James S. Hogg (1851-1906)

James S. Hogg was born March 24, 1851 near Rusk, in east Texas. His birthplace would later give him the distinction of becoming the first native-born governor of Texas. Hogg was orphaned at the age of eleven when his father, a Confederate general, died in May 1862, and his mother died soon afterwards. To help … Read more

James Pinckney Henderson (1808-1858)

J. Pinckney Henderson was an active proponent for the annexation of Texas into the United States. Partly in recognition of his efforts toward statehood, Henderson was elected Texas’ first governor when it became a state in 1845. Henderson was born in North Carolina on March 31, 1808. He studied law and was admitted to the … Read more

John Coffee “Jack” Hays, Texas Ranger, Sheriff & Politician

A noted Indian fighter and early Texas Ranger, John Coffee (Jack) Hays was a man of less than average size. He was exceptionally wiry, however, and had almost supernatural powers of endurance in the rugged west Texas terrain. Born in Tennessee, Hays spent some time in Mississippi before arriving in Texas around the beginning of … Read more

William P. Hardeman “Old Gotch” (1816-1898)

William Polk “Old Gotch” Hardeman has the distinction of having served Texas, in either a military or official government position, spanning a period longer than any other Texan. In 1835, within days after he arrived in Texas at the age of eighteen, he became an active participant in the Texas Revolution. When Hardeman died in … Read more

Thomas Green (1814-1864)

As a 21-year-old college graduate when he first came to Texas in 1835, Tom Green was no doubt one of the most schooled of all Texans. Over the next twenty nine years in Texas, he would also prove to be one of the most courageous. Green was born in Virginia on June 8, 1814, but … Read more

John S. Ford “Rip” (1815-1897)

John S. “Rip” Ford was a mover and shaker in Texas for nearly fifty years. He not only participated in most of it’s military struggles, but served in the Congress of the Republic and Legislature of the State, and later, in the state Secession Convention. Unlike many of his less fortunate comrades, he lived to … Read more

James W. Fannin (1804-1836)

James Walker Fannin was born in early 1804 in Georgia. He was adopted by his maternal grandfather, James W. Walker, and raised on a plantation near Marion. In 1819, he entered the U. S. military academy at West Point under the name of James F. Walker, and remained for just over two years. Fannin came … Read more

Susana Dickinson (1814-1883)

It is sometimes said that life in the early days of Texas was an adventure for men and dogs, but hell on women and horses. Susana Dickinson, no doubt, would agree. She will always be remembered as the sole adult Anglo survivor that witnessed the massacre at the Battle of the Alamo. Susana was born in … Read more

David “Davy” Crockett – the Alamo Hero

Davy Crockett, born David Crockett on August 17, 1786, was an American politician, folk hero, frontiersman, and soldier. Known by most as the guy with the raccoon hat, Davy Crockett served in the Tennessee militia during the Creek War, as a congressman in the House of Representatives, and in the Texan army during the Battle … Read more

Francisco Vasquez de Coronado (1510-1554)

From the time of the earliest Spanish voyages to the New World, the soils of Texas have inspired a continuous flow of legends and searches for deposits of gold, silver and other treasures. Francisco Vasquez de Coronado was among the very first of this long line of fortune seekers in Texas. Coronado was born at … Read more