Capt. Milton Wesley Damron
Salado, Bell County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Milton Wesley Damron (1825-1887), an early settler and Salado public servant, was born in Tennessee and came to Texas as part of the Mercer Colony. He arrived in the 1840s and shortly afterwards married Sarah Pennington. When original settlement plans in the colony failed to materialize, he moved to the Milam District in what is now Bell County. Damron served as the county's first tax assessor and joined the Confederate Army. As a captain, he led a cavalry unit that served in the Indian Territory and Arkansas. He continued to be active in civic affairs after returning to Salado, working as a postmaster. He was also elected as a Legislator, although as a former Confederate he was unable to serve. (2006)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Tennessee-born Milton Wesley Damron came to Texas in the 1840s as part of the Mercer Colony, married Sarah Pennington, and settled in what became Bell County when the colony's original plans fell through. He served as the county's first tax assessor, then joined the Confederate Army, leading a cavalry unit in Indian Territory and Arkansas. Returning to Salado, he worked as postmaster and won election as a legislator, though as a former Confederate he was barred from taking his seat.
Why it matters
Damron's life mirrors the settlement, division, and Reconstruction-era disenfranchisement that shaped a generation of Texans who came as colonists and were reshaped by the Civil War.
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Related people
- · Milton Wesley Damron
- · Sarah Pennington
Themes & tags
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