DUANE
Duane's take
The official marker's the source here, and I'm just the one bringin' it to life — so here's the story of Elder B. Barton, straight from the record. Now, New York City in 1806 is about as far from the South Texas brush country as a man can get.
But somewhere along the way, Elder Barton pointed himself toward Texas, and Texas had a way of keeping the people who found it. The first time his name shows up in Texas is 1835. And it shows up with purpose.
Barton paid Sterling Clack Robertson — an Empresario — to receive one fourth league of land in Robertson's Colony. One fourth league. That's one thousand, one hundred and seven point one acres.
The man wasn't dabbling. He was planting roots. Then came March 13, 1836.
Barton joined the Republic of Texas' army. And he didn't just sign up and wait — he fought at the Battle of San Jacinto, under Captain Robert J. Calder.
You know what was happening in Texas in the spring of 1836. That battle wasn't a footnote. It was the whole story, and Elder Barton was in it.
After the fighting settled, Barton built a life in the truest sense of the word. He married Santitos Balli of Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico, and together they had sixteen children — including a son named Washington Barton. Sixteen.
Let that number sit a moment. Through his veteran land grants and his supplying business, Barton became a force in Hidalgo County's economy. The marker doesn't mince words — he heavily influenced it.
A man who arrived paying for acreage and ended up shaping a county's livelihood. On August 4th, 1884, Elder Barton passed away at his ranch. From a New York birth in 1806 to a ranch in Hidalgo County — he paid for land, he fought for a republic, he raised sixteen children, and he left a county changed behind him.
Some men pass through Texas. Elder Barton became part of it.
What the marker says
Born in New York City in 1806, Elder Barton was a formative figure in Hidalgo County history. Barton joined the Republic of Texas’ army on March 13, 1836, and fought at the Battle of San Jacinto under Capt. Robert J. Calder. He married Santitos Balli of Matamoros, Tamps., Mexico, and had 16 children, including Washington Barton. Through his veteran land grants and supplying business, Barton heavily influenced Hidalgo County’s economy. The first mention of Elder Barton in Texas is documented in 1835 when Barton paid Sterling Clack Robertson, an Empresario, to receive one fourth league (1,107.1 acres) of land in Robertson’s Colony. Elder Barton passed away on Aug. 4, 1884 at his ranch. (2013)