Veteran Bio

On page 23 of the army rolls in the General Land Office, Mr. Pettus is listed as First Sergeant of Captain John York's Company before Bexar in December 1835. He was Second Sgt. in Captain Moseley Baker's San Felipe Company. He was issued Donation Certificate No. 398 for 640 acres for having participated in the battle. He was issued Bounty Certificate No. 2759 on September 4, 1838, for serving from February 29 to May 29, 1836. He received Bounty Certificate No. 2130 for 320 acres of land May 2, 1838 for his services in the army from October 2 to December 30, 1835.

Mr. Moses Austin Bryan stated that Mr. Pettus set fire to the town of San Felipe de Austin at the order of Captain Baker to prevent its capture by General Santa Anna.

On Page 59 of the Secret Journals of the Congress of the Republic of Texas, it is shown that on May 27, 1837 Mr. Pettus was appointed Second Lieutenant of a company of Mounted Gunmen for duty in Austin County in a regiment organized for the protection of the frontier.

The Marriage Records of Fayette County disclose that Mr. Pettus was married to Frances Malvina Murphree in Fayette County, January 23, 1844. Mrs. Pettus was born June 2, 1824 and died January 2, 1863. Mr. Pettus died April 17, 1863. The two are buried in marked graves in the Pettus family cemetery about one and a half miles west of Fentress in Guadalupe County.

Children of Mr. and Mrs. Pettus were:

(l) Rebecca Brooks m. Thomas Buck Stanfield, ISSUE: Thomas Edward, died; Frances Malvina, m. Edward Keck; Ephraim Cornelius, m. Elizabeth Bowen and lived in San Antonio; James Lewis; Mary Demetra Stanfield, lived in El Paso; Cornelia Ann (Katie), m. Edgar Keck and lived in Whitter, CA.; Susan; William Buck, m. Lola Faubion; Ola Maude, m. Daniel R. Stedham of El Paso; Sallie Jurith, m.1 William Floyd, m.2 E.A. Gibson, m.3 J.E. Humble of Vickery, Tx; Albert; Pettus, m. Nellie Thompson; Lizzie Earl, m. Herman Huffhines of Dallas; Ozella May, m. Edwin Dean of Whittier, CA.; Louise Stanfield.

(2) Fannie, m. J.W. Baker, ISSUE: Lizzie, m. Judge C.B. Graves; Ozella, m. Walter Kerney of Flora, Mississippi; Sam, lived in Hattiesburg, Miss.; White, lived in Mississippi City, Miss.

(3) Hamilton Ledbetter, m. Susan Emma Lay; ISSUE: Edward Pettus lived in San Antonio; Ivey Pettus, m. Frank Carpenter of San Antonio; Lay Pettus, of san Antonio;

(4) Mary Pettus, m. Randolph Graham, ISSUE: John Walter Graham, deceased; Fannie, m. John Greenwood of Los Angles, Ca.: Maggie Graham, m.1 C. Cook, m.2 Carl Sharp, of Los Angles, Ca.; Howard Paul Graham, deceased;

(5) Thomas Albert Pettus, m.1 Clara McCord, no issue; m.2 Belle Merritt, ISSUE: Bonner Pettus who married Ila Wilson and lived in Lowell, AZ., later Thomas Married Fannie Frazier, ISSUE: Edward Francis, m. Frances Thomas of Bell, CA.; Clara Bell Pettus, m. Joseph S. Bowen; Fannie May Pettus, m. Rex von Steimefiah of Tuscon, AZ.; Hamilton Eddy Pettus, m. Pauline Gladney lived in Huntington Park, CA; Hedley Pettus.

(6) David and

(7) Susan.

Mr. Pettus was living in Gonzales County, September 19, 1853 when he sold Donation Certificate No. 398 to F. Chenault. A.B. Homer was made guardian of Thomas A. Pettus and Mary Pettus, minor children of E. C. Pettus, deceased, in Guadalupe County, November 28, 1864.

Additional information on Edward C. Pettus

NOTE: He was ordered by Moseley Baker to burn San Felipe. Pg. 268 Vol. 2 Scarff's Com History of Texas.

He had a special grant of Land from the Mexican Government. This grant was made in February 1831 and perfected in May 1831, which means that he likely settled on this grant of land at that time. This deed is recorded in Guadalupe County as the land was located on the San Marcos River and on the east side of the river. Mr. Pettus is buried on this grant near the river bank.

The Deed Book in which this is recorded is "The Gonzales Transcript, page 149, which book contains original grants of Gonzales County that are now located in Guadalupe County.

Land of Edward C. Pettus divided on March 28, 1868 and recorded on page 50 of Book F of the Probate Records of Guadalupe County: It is divided into five lots by the commissioners appointed by the court. These commissioners were: Pendleton Rector, Robert Waller, D.A. Word, Leo Hardeman, N. Tuttle, M. Tuttle, to make the partition. No. 1--Rebecca Stanfield-drew Lot 2; No. 2--Fannie Baker-drew Lot 3; No. 3-Hamilton Pettus-drew Lot 4; No. 4-Mary Pettus-drew Lot 5; No. 5-Thomas A. Pettus-drew Lot 1. These being the heirs of the deceased Edward C. Pettus. The above are all children of Edward C. Pettus. Rebecca married T.B. Stanfield date unknown (about 1865) and Fannie married J.M. Baker some time between August 26, 1867 and March 28, 1868 as on August 26, 1867 she made application for expenses from her father's estate and was granted $417.00, Book E page 339 of Probate Records. T.L. Stanfield is(adm) appointed guardian of Hamilton L. Pettus, Mar. 25, 1867. T.B. Stanfield is appointed guardian of Thomas A. Pettus Mar. 21, 1867. Page 544 and 545 of Book E. Probate Records. Thomas A. is five years old and is Number 526. Hamilton L. is thirteen years and is Number 527, Mary J. is nine. Probate Records Book E, page 358, November 13, 1865 T.L. Stanfield makes bond for forty thousand dollars to administer the estate of Edward C. Pettus with the following men as surities: George Francis, D.A. Barbee, G. Houchin, J.D. Staple, D.A. Word, T.B. Stanfield, W.A. Burns, Jefferson Moore, W.H. Smithersand, and Robert Waller. The estate was closed Nov. 26, 1881. There are more than eighty entries in Books C, D, E, and F, of the Probate Records of Guadalupe County. Book C page 318, Nov. 28, 1864, Will T. Murphree, David Murphree, J.A. Winbish and A. Neill appointed as Administrators with a bond of sixty thousand dollars.

Book C, page 323, The Court appoints Pendleton Rector, Ben W. Humphreys and Robert Waller to appraise the estate, Nov. 28, 1864. Estate as appraised and filed on Jan. 6, 1865: 3460 acres of land in Guadalupe County on the San Marcos River (all that is left of his League) $6920.00; 1476 acres of land four miles from Lockhart Caldwell Co. (Headright of De'cd) $438.00; 320 acres of Bounty Land on Peach Creek on line of Gonzales and Caldwell; 1107 Acres of land part of the Freeman Pettus tract in Colorado Co-(The value of these last two unknown to the appraisers);400 head of cattle, household goods, piano, Book of the Mormons, a West India Trollope, A Panorama, A Sam Slick, A Book Doctor, two camvaceres, stock, ten negroes, farm implements total value of- $16,921.50; Species on hand at his death- $394.65; Confederate Paper- $804.75, Notes of Wm. Trainer, J. A. Glenn, Leo Hardeman, W. Berry, Jas. Pugh, John Kirk, Arthur Swift, John H. McNutt, William H. Ledbetter, H.B. King, P.H. Prather, B.B. Appling, J.G Barbee, T.L. Stanfield, Thomas Maney, Thomas Hardeman, Thomas H. Duggan, and Ed Duggan- $7,804.67 In Guadalupe County the estate totaled finally $34,822.67 without the Confederate money of $804.75.

Probate Book D page 25, July 23, 1875, T.B. Stanfield former guardian files for more complete account of Estate of Mary J. Pettus. Book D, page 46 case 527 T.B. Stanfield files account as guardian of Hamilton L. Pettus. Book D page 46, case 526 J.M. Baker amends his account and files it of guardianship of Thomas A. Pettus March 18, 1876. Book D, page 46, case 525, J.M. Baker amends his account of guardianship of Mary J. Pettus. Book D, case 526, May 23, 1877, A.P. Bonner is ordered to file account of estate of Thomas A. Pettus. Book D, page 140, November 26, A.D. 1881, There being no objection it is ordered by the court that said Bonner be and is here by discharged as guardian for Thomas A. Pettus. Marriage Records of Guadalupe County: Hamilton L. Pettus to Susan E. Lay - Book C page 64; Mary J. Pettus to J.R. Graham - Book C page 149.

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