Veteran Bio

Mr. McGary's name was omitted from the official San Jacinto rolls as printed in 1836. He was issued Donation Certificate No. 125 for 640 acres of land October 13, 1848, for having participated in the Battle of San Jacinto. He received Bounty Certificate No. 2083 for 640 acres of land for having served in the army from April 16 to November 24, 1836. At San Jacinto he was a member of Captain William Kimbro's Company.

Mr. McGary died June 21, 1866, at Bolivar Point and was buried in old Magnolia Cemetery at Galveston. A headstone was erected at his grave but was washed away by the tropical storm in 1900 and his grave is now lost. Following is a copy of a petition signed by Mr. McGary at Huntsville, Texas, September 27, 1841. The original is among the Memorials and Petitions, Archives, Texas State Library: "To the honorable Congress of the Republic of Texas. Your petitioner approaches your honorable body with full confidence in the justness of his claim and also in your disposition to do justice, having purchased Lots from the Government of the City of Austin to the amount of $2540 dollars, and paid three payments thereon which will be seen by reference to the Books of the Secretary of Treasury, and will in May and August next be bound to pay 635 dollars or forfeit all previous payments, and be liable for 635 dollars and a forfeiture of the property, and having funded all my means and the last Congress having made no appropriation for paying interest on funded debt leaves me at your mercy. Your petitioner has been a citizen of Texas for 16 years, fought at San Jacinto and other places, and all the means acquired during that time together with his headright League of Land is in funded debt, and on the first day of September now past there was due me 1010 dollars, therefore I respectfully ask an offset. Your humble petitioner asks not for mercy but justice at your hands." ISAAC McGARY--No. 19 Sept. 27, 1841 (Memorials and Petitions) PETITION To the honorable (sic) Congress of the Republic of Texas, your petitioner approaches your honourable (sic) body with full confidence in the justness of his claims, and also in your disposition to do justice, having purchased Lots from the Government (sic) in the City of Austin to the amount of 2540 dollars, and paid three payments thereon which will be seen by Reference to the Books of the Secretary of Treasury, and will in May and August next be bound to pay 635 dollars as forfeit all previous payments, and be liable for 635 dollars and a forfeiture of the property, and having made no appropriation for paying Interest on funded debt leaves me at your mercy. Your petitioner has been a Citizen of Texas for 16 years fought at San Jacinto (sic) and other places, and all the means acquired during that time together with his headright League of Land is in funded debt, and on the first day of September now past there was due me 10.10 dollars therefore I respectfully ask an offset, your humble petitioner asks, not for mercy but justice at your hands. Most Respectfully Isaac McGary

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