Capt. Peter F. Tumlinson
Pleasanton, Atascosa County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Peter Tumlinson was 19 years old when his family moved to Texas in 1821. During an 1823 skirmish with Waco Indians, his father, John Jackson Tumlinson, became the first Texas Ranger to die in the line of duty. Peter followed his father into the Texas Rangers. During his forty years of service, Tumlinson clashed with Indian raiders and the infamous Mexican bandit Juan Cortina. He also fought in the Texas Revolution, and family tradition holds that he was present at Sam Houston’s meeting with Santa Anna following the Battle of San Jacinto. For his service, Tumlinson was granted land in Atascosa County, where he served as county commissioner and founded Pleasanton Masonic Lodge No. 283 A.F. & A.M. and served as charter treasurer.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Peter Tumlinson was nineteen when his family reached Texas in 1821, and he followed his father—John Jackson Tumlinson, remembered as the first Texas Ranger killed in the line of duty—into that frontier service. Over some forty years he clashed with Indian raiders and the border figure Juan Cortina, fought in the Texas Revolution, and by family tradition witnessed the aftermath of San Jacinto. Granted land in Atascosa County, he served as county commissioner and founded the local Masonic lodge.
Why it matters
Tumlinson's long career embodies the violent, formative decades when Anglo, Tejano, and Native peoples contested the Texas frontier.
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Related people
- · Peter F. Tumlinson
- · John Jackson Tumlinson
- · Juan Cortina
- · Sam Houston
Themes & tags
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