Charles Bellinger Stewart

Stewart married in the middle of a revolution. On March 11, 1836, with the convention at Washington-on-the-Brazos in session, he traveled to Lake Creek and wed Julia Shepperd, daughter of the man who would found Montgomery, then returned to sign the constitution on March 17. Montgomery also calls itself the birthplace of the Lone Star flag and credits Stewart with an 1839 design. The Texas State Library finds no record that he sat on the committee, and the drawing in his papers is hard to authenticate.

What the plaque says

Charles Bellinger Stewart First Secretary of State in Texas (1806-1885). Came to Texas 1830. Secretary of State, Nov. 1835-Feb. 1836. Signed Declaration of Independence; helped to write Constitution of the Republic in 1836 and the State in 1845; served Montgomery County as District Attorney and three terms as State Representative. Highest appointed official in Texas, keeper of the state seal, the Secretary of State is named by the Governor with advice and consent of the Senate. This office has attracted leaders. Stephen F. Austin, "Father of Texas," held the post in 1836. Secretary Ebenezer Allen in 1845 represented the Republic in annexation, reserving for Texas her public lands-- a prerogative allowed to no other state. The Secretary of State grants charters; attests the commissions and proclamations of the Governor; assists the Governor in extradition proceedings; registers appointments of the Governor to the many state boards; administers the uniform commercial code of Texas; appoints notaries; publishes the laws of Texas; administers election laws; issues ballots; canvasses returns; files reports of state agencies. Since Stewart, 83 other men and two women have served Texas as Secretary of State. (1966)

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Fanthorp Inn State Historic Site — 18 mi
  A cedar-log dogtrot cabin of 1834 on the road through Anderson that grew into a seventeen-room inn and post office for travelers of the Republic, kept by one family until 1976.
• Navasota — 23 mi
  A railroad and cotton town where the La Bahia Road crossed the Navasota River, scarred by an 1865 explosion and yellow fever, and the home ground of the songster Mance Lipscomb.
• Star of the Republic Museum — 28 mi
  A star-shaped museum of the Republic of Texas years, 1836 to 1846, built at Washington-on-the-Brazos after a Brenham campaign and opened on March 1, 1970.

More markers nearby

• Town of Montgomery — steps away
• Montgomery County, C. S. A. — steps away
• Lake Creek Settlement — steps away
• The Old Methodist Churchyard — steps away