Polley, Joseph Henry, 1795-1869

Early settler of Austin's Colony, Tex.; farmer, of Wilson County, Tex.

Wilson County, Texas landowner.

Rancher Joseph Henry Polley (1795-1869) was born in New York and served in U. S. military expeditions until settling in Texas in 1821. He married Mary Augusta Bailey in a civil ceremony in 1823, followed by a Protestant and Catholic union in 1826 and 1831. Although the couple owned various homes, one of their earliest homes, “Whitehall,” built in the Brazoria District, was one of the first public homes, and was often the site of meetings for revolutionary councils. In the early 1850s, they later built a second “Whitehall,” located along the Cibolo River. Polley was Austin colony’s first sheriff, he grew cotton, and more successfully, raised cattle, having some of the largest herds in Texas.

Source: McCaslin, Richard B. "Polley, Joseph Henry," Handbook of Texas Online. Accessed August 3, 2011. http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fpo11.

Rancher Joseph Henry Polley (1795-1869) was born in New York and served in U. S. military expeditions until settling in Texas in 1821. He married Mary Augusta Bailey in a civil ceremony in 1823, followed by a Protestant and Catholic union in 1826 and 1831. Although the couple owned various homes, one of their earliest homes, "Whitehall," built in the Brazoria District, was one of the first public homes, and was often the site of meetings for revolutionary councils. In the early 1850s, they later built a second "Whitehall," located along the Cibolo River. Polley was Austin colony's first sheriff, he grew cotton, and more successfully, raised cattle, having some of the largest herds in Texas.

Source: McCaslin, Richard B. "Polley, Joseph Henry," Handbook of Texas Online. Accessed August 3, 2011. http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fpo11.