History of Texas, Together with a Biographical History of Milam, Williamson, Bastrop, Travis, Lee and Burleson Counties. Page: 684

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although he was one of the last to start. HIis
wtfe and two children rode the horse, and
all arrived in safety at the Sabine river, where
they remained until after the battle of San
Jacinto. On leaving home they hid all their
household effects possible in cliffs of rocks
along the Colorado river. Mr. Burleson returned
to his home late in the summer, and
planted a crop of corn, which proved a
success, and was a great blessing to the community.
Although not in the regular State
service, Mr. Burleson was a member of a
company of minute men, and took pait in
limany skirmishes with the Indians and Mexicans.
In 1846 he moved to Buckner's creek,
where lie was engaged in farming and stock
raising until 1860, and in that year moved
to Burnet county. His death occurred there
in 1892, at the age of eighty-four years.
Murray Burleson, the subject of this
sketch, received his education in the country
schools of Bastrop county, and also attended
one session at the college in Bastrop. When
about seventeen years of age he engaged in
the stock business in this county, which he
followed exclusively for five years. In 1868
he went to New Mexico as a hired hand, in
1870 drove a herd of stock to Kansas, in the
following year made a second trip to that
State, and in 1872 closed hi's stock interests
and engaged in the mercantile business at
old Smithville, in company with his brotherin-law,
Dr. Taylor. Three years later Dr.
Taylor sold his interest to Mr. Smith, and
for the following three or four years the firm
of Burleson & Smith had an extensive trade.
In 1876 our subject bought most of the land
on which Smithville is now located, and has
since purchased considerable more real estate
in and around the village. Mr. Burleson
donated land to the M. K. & T. railroad
Company, for the purpose of locating a depot

at this place, and is secretary and treasurer
of the Smithville Town Company, which controls
300 acres of fine land, the entire tract
being surveyed and laid off in town lots.
The business lots are 27 x 125 feet, and the
residence lots 67j x 125 feet. The land
is situated in one of the most beautiful and
picturesque valleys on the Colorado river.
Mr. Burleson owns individually about 2,500
acres, located principally on the Colorado
river, about 700 acres of which is under a
fine state of cultivation. He also owns considerable
city property.
In 1876 our subject was married to Susan
E. Fawcett, born in this county February
22, 1854. They have had six children,Marian
W., deceased; Florence D., deceased;
Susan J., Allie R., Sarah E. and Murray F.
Mrs. Burleson is a member of the Missionary
Baptist Church. In political matters, Mr.
Burleson is a Democrat, and in 1882 was
elected to the position of County Tax Col- -
lector, in which he served two terms. Socially,
he is a member of the A. F. & A. M.,
No. 421.
ZINA P. EAGLESTON, one of the
leading business men of Smithville,
was born in Wilmington, North Carolina,
in 1833, a son of S. V. and Julia A. (Mosley)
Eagleston, natives respectively of Troy,
New York, and North Carolina. The father
moved from the latter State to Texas, via
New Orleans and Galveston, and from Galveston
came by team to Bastrop county, locating
in the town of Bastrop, which at that
time contained only a few houses. - Mr.
Eagleston was a carpenter by occupation, and
many of the houses erected by him are still
standing. The lumber for these houses was
whip-sawed. He erected the first public

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HISTOR Y FTXS