The Writings of Sam Houston, Volume VIII

90

WRITINGS OF SAM HOUSTON, 1860

Mr. D. C. Burleson, a member of Captain Ed. Burleson's com- pany of Texas Rangers, has leave of absence from duty until further orders. Sam Houston. 1 Executive Records, 1859-1861, p. 184, Texas State Library. David Crockett Burleson, last surviving son of General Edward Burleson, was born in 1837. When he was nine years old his father moved to Hays County and established his home at the head of the San Marcos River. There the boy, David, was reared, and educated in the schools of San Marcos and at Baylor University. As early as 1855, he was serving on the ranger force under Captain James H. Callahan; and at the outbreak of the Civil War he helped to raise a company at Seguin for Confederate service. He was made second lieutenant of this company, and upon reorganization of it, was elected first lieutenant of Company B of the Thirty-second Texas Cavalry. He saw service throughout the war in Louisiana and Texas. Prior to the Civil War, in 1856, his brother, Captain Edward Burleson, and he were commissioned by several of the leading land owners of Hays County to go to Mexico and secure better title to lands in Hays County, that could not be abstracted because of confusion in early Mexican grants. The two Burleson brothers accompanied by four others went to Saltillo but were not able to make satisfactory terms concerning the land grants. Finding cattle in Mexico very cleap, they decided to spend the funds they had on hand in buying cattle to drive back to Texas. After they had started on their return trip with a fine herd of cattle~ they were captured by a Mexican mob, and were imprisoned at Hacienda Potosi for two weeks. Finally they were released and allowed to return to Texas, but without their cattle. In 1858-1859, David Burleson was sergeat-at-arms in the State Senate. In 1861, he married Louisa Ware, daughter of Colonel A. G. Ware, who had come to Texas in 1850, from Mississippi, and had settled at Manchaca. Colonel Ware was subsequently sheriff of Travis County. After he returned from the War, 1865, David Burleson moved to the mountains around San Marcos and established a horse ranch. Later he moved to Buda, and after his wife's death in 1894, he moved to Austin and established his home at 1402 San Jacinto Street. He was appointed a member of the Capitol police, a position he held until his death on May 17, 1911. He was buried beside his wife in Live Oak <;:cmetery at Buda. He was survived by four daugh- ters and one son, S. M. Burleson, of San Antonio. See San Antonio Express, May 18, 1911.

To CLEMENT R. JOHNSl Executive Department, Austin, June 28, 1860.

Hon. C. R. Johns, Comptroller. Sir: Your note of this morning is to hand. My reason for not signing the warrants was that some of them appeared large, and I wished to have them explained to me. The law makes it

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