Hunter, Robert Hancock, 1813-1902

Robert Hancock Hunter (1813-1902) was born in Circleville, Ohio, to Mary Martha (Harbert) and Dr. Johnson Calhoun Hunter. The Hunters moved to Texas in 1822, settling in Fort Bend County in 1829. Robert Hancock Hunter served during the Texas Revolution, participating in the Grass Fight and the siege of Bexar in both Captain James Franklin Perry’s volunteer company and Captain John Bird’s company. Upon receipt of the news that the Alamo had fallen, Hunter’s unit retreated, and though the unit saw battle in the San Jacinto campaign, Hunter stayed behind in Harrisburg to guard the baggage train. Following the battle, he served as a guard for General Antonio López de Santa Anna.

Upon the end of the Texas Revolution in 1836, Hunter returned to Fort Bend County where he farmed and raised stock. He married Samirah M. Beard in 1841, and they had seven children. With his wife’s father in 1845, Hunter established a farm and a saw and grist mill in Guadalupe County. He sold the mill in 1857 and moved to Victoria, where three years later he wrote his reminiscences of life in Texas and the Texas Revolution, based on his diary. His memoir, Narrative of Robert Hancock Hunter, 1813-1902, was published in 1936 to great success. In 1880 Hunter moved to Flatonia, Fayette County, where he was a member of the Texas Veterans Association and active in the Democratic party and the Methodist Church. He died in 1902.

Source: Handbook of Texas Online, s.v. Hunter, Robert Hancock, http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/HH/fhu38.html (accessed July 21, 2010).

From the guide to the Hunter, Robert Hancock Diary 71-068., 1813-1892, (Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin)

Robert Hancock Hunter (1813-1902) was born in Circleville, Ohio, to Mary Martha (Harbert) and Dr. Johnson Calhoun Hunter.

The Hunters moved to Texas in 1822, settling in Fort Bend County in 1829. Robert Hancock Hunter served during the Texas Revolution, participating in the Grass Fight and the siege of Bexar in both Captain James Franklin Perry's volunteer company and Captain John Bird's company. Upon receipt of the news that the Alamo had fallen, Hunter's unit retreated, and though the unit saw battle in the San Jacinto campaign, Hunter stayed behind in Harrisburg to guard the baggage train. Following the battle, he served as a guard for General Antonio López de Santa Anna.

Upon the end of the Texas Revolution in 1836, Hunter returned to Fort Bend County where he farmed and raised stock.

He married Samirah M. Beard in 1841, and they had seven children. With his wife's father in 1845, Hunter established a farm and a saw and grist mill in Guadalupe County. He sold the mill in 1857 and moved to Victoria, where three years later he wrote his reminiscences of life in Texas and the Texas Revolution, based on his diary. His memoir, Narrative of Robert Hancock Hunter, 1813-1902, was published in 1936 to great success. In 1880 Hunter moved to Flatonia, Fayette County, where he was a member of the Texas Veterans Association and active in the Democratic party and the Methodist Church. He died in 1902.

From the description of Hunter, Robert Hancock Diary, 1813-1892 (University of Texas Libraries). WorldCat record id: 777019906