George Washington Marion Duck
Pleasanton, Atascosa County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Between 1852 and 1854, George Washington Marion (G.W.M.) Duck (1828-1899), his wife, Evaline White Duck (1829-1891), and their children left Somerset, Kentucky, and settled southwest of San Antonio in an area eventually called Somerset. In 1854, Duck was sworn in as Bexar County Constable and then, after Atascosa County was formed from Bexar County in 1856, elected Atascosa County Tax Assessor-Collector in 1858. He held that position until 1873 when he was elected Sheriff for multiple terms. In the early 1890s, Duck lost his wife and daughters to smallpox and buried them on his Pleasanton property. Duck later donated that portion adjoining an existing cemetery that is now known as Pleasanton City Cemetery. As a dedicated public servant, G.W.M. Duck passed away on May 22, 1899, and is buried in Pleasanton City Cemetery.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Between 1852 and 1854, George Washington Marion Duck brought his family from Somerset, Kentucky, to the country southwest of San Antonio, in an area that would take the name Somerset. Sworn in as a Bexar County constable in 1854, he became Atascosa County's tax assessor-collector when the county was formed in 1856 and later served multiple terms as sheriff. After smallpox took his wife and daughters in the early 1890s, he buried them on his Pleasanton land and donated part of it to what became the Pleasanton City Cemetery, where he too was laid to rest in 1899.
Why it matters
Duck's long career embodies the pioneer public servants who built the machinery of local government as Texas counties took shape on the frontier.
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Related people
- · George Washington Marion Duck
- · Evaline White Duck
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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