HistoricSiteMarkers
Civil War

Miller, William Mathias

Ozona, Crockett County, Texas

Marker Inscription

Born in Maryland. Fought in Civil War as a Virginian in the Confederate Army, although he had brothers in the U.S. Army. He came to Texas soon after the war. Married Henrietta Norrid in Fredericksburg, August 23, 1870. Lived in Ozona in old age. Recorded - 1970

Erected by Texas Historical Commission

The Story

Born in Maryland, William Mathias Miller cast his lot with the Confederacy, fighting as a Virginian even as brothers of his served in the U.S. Army. Like many veterans of the divided South, he came to Texas soon after the war, marrying Henrietta Norrid at Fredericksburg in 1870 and eventually settling into old age at Ozona.

Why it matters

Miller's story of brother against brother, and of a Confederate veteran rebuilding his life on the Texas frontier, is a personal window into the divisions and migrations the Civil War left behind.

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Related people

  • · William Mathias Miller
  • · Henrietta Norrid

Themes & tags

Civil WarMemorial

Nearby & related markers

Henry Street Hudspeth

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Born in Mississippi and a captain of Arkansas cavalry for the Confederacy during the Civil War, Henry Street Hudspeth came to Texas in 1877 and settled in Crockett County by 1888, serving as county clerk. He and his wife Elizabeth raised five children, among them C.B. Hudspeth, who went on to serve in the United States Congress.

Smith, Samuel Theodore

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A Louisiana-born Confederate cavalry veteran, Samuel Theodore Smith came to Texas in 1872 and settled in Ozona in 1891, where he became a builder of the young town's institutions — its first school, first courthouse, and Baptist church among them. He married Alice Crimm in 1876 and raised three children. His hammer and saw quite literally framed the civic life of frontier Crockett County.

Casbeer, Joseph L.

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Joseph L. Casbeer, born in Lamar County, served the Confederacy in Company G of Col. R. T. P. Allen's Texas Infantry, mustering out at the war's end in 1865. He married Matilda Peacock in Lampasas County in 1871, raised two sons, and in 1898 moved west to Ozona in the ranching country of Crockett County. His grave marker records a life carried from the Civil War into the settlement of far West Texas.

Hurst, Pharis

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Pharis Hurst, born in Pennsylvania, served in the U.S. Army during the Civil War and was discharged after losing an arm in the siege of Vicksburg—one of the war's decisive campaigns. Like many veterans, he came to Texas afterward, making a living as farmer, teacher, and postmaster. He lived in Ozona from 1917 to 1927, his marker recording a life of service and quiet perseverance after a grievous wartime wound.