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

Richard Coke (1829-1897)

Born March 13, 1829, in Virginia and educated at William and Mary College, Richard Coke was admitted to the bar in 1850 at the age of 21 years. That same year, he moved to Texas and became a resident of Waco. There, he earned a reputation as a capable lawyer in both civil and criminal … Read more

David G. Burnet (1788-1870)

Best remembered as the president of the ad interim government of the Republic of Texas, David Burnet first entered Texas about 1815. Except for a few brief periods outside the region, Texas remained his home until his death in 1870. Born April 14, 1788 in New Jersey, Burnet was raised by an older brother after the early … Read more

Edward Burleson (1798-1851)

Born in 1798 in North Carolina, Burleson’s family moved on several occasions during his youth. One of these moves was to Missouri in 1814, to Virginia in 1815, then to Tennessee in 1824. Burleson gained a reputation as a military leader at an early age, first in command of a company of militia in Howard … Read more

Guy M. Bryan (1821-1901)

Guy Bryan was only ten years old when he left Missouri and came to Texas with his family in 1831. He was in school in the settlement of Columbia when news of the fall of the Alamo came. Along with his mother and a few slaves, he quickly loaded up a wagon and headed eastward … Read more

John Henry Brown (1820-1895)

John Henry Brown was born in Missouri on October 20, 1820. There, as a teenager, he worked for a country newspaper before moving to Texas to live with an uncle. He would later apply this early journalistic experience during his long, eventful and quite mobile life in Texas. After taking part in several Indian campaigns … Read more

James Bowie (1796-1836)

Known for his famous “Bowie knife” and a sometimes reckless adventurer, Jim Bowie is now immortalized as one of the true folk heroes in early Texas. Bowie was born in Kentucky in 1796. While still very young, he moved with his family, first to Missouri, then in 1802 to Louisiana, where he spent most of … Read more