Veteran Bio

Mr. Mercer and his family moved to Amite County, Mississippi, and located on Pearl River. There on September 28, 1828, his daughter Penelope was married to Gail Borden, Jr., who in later years invented a process for condensing milk (Mrs. Borden died in Galveston September 5, 1844). Mr. Borden had moved to Mississippi from Indiana in 1825.

In the year 1829 Mr. Mercer and family and Gail Borden, Jr. and wife came to Texas and settled in Egypt in the present county of Wharton, where Gail Borden Sr. and some of his sons had located a few years before. Mr. Mercer received title to a league of land in Austin's Third Colony, December 13, 1830, situated in the present county of Jackson. On March 15, 1838, he received a Headright Certificate No. 112 for a labor of land from the Colorado County Board of Land Commissioners, Egypt at that time being in Colorado County. In the Certificate it is simply stated that he arrived in Texas before May 2, 1835.

Mr. Mercer was one of the delegates to the First Convention of Texas which convened at San Felipe de Austin October 1, 1832, from the district of Mina (not to be confused with the Mina-Bastrop-Municipality later created). He was also a delegate to the Second Convention of Texas held in San Felipe in 1833. At San Jacinto he was Orderly Sergeant in Captain William J.E. Heard's Company of "Citizen Soldiers" and on November 20, 1838 he was issued Donation Certificate No. 613 for 640 acres of land for having participated in the battle and Bounty Certificate No. 4432 for 320 acres of land for having served in the army from February 29, to May 30, 1836.

Mr. Mercer was one of the charter trustees of Baylor University, Independence, incorporated February 1, 1845.

Mrs. Mercer, born December 22, 1796, died at Egypt, Texas, January 8, 1855. Mrs. Mercer, according to probate records of Colorado County, Book D, page 160, died at Egypt, December 7, 1872.

MERCER, ELI--After the death of his wife, Anna Thompson Mercer, Mr. Mercer married Sarah S. Menefee, daughter of William Menefee at the time of this writing we do not know when or where Sarah died.

Mrs. J.L. Mims, of Fort Worth wrote to the compiler as follows; March 17, 1938: At Webberville we had a talk with Mr. Lee Manor,(since deceased) and he told us about the old Manor and Woods Cemetery on top of the hill above where the Blake Manor store and old home is. He said: "old Father Mercer is buried up to there and I am the only one who knows where his grave is. I guess it is on our lot and my father showed it to me. We found at the foot of the grave where Mrs. Taulman is standing in the Kodak picture I am sending you, 'E.M." on a piece of slab. Beside the grave is one under a tree with nothing readable on the bits of stones that must be the marking of his wife's grave.

Close