
Added to badge.nw: April 2, 2026
Last updated: July 23, 2026

Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.

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Tributes

152 years is a long time for a name to go unread. Not today.
Deputy Sheriff Godley served with the Anderson County Sheriff's Department.
Thank you for your service to the Palestine community. Gone but never to be forgotten.

— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993

Agency

Department Anderson County Sheriff's Department

Location Palestine, TX

Platform Identity acso.anderson.tx.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch December 13, 1874

Tour of Duty

Age 31

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious

Cause Detail Gunfire

Weapon Shotgun

Offender Lynched

Deputy Sheriff James Robert Godley is one of 17,623 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 54.2% of all 32,508 officers honored here.

In TX, 1,463 of 2,421 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 60.4% of this state's fallen. That is 6.2 percentage points above the national rate of 54.2%.

At Anderson County Sheriff's Department, 4 of 5 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 80% of this agency's fallen.

Anderson County Sheriff's Department

of 5 officers

80% Felonious

TX — Statewide

1,463

of 2,421 officers

60.4% Felonious

Nationwide

17,623

of 32,508 officers

54.2% Felonious