Martin Varner
Mineola, Wood County, Texas
Marker Inscription
(March 4, 1787 - Feb. 14, 1844) Came to Texas before 1820, and, in partnership with Henry Jones, operated a trading post in the Red River settlement of Jonesboro. He was a member of the "Old Three Hundred" who settled Stephen F. Austin's first colony. Varner first homesteaded near present Independence in 1822, then moved near Columbia in 1824, where he built the Varner Plantation. He fought in the Battles of Velasco (June 26, 1832) and San Jacinto (April 21, 1836). In 1841, Varner migrated to Wood County, where he was mortally wounded in an altercation over a debt. He is buried 100 yards east. (1975)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Martin Varner reached Texas before 1820 and became one of the "Old Three Hundred" families who settled Stephen F. Austin's first colony, building a plantation near Columbia. He took up arms in the pivotal clashes of the Texas independence struggle, fighting at Velasco in 1832 and at San Jacinto in 1836. Varner moved to Wood County late in life and died in 1844 of wounds from a quarrel over a debt.
Why it matters
Varner's life traces the arc of Anglo-American colonization and the winning of Texas independence, told through one of Austin's earliest colonists.
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Related people
- · Martin Varner
- · Stephen F. Austin
- · Henry Jones
Related events
- · Battle of Velasco
- · Battle of San Jacinto
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
Martin Varner
Mineola, TX
This state marker honors Martin Varner as a volunteer soldier who fought for Texas independence at the Battle of San Jacinto in 1836. That short, decisive engagement secured the young republic's break from Mexico. Erected by the State of Texas in 1962, the marker stands near Varner's Wood County resting place.
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