Elder B. Barton
Hidalgo, Hidalgo County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Born in New York City in 1806, Elder Barton was a formative figure in Hidalgo County history. Barton joined the Republic of Texas’ army on March 13, 1836, and fought at the Battle of San Jacinto under Capt. Robert J. Calder. He married Santitos Balli of Matamoros, Tamps., Mexico, and had 16 children, including Washington Barton. Through his veteran land grants and supplying business, Barton heavily influenced Hidalgo County’s economy. The first mention of Elder Barton in Texas is documented in 1835 when Barton paid Sterling Clack Robertson, an Empresario, to receive one fourth league (1,107.1 acres) of land in Robertson’s Colony. Elder Barton passed away on Aug. 4, 1884 at his ranch. (2013)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Born in New York City in 1806, Elder B. Barton threw in his lot with the Texas cause and fought at the Battle of San Jacinto in 1836, the decisive clash that secured the Republic of Texas's independence. Settling along the lower Rio Grande, he married Santitos Balli of Matamoros, raised sixteen children, and parlayed his veteran land grants and a supply business into a lasting mark on Hidalgo County's frontier economy. He died on his ranch in 1884, a bridge between the Anglo republic and the older Mexican society of the borderlands.
Why it matters
Barton's life embodies how San Jacinto veterans and their land grants seeded Anglo settlement across a Texas frontier that was also, in the Rio Grande valley, a deeply Mexican world.
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Related people
- · Elder B. Barton
- · Santitos Balli
Related events
- · Battle of San Jacinto
Themes & tags
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