HistoricSiteMarkers
Early Republic

Daniel Larrison

Midway, Madison County, Texas

Marker Inscription

(1784-1845) A fur trapper by trade, Daniel Larrison was an early Anglo Texas settler who received a Mexican land grant in 1833, which included the area later organized as Madison County. Born in Washington County, Pennsylvania, Larrison served under Zachary Taylor in the War of 1812. He married Sarah Emmaus Greenwood in 1815. In total, they would have twelve children. The couple settled in the area around 1828 near the junction of the La Bahia Trail and El Camino Real, which made a convenient stop for travelers. The Larrison family engaged in hunting, trapping, fishing, livestock raising and corn and cotton farming. Larrison Creek is named for the family. (2022)

Erected by Texas Historical Commission

The Story

A Pennsylvania-born fur trapper who had served under Zachary Taylor in the War of 1812, Daniel Larrison became one of the earliest Anglo settlers of what is now Madison County, receiving a Mexican land grant in 1833. He and his wife Sarah settled around 1828 near the junction of the La Bahia Trail and El Camino Real—a natural waystation for travelers—and raised twelve children while hunting, trapping, and farming corn and cotton. Larrison Creek still carries the family name.

Why it matters

Larrison's life bridges the fur-trade frontier and the Anglo settlement of Mexican Texas, illustrating how land grants drew American pioneers into the region a generation before statehood.

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Related people

  • · Daniel Larrison
  • · Sarah Emmaus Greenwood Larrison
  • · Zachary Taylor

Related events

  • · War of 1812

Themes & tags

Westward ExpansionWar of 1812Frontier HistoryLandmark

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