David Shelby
Shelby, Austin County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Came to Texas in 1822 with Austin's first colony. Born in Pennsylvania April 19, 1799. Died March 1, 1872. Erected by the State of Texas 1936
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
David Shelby, born in Pennsylvania in 1799, came to Texas in 1822 as part of Stephen F. Austin's first colony—the "Old Three Hundred" families who founded Anglo-American settlement in what was then Mexican Texas. His arrival at the very start of that colonization effort links him to the earliest wave of pioneers whose community later took his name. The State of Texas erected this marker in 1936 during the state's centennial commemorations.
Why it matters
Shelby was among the first American colonists in Texas, the leading edge of a migration that would reshape the Southwest and set Texas on the road to independence and statehood.
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Related people
- · David Shelby
- · Stephen F. Austin
Themes & tags
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