Sinclair David Gervais
Matagorda, Matagorda County, Texas
Marker Inscription
A native of South Carolina, Sinclair David Gervais was a soldier in the War of 1812. He and his wife Katherine were the parents of four children. Following her death, Gervais and two of his daughters came to Texas in 1835. He was appointed the first alcalde of the municipality of Mina (Bastrop) by provisional governor Henry Smith. Gervais came to Matagorda in 1837 and was appointed the second chief justice of Matagorda County by President Sam Houston. (1989)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
A South Carolinian and a soldier of the War of 1812, Sinclair David Gervais came to Texas with two daughters in 1835, on the eve of the Texas Revolution. Provisional governor Henry Smith named him the first alcalde of the municipality of Mina, later Bastrop, and after moving to Matagorda in 1837 he was appointed the county's second chief justice by President Sam Houston. His career places him among the officeholders who built local government in the earliest days of the Texas Republic.
Why it matters
Gervais links the early American republic to the founding of Texas, helping establish the first civil institutions of a new nation in the making.
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Related people
- · Sinclair David Gervais
- · Henry Smith
- · Sam Houston
Themes & tags
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