DUANE
Duane's take
The way the marker tells it — and I'm stickin' close to every word — here's the story of William Tennant Austin. Born in Connecticut on January 30, 1809, William Tennant Austin came into a world that had no idea what was waiting for him down in Texas. He made that move in 1829, stepping into a land still writing its own rules, still deciding what it even wanted to be.
He didn't sit on the sidelines long. When the Texas Revolution came calling, Austin was in it. He took part in the Siege of Bexar in 1835 — one of those defining moments when the whole thing could've gone any number of ways.
And the company he kept during those years? Well, it wasn't small company. He served as aide to Stephen F.
Austin — the man history would call the Father of Texas, and no small footnote here, a distant relative of William's own. He also served under General Edward Burleson and General Sam Houston. Names that still echo across this state.
After the fighting, William Tennant Austin took on command at the Port of Velasco. Then in 1837, the people of Brazoria County elected him their county clerk. He went on to serve as collector of customs at Velasco — a man who'd fought for this republic now helping to order its commerce, its paperwork, its daily life.
Then, in 1854, he moved to Galveston. The city was a different world — port energy, cotton money, merchant ambition — and Austin stepped right into it as a commission merchant and cotton factor. Galveston was where the cotton met the sea, and William Tennant Austin was right there in the middle of it.
When the Civil War came, 1861 to 1865, Austin served as an officer under the Confederacy. A man who had already lived through one war, now living through another. He died on February 25, 1874.
Born in Connecticut, buried in Texas history — aide to the Father of Texas, soldier in two conflicts, merchant in Galveston's golden years. The marker's got his name. The road's got his story.
What the marker says
(January 30, 1809 - February 25, 1874) Born in Connecticut. Moved to Texas in 1829. Took part in Texas Revolution, participating in Siege of Bexar, 1835. Served as aide to Stephen F. Austin, "The Father of Texas" (a distant relative), Gens. Edward Burleson and Sam Houston. Commander at Port of Velasco. Was elected clerk of Brazoria County, 1837. Later collector of customs at Velasco. In 1854 moved to Galveston, becoming commission merchant, cotton factor. Officer under Confederacy, Civil War (1861-65). Recorded - 1971