Daniel Roberts and Mary Anna (Garland) Thornton
Stephenville vicinity, Erath County, Texas
Marker Inscription
D. R. Thornton from Mississippi married Mary Anna, daughter of frontier fighter Peter Garland in Anderson County, Texas, in 1853. The Thorntons settled here in 1857 as cattleraisers, and helped make this frontier safe for less hardy citizens. Mrs. Thornton was midwife and doctor to fellow settlers. The couple reared eight children. Thornton, a Confederate soldier in the Civil War (1860s), served as county commissioner (1876-78), and gave land for local school (1882). Hannibal Cemetery stands on the donated land. (1976)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Daniel Roberts Thornton, from Mississippi, married Mary Anna Garland—daughter of a frontier fighter—and the couple settled in Erath County in 1857 to raise cattle on a still-dangerous frontier. Mary Anna served as midwife and doctor to her neighbors while the family reared eight children; Thornton later fought for the Confederacy, served as county commissioner, and donated land for a school and the Hannibal Cemetery. Their lives trace the arc from open range to settled community.
Why it matters
Pioneer families like the Thorntons carried the weight of frontier settlement—defense, medicine, schooling, and civic life—that turned raw Texas country into lasting towns.
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Related people
- · Daniel Roberts Thornton
- · Mary Anna Garland Thornton
- · Peter Garland
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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