Hermon and Margaret L. Aiken
Salado, Bell County, Texas
Marker Inscription
New Hampshire native Hermon (Herman) Aiken worked in Illinois and Tennessee before moving to New Orleans. There, he served as a ship's captain taking supplies to Galveston in support the Texas Revolution. He lived in Texas by 1840. In 1846, with five children from his marriage to Mary Ann (Taylor), he wed German-born Margaret E. (Louchious) and in 1851 settled near Belton on Cedar Creek. The couple had seven children, and Herman worked as a surveyor. The family moved to Salado in 1859, and Herman served as trustee for the new Salado College. A community leader, he was active in the Cumberland Presbyterian Church and the Freemasons. (2006)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
New Hampshire–born Hermon Aiken worked his way south to New Orleans, where as a ship's captain he ferried supplies to Galveston in support of the Texas Revolution before settling in Texas by 1840. A surveyor by trade, he married twice, raised a dozen children, and in 1859 moved to Salado, where he served as a trustee of the new Salado College. Active in the Cumberland Presbyterian Church and the Freemasons, he became a leader in his adopted community.
Why it matters
His life links the maritime lifelines of the Texas Revolution to the town-building and frontier education that followed statehood.
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Related people
- · Hermon Aiken
- · Margaret L. Aiken
Related events
- · Texas Revolution
Themes & tags
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