William Daniel Durham
Houston, Harris County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Born in England in 1814. Participated in the capture of bexar, December 5th to 10th, 1835. Served in Captain william J. E. Heard's company at San Jacinto and was second lieutenant in the Milam Guards when he died at Houston, August 26, 1838.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Born in England in 1814, William Daniel Durham threw himself into the Texas Revolution, joining the storming of Bexar in December 1835 and then fighting at San Jacinto in Captain William J. E. Heard's company. He rose to second lieutenant in the Milam Guards, a Houston militia unit, before his early death in 1838, just two years after independence.
Why it matters
Durham was one of the many foreign-born volunteers whose service in a handful of decisive weeks in 1835–36 won Texas its independence and set the stage for its annexation to the United States.
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Related people
- · William Daniel Durham
- · William J. E. Heard
Related events
- · Siege of Bexar
- · Battle of San Jacinto
Themes & tags
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