Part of an old map of the San Jacinto area from the Texas Revolution

Veteran Bio

Texian Location:  Participant

The Kemp Sketch

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MOSS, MATHEW (MARK) -- Born February 15, 1802 in Tennessee, Mathew Moss, Sr., father of the subject of this section, was married twice. He was first married to a Miss Hogan and of this union there were four children; Mathew, called "Mark" to distinguish him from his father; Hogan, and two daughters, who after their marriages were Mrs. Caldwell and Mrs. J. C. Ragsdale. After the death of his wife Mr. Moss was married to a Miss Caldwell who bore him the following children: William, George, Thomas and three daughters who after their marriages became Mrs. Armstrong, Mrs. Linden, and Mrs. Rogers. Mathew Ross, Sr. was raised in Tennessee but was living in Arkansas Territory in 1829. He eventually came to Texas and died in Milam County.

On page 67, Book A, containing list of applicants for land in Austin's colonies it is shown that when Mr. Moss applied for land, which he did not receive, he stated that he came to Texas from Arkansas in 1829.

Mr. Moss was a member of Captain William Ware's Company at San Jacinto, indicating, but not proving, that he was living in the vicinity of the present county of Montgomery when he enlisted in the army, since it was in that vicinity that most of the men of Captain Ware's Company lived. Among the Comptroller's Military Service Records in the archives of the Texas State Library, Austin is the discharge issued to Mr. Moss at Camp Guadalupe, June 6, 1836 by Job S. Collard, First Lieutenant of Captain Ware's Company. In the discharge it is stated that Mr. Moss had enlisted March 6, 1836. He was issued Donation Certificate No. 689 for 640 acres of land, March 29, 1855 for having participated in the Battle of San Jacinto. He was entitled to receive 320 acres of bounty land for having served for three months in the army but the General Land Office records do not show that he applied for it.

Mr. Moss was single while in the army as indicated by the fact that he had received one-third of a league of land as a Headright. He married before March 1, 1838 for on that date he received a Headright certificate for two-thirds of a league and one labor of land from the Board of Land Commissioners of Bastrop County, giving him a total of a league and labor of land, the amount a married man was entitled to receive. In the certificate it is stated that he came to Texas in 1830.

Mr. Moss was married to Mary Boyce in what is now Travis County, but then a part of Bastrop County, in 1838. Miss Boyce was a daughter of Aaron and Elizabeth Boyce shortly after their marriage Mr. And Mrs. Moss moved to Fayette County. From there they moved to Williamson County. In 1857 they moved to Llano County where they lived for the remainder of their lives. Mrs. Moss was born in Missouri August 16, 1823 and died October 29, 1866. Mr. Moss died August 1, 1875, while a member of the Texas Veterans Association. The two are buried in marked graves in the old Moss Cemetery about sixteen miles from Llano, Llano County.

Children of Mr. And Mrs. Moss were Julia Ann, who married Damon Slator, and after his death, K.P. Marshall; (2) James Ragsdale, who married Delia Johnson; (3) Charles Tate, who married Sallie Byfield; (4) Stephen Bouce, who married Laura Ratliff; (5) William Burton, who married Charlotte Bailey; (6) Mathew, (7) John Roberts, who married Sarah Cowley; (8) Elizabeth, who married Rev. James Moore; and (9) Aaron Firmon Moss, who married Etta Passmore.

Written by Louis W. Kemp, between 1930 and 1952. Please note that typographical and factual errors have not been corrected from the original sketches. The biographies have been scanned from the original typescripts, a process that sometimes allows for mistakes in the new text. Researchers should verify the accuracy of the texts' contents through other sources before quoting in publications. Additional information on the veteran may be available in the Herzstein Library.


Battle Statistics

  • Died in Battle: No
  • Rank: Private
  • Company: Capt. William Ware

Personal Statistics

  • Alternate Names: Matthew Mark
  • Date of Birth: 1802 Feb 15
  • Birthplace: Tennessee
  • Origin: Arkansas
  • Came to Texas: 1829
  • Date of Death: 1875 Aug 1
  • Burial Place: Moss Cemetery, Llano County, Texas
  • Comments: Called Mark to distinguash him from his father of the same name
  • Donation Certificate: 689
  • Wife: Mary Boyce
  • Children: Julia Ann Moss Slater Marshall; James Ragsdale Moss; Charles Tate Moss, Stephen Bouce Moss, William Burton Moss, Mathew Moss, John Roberts Moss, Elizabeth Moss Moore, Aaron Firmon Moss