James Hodges, Sr.

Hodges was nearly sixty when he came to Texas. Born in Pittsylvania County, Virginia, in 1775, he moved with his family to Tennessee in 1796 and founded the town of Portersville in Tipton County. By 1830 his household numbered five and he owned nine slaves. The four leagues he bought in August 1835 at the forks of the Guadalupe and San Marcos came from José María Salinas of San Antonio, and he and his children built their homes on the Salinas grant. He died there on December 24, 1846.

What the plaque says

James Hodges, Sr., came to Gonzales in April 1835. Soon after his arrival he purchased four leagues (17,721 acres) of land at the forks of the San Marcos and Guadalupe Rivers for $3,000 in silver. On September 26, 1835, in a election held under the auspices of the Gonzales Committee of Public Safety, Hodges was elected one of six delegates to the Consultation of 1835. Convened in San Felipe de Austin on November 3, delegates to the Consultation created a provisional government and organized an army under the command of Sam Houston. Returning to Gonzales after the Consultation, Hodges provided supplies for the Texas army in 1836. He and his family left the area during the runaway scrape, but later returned to Gonzales County. In 1838 Hodges served on the County's Board of Land Commissioners. Twice married, James Hodges was the father of eight children. He and his family continued to live on their land on the San Marcos and Guadalupe rivers. After his death on December 24, 1846, Hodges was buried on the family farm in a plot which became known as the Hodges Family Cemetery (about one mile southeast). (1990)

Where it stands

More markers nearby

• Augustus H. Jones — 3.1 mi
• Andrew Ponton — 3.2 mi
• Fort Waul — 3.2 mi
• Eli Mitchell — 3.3 mi