Signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence. William Crawford was born in Fayetteville, North Carolina on September 13, 1804. His family later moved to Georgia, where both his parents died in 1821 when William was only seventeen. He took on work for a tailor from 1821 until 1830 when he was ordained a Methodist minister and assigned to Alabama. He married Rhoda Watkins in 1834 and the next year he and his wife settled near Shelbyville, Texas where they eventually raised nine children. In 1836 William Crawford was one of two delegates representing Shelby County to attend the Convention of 1836 to discuss the coming secession and war with Mexico; it was there that he signed the Texas Declaration of Independence. He returned home to carry on his work until 1859, when the family moved to Camp County, Texas, becoming the postmaster from 1874 until 1881 when his wife passed away. William Crawford died while visiting his son on September 3, 1895. He was the last surviving signer; by a strange coincidence he was related to Charles Carroll, who had been the last surviving signer of the United States Declaration of Independence. He was buried in Cow Creek Cemetery near Dublin until 1936, when he was reinterred in the Texas State Cemetery in Austin in recognition of his contributions to the Republic of Texas.
Signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence. William Crawford was born in Fayetteville, North Carolina on September 13, 1804. His family later moved to Georgia, where both his parents died in 1821 when William was only seventeen. He took on work for a tailor from 1821 until 1830 when he was ordained a Methodist minister and assigned to Alabama. He married Rhoda Watkins in 1834 and the next year he and his wife settled near Shelbyville, Texas where they eventually raised nine children. In 1836 William Crawford was one of two delegates representing Shelby County to attend the Convention of 1836 to discuss the coming secession and war with Mexico; it was there that he signed the Texas Declaration of Independence. He returned home to carry on his work until 1859, when the family moved to Camp County, Texas, becoming the postmaster from 1874 until 1881 when his wife passed away. William Crawford died while visiting his son on September 3, 1895. He was the last surviving signer; by a strange coincidence he was related to Charles Carroll, who had been the last surviving signer of the United States Declaration of Independence. He was buried in Cow Creek Cemetery near Dublin until 1936, when he was reinterred in the Texas State Cemetery in Austin in recognition of his contributions to the Republic of Texas.
Family Members
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