Joel Burditt Crain
McGregor, McLennan County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Serving as sergeant-major of Gen. Sam Houston's victorious army, accepted sword of Gen. Santa Anna's Chief of Staff, Almonte, in Texas War for Independence. Moved to Texas from Tennessee in 1834. Lived in San Augustine, Nacogdoches, Rusk,and McLennan couties. Received headright (a league and labor) plus 960 acres of land for military service. Married daughter of Gen. James Smith, for whom county was named. The Crains had 8 children.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Joel Burditt Crain came to Texas from Tennessee in 1834 and served as sergeant-major in Sam Houston's army during the war for independence. At the Battle of San Jacinto in 1836 he is said to have received the surrendered sword of Santa Anna's chief of staff, Colonel Almonte. For his service he earned a substantial land grant, and he married a daughter of General James Smith, namesake of Smith County.
Why it matters
Crain's story links the ordinary soldiers of San Jacinto to the land-grant system that rewarded them, seeding the settlement of frontier Texas.
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Related people
- · Joel Burditt Crain
- · Sam Houston
- · Juan Almonte
- · James Smith
Related events
- · Battle of San Jacinto
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
Harris Creek Cemetery
Waco, TX
In the 1850s the Haley, Crain, Caufield, and Jones families settled along Harris Creek in McLennan County, founding a community that took the stream's name. The burial ground began with the 1865 grave of young Hattie Timmons and grew on land the Jones family formally set aside in 1872, part of it reserved for a church and school. Among those resting here is Joel Crain, who received the surrounding land as a grant for his service at the 1836 Battle of San Jacinto.
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