William M. Rice
Azle, Tarrant County, Texas
Marker Inscription
William M. Rice first came to Texas in 1834 and settled in what is now Nacogdoches County, where he was involved in frontier defense and served as an Alcalde in the Mexican Government. He served in the Texas Revolution and was wounded in the Battle at San Jacinto. He and his wife, Mariah, later lived in Harris County, in Kansas, and in Dallas County, where he was a farmer and merchant. During the Civil War, he was active on the home front, making soldiers' hats and hauling supplies. About 1874, Rice moved to Tarrant County, where he lived until his death.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
William M. Rice reached Texas in 1834 and served as an alcalde under Mexican rule before joining the Texas Revolution, where he was wounded at the Battle of San Jacinto in 1836. Over a long life he farmed and traded across Texas and Kansas, and during the Civil War supported the home front by making soldiers' hats and hauling supplies. He spent his final years in Tarrant County, a living thread through Texas's founding and its wars.
Why it matters
Rice's life spans the transition from Mexican Texas through independence to the Civil War, tracing how a single frontier settler experienced each upheaval of the state's formative century.
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Related people
- · William M. Rice
Related events
- · Battle of San Jacinto
Themes & tags
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