|
|
|
R E S O L U T I O N
|
|
WHEREAS, Pioneering Texan Elder B. Barton fought bravely for |
|
freedom during the Texas Revolution and contributed to the growth |
|
of Hidalgo County; and |
|
WHEREAS, Born in New York City in 1806, Elder Barton joined |
|
the Texian Army on March 13, 1836, and served in Captain Robert |
|
J. Calder's Brazoria Company at the Battle of San Jacinto on April |
|
21, 1836; on this day, the Texian Army under General Sam Houston |
|
decisively defeated the Mexican troops commanded by General Antonio |
|
López de Santa Anna in an engagement that lasted just 18 minutes; |
|
and |
|
WHEREAS, In October of 1836, Mr. Barton was honorably |
|
discharged, and he moved to Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico, where he |
|
married Santitos Balli, with whom he had 16 children; the couple |
|
lived in several towns in the Rio Grande Valley, including |
|
Brownsville, Santa Rosa, and Los Indios, before settling in Nueces |
|
County, where Mr. Barton received 369 acres as compensation for his |
|
military service; and |
|
WHEREAS, Mr. Barton became an important figure in the |
|
economic development of Hidalgo County; he served as postmaster, |
|
worked in the steamboat industry, and utilized his military |
|
experience to help secure the United States border along the Rio |
|
Grande; he died on his ranch on August 4, 1884, and was buried in the |
|
courtyard of the Hidalgo County Courthouse, where his son |
|
Washington Barton served as county commissioner; and |
|
WHEREAS, After the courthouse burned down, Mr. Barton's |
|
remains were reinterred in the Hidalgo City Cemetery, and in 2016, |
|
the Texas Historical Commission placed a state historical marker |
|
there in his honor; and |
|
WHEREAS, Elder Barton fought courageously in the struggle for |
|
Texas independence, and the legacy he left behind will be |
|
remembered for years to come; now, therefore, be it |
|
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 86th Texas |
|
Legislature hereby pay tribute to the life and achievements of |
|
Elder B. Barton and commemorate his contributions to the history |
|
and heritage of Texas. |