SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 121
WHEREAS, The Senate of the State of Texas is pleased to
join the Winlow Place Civic Club and the Harris County Historical
Commission in paying tribute to Obedience Smith, who is being
memorialized with a Texas Historical Marker that is being
dedicated September 10, 2011; and
WHEREAS, Obedience was born January 21, 1771; she was the
daughter of Elias Fort, a leading deacon of Particular Baptist
churches in North Carolina and later in Tennessee; she married
Major David Smith, a Revolutionary War patriot, Indian fighter,
and lumber mill owner in the Natchez and Cumberland Districts,
and they had 11 children, only four of whom survived her; and
WHEREAS, Obedience Smith was a pioneer of three American
frontiers, Kentucky, Mississippi, and Texas; after her husband
died, she followed her son, Colonel Benjamin Fort Smith, to
Texas, where he was serving as an adjutant to General Sam
Houston; she arrived just weeks before the signing of the Texas
Declaration of Independence in 1836; and
WHEREAS, She received a land grant from the Republic of
Texas in 1838 for thousands of acres in what is now the City of
Houston, and today the titles of many valuable downtown
properties still cite the Obedience Smith Survey; and
WHEREAS, She was a founder of the First Baptist Church of
Houston in 1841, and her family members and descendants included
numerous prominent citizens and elected officials who served as
the namesakes for several Houston streets and three Texas
counties; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 82nd
Legislature, 1st Called Session, hereby extend best wishes to the
Harris County Historical Commission and the Winlow Place Civic
Club for a memorable dedication of the historical marker honoring
Obedience Smith; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution be prepared to
commemorate this special occasion.
Ellis
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President of the Senate
I hereby certify that the
above Resolution was adopted by
the Senate on June 28, 2011.
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Secretary of the Senate
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Member, Texas Senate