Samuel Augustus Maverick (1803-1870) was born in Pendleton, South Carolina, and spent most of his early years there. After obtaining a degree from Yale University, he worked with his father and studied law, opening a law office in Pendleton in 1829.
The availability of land led Maverick to Texas in 1835, where he soon became involved in the events of the Texas Revolution. Participating in the siege and battle of Bexar in 1835 December, he then remained with the garrison in the Alamo. Maverick left the besieged fort in 1836 March to attend the convention at Washington-on-the-Brazos, where he signed the just-adopted Declaration of Independence. Traveling to Alabama after the convention, he married Mary Ann Adams (1818-1898) in 1836 August. Maverick returned to Texas with his family in 1838 and settled in San Antonio, establishing himself as a businessman involved in real estate and ranching. He was active in public life, serving as mayor of San Antonio, a representative in the Congress of the Republic of Texas and the state legislature, and chief justice of Bexar County. One of several prominent citizens taken prisoner by the Mexican Army following its incursion under General Adrian Woll in 1842, Maverick was marched to Perote Prison near Mexico City, where he was held until 1843 March.
Following his release, the Maverick family lived for a few years on Matagorda Bay before returning to San Antonio. Maverick continually added to his land holdings over his lifetime, eventually amassing over 300,000 acres, primarily in West Texas. Though an anti-secessionist, he supported the Confederate government during the Civil War.
Samuel Augustus and Mary Ann Adams Maverick were the parents of ten children: Samuel (1837-1936), Lewis Antonio (1839-1866), Agatha (1841-1848), Augusta (1843-1849), George Madison (1845-1913), William Harvey (1847-1923), John Hays (1850-1850), Mary Brown (1851-1891), Albert (1854-1947), and Elizabeth (1857-1859).
Marks, Paula Mitchell. "Mary Ann Adams Maverick."
Marks, Paula Mitchell. "Samuel Augustus Maverick."
Marks, Paula Mitchell.
In this letter to Capt. William Edgar of the Alamo City Guards, 1861 February 16, Samuel Maverick orders the seizure of a safe. This event occurred in connection with the surrender of Federal troops to secessionist forces in San Antonio, Texas.
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Papers of Jane Lewis Maury Maverick, ca. 1887, 1927-1944, Accession #1946, Special Collections, University of Virginia Library, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia.
Samuel Augustus Maverick Letter, 1861, Doc 1221, Daughters of the Republic of Texas Library, San Antonio, Texas.
Purchased from Frontier America, 1983 November.
Processed by Warren Stricker.
Finding aid edited and encoded by Tom D'Amore, 2011 August.