Claiborne West
Vidor, Orange County, Texas
Marker Inscription
(1800-1866) Born in Franklin County, Tennessee, Claiborne West moved as a young man to Louisiana. He married Anna Garner in 1824 and they had nine children. His family immigrated to this area in 1825 and received a land grant in the Cow Bayou settlement. Soon West joined in the struggle for independence from Mexico. As one of the representatives from Liberty Municipality, he attended the 1832 Convention and the 1835 Consultation at San Felipe de Austin. West was responsible for the designation of Cow Bayou as Jefferson Municipality, the forerunner of Jefferson and later Orange County. He served as a representative from the municipality to the General Council and acted as local postmaster. At the General Convention at Washington-on-the-Brazos on March 2, 1836, West was one of 58 signers of the Texas Declaration of Independence. He helped draft the Republic of Texas Constitution. From July to October, 1836, West served in Franklin Hardin's Company of volunteers. He then served in the first Congress of the Republic of Texas. West moved from here to Montgomery County and later settled in Seguin. He was buried in the Riverside Cemetery at Seguin. (1979)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Born in Tennessee in 1800, Claiborne West brought his family to the Cow Bayou settlement in 1825 and soon threw himself into the struggle for independence from Mexico, attending the 1832 Convention and 1835 Consultation at San Felipe de Austin. On March 2, 1836, at Washington-on-the-Brazos, he was one of 58 signers of the Texas Declaration of Independence and helped draft the Republic's constitution. He served in the volunteers, sat in the first Congress of the Republic, and gave shape to what became Orange County before settling his final years in Seguin.
Why it matters
West stands among the founding statesmen who transformed a frontier colony into a self-governing republic, and his career links the earliest East Texas settlements to the birth of the nation of Texas.
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Related people
- · Claiborne West
- · Anna Garner
Related events
- · Texas Declaration of Independence
- · Convention of 1836
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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