The Quarterly of the Texas State Historical Association, Volume 5, July 1901 - April, 1902 Page: 347

Daughters of the Republic of TeLxas. 347
GENEALOGICAL AND HISTORICAL REGISTER OF THE
FIRST GENERAL OFFICERS OF THE DAUGHTERS
OF THE REPUBLIC OF TEXAS ELECTED IN 1891.
Records of the services of Anson Jones, Andrew Briscoe, Wm.
Houston Jack, Sidney Sherman, Orlando and James Phelps, and
John R. Penn, whose wives and daughters were the first general
officers of the Daughters of the Republic of Texas. These records
,are free copies of applications for membership which are filed with
the Secretary of the General Society.
Mrs. Mary Smith Jones, President, 1818 Prairie Ave., Houston,
Texas, wife of Anson Jones, last President of the Republic of Texas.
Descendant, namely, daughter of John McCutchen Smith and
Sallie Pevahouse.
Doctor Anson Jones was born in the town of Great Barrington,
Massachusetts, on the 20th day of January, 1798. He lived in Bra-
zoria County, Texas. He commenced his services for Texas by
bringing about the first public meeting held to advocate the declara-
tion of Texas independence from Mexico, and presented resolutions
calling for a convention which met at Washington on the Brazos
soon after. Other such calls had been made in the meantime. This
call was to meet in Columbia, and the meeting was held there De-
cember 25, 1835. Texas was then in a state of war. Dr. Jones then
joined the army, first as a private soldier in Captain Calder's com-
pany 2nd Texas regiment, infantry; he was soon after appointed
surgeon and served in this capacity at the battle of San Jacinto,
April, 21, 1836. In the summer of 1837 he was elected to Congress
from Brazoria county; in July, 1838, was appointed minister to the
United States; was absent from Texas eleven months, and upon his
return June 29, 1839, found that he had been elected senator from
Brazoria county for two years to fill out the unexpired term of the
Hon. Winm. H. Wharton, just deceased. While senator he was elected
acting President of the Senate in the absence of the Vice-Presi-
dent of the Republic. In 1841 he was appointed Secretary of State,
during Gen. Sam Houston's second administration, and served thus
for three years, when in 1844 he was elected President of the Re-
public of Texas. His inauguration took place on the 9th of Decem-
ber, 1844, in the town of Washington on the Brazos.