TITLE: Commemorating the dedication of a historical marker in memory of Texas pioneer Obedience Fort Smith of Houston.

SUMMARY: Commemorating the dedication of a historical marker in memory of Texas pioneer Obedience Fort Smith of Houston.

FULL TEXT:
WHEREAS, The Winlow Place Civic Club and the Harris County Historical Commission are dedicating a historical marker at Sidney Lanier Middle School in Houston on September 10, 2011, in memory of Texas pioneer Obedience Fort Smith; and WHEREAS, Born in 1771, Mrs. Smith was the daughter of Sarah Suggs Fort and Elias Fort, a leading Particular Baptist deacon in North Carolina and later in Tennessee; she married David Smith in 1791, and the couple had 11 children, though only 4 survived their parents; the family lived in Kentucky and later in Mississippi, where David Smith passed away in 1835; and WHEREAS, Mrs. Smith subsequently followed her son, Benjamin Fort Smith, to Texas, where he was an adjutant to General Sam Houston; arriving just weeks before Texas declared its independence, she received a land grant two years later for thousands of acres of what is now the west side of Houston, and the titles of many properties in the city still cite the Obedience Smith survey; and WHEREAS, A founder of the First Baptist Church of Houston in 1841, Mrs. Smith was also the matriarch of a family that left its mark on Texas history in many ways; her family members and descendants include judges John W. N. A. Smith and T. B. J. Hadley, Mississippi governor and Texas state senator Hiram George Runnels, Civil War colonels Benjamin Franklin Terry and Thomas Saltus Lubbock, suffragist and Texas Women's Press Association founder Aurelia Mohl, first librarian of the Houston Lyceum Margaret Foster, and a founder of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Mabel Smith-Astin; Mrs. Smith passed away in 1847; and WHEREAS, The installation of this historical marker acknowledges the unique role that Obedience Smith played in the history of Texas and of its largest city, and it helps ensure that the story of this remarkable woman will be preserved for generations to come; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 82nd Texas Legislature, 1st Called Session, hereby commemorate the dedication of a historical marker in memory of Obedience Fort Smith and extend to all those taking part in the ceremony sincere best wishes for a meaningful and memorable event. S. Davis of Harris Speaker of the House I certify that H.R. No. 180 was adopted by the House on June 27, 2011, by a non-record vote. Chief Clerk of the House