James Hodges, Sr.
Gonzales, Gonzales County, Texas
Marker Inscription
James Hodges, Sr., came to Gonzales in April 1835. Soon after his arrival he purchased four leagues (17,721 acres) of land at the forks of the San Marcos and Guadalupe Rivers for $3,000 in silver. On September 26, 1835, in a election held under the auspices of the Gonzales Committee of Public Safety, Hodges was elected one of six delegates to the Consultation of 1835. Convened in San Felipe de Austin on November 3, delegates to the Consultation created a provisional government and organized an army under the command of Sam Houston. Returning to Gonzales after the Consultation, Hodges provided supplies for the Texas army in 1836. He and his family left the area during the runaway scrape, but later returned to Gonzales County. In 1838 Hodges served on the County's Board of Land Commissioners. Twice married, James Hodges was the father of eight children. He and his family continued to live on their land on the San Marcos and Guadalupe rivers. After his death on December 24, 1846, Hodges was buried on the family farm in a plot which became known as the Hodges Family Cemetery (about one mile southeast).
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
James Hodges, Sr. arrived at Gonzales in April 1835 and quickly bought four leagues of land at the forks of the San Marcos and Guadalupe Rivers, paying three thousand dollars in silver. That autumn the townspeople elected him a delegate to the Consultation of 1835, the convention that created a provisional government and placed Sam Houston over a new Texas army. He supplied the army in 1836, fled with his family during the Runaway Scrape, and later returned to serve on the county's land commission and raise his family on the rivers.
Why it matters
Hodges represents the settler-citizens who stepped from private life into the political and military work of founding an independent Texas.
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Related people
- · James Hodges, Sr.
- · Sam Houston
Related events
- · Consultation of 1835
- · Runaway Scrape
Themes & tags
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