William McFarland was born on May 8, 1774 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania and was the son of Thomas and Hannah (Stuart) McFarland. He married Ann Singer, daughter of Jacob and Elizabeth Singer with whom he had six children, one of whom was surveyor Thomas Stuart McFarland. In 1799, after becoming a surveyor, William moved to Ohio and began laying out towns, one of which is named after him. By 1817, having lived in Indiana, he moved his family to Louisiana where his wife died shortly thereafter. In 1830, he moved his family to Texas where he purchased a portion of the Guerrero grant. He participated in the Battle of Nacogdoches in 1832 and represented the Ayish Bayou District at the 1832 Convention in San Felipe. McFarland was also a part of the committee to select the site of the town San Augustine, where in 1836 he was appointed chief justice by President Sam Houston. In 1838, McFarland was a member of the Texas Boundary Commission where he was appointed to determine the line between the United States and the Republic of Texas. He died on August 16, 1840 at Belgrade.
The William McFarland Papers are comprised of three financial documents: two promissory notes and a receipt. The two San Augustine County, Texas, partially printed promissory notes are to William McFarland and are dated in 1837 and 1838, signed by W. D. Ratliff and A. Horton respectively. Also included is a receipt of Capt. Ratliff, commander of the company in San Augustine, for fifty dollars dated in 1842.
Arrangement is chronological.
None.
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Purchased for the museum by Ike Moore, June 1941.
Processed by Lisa M. Lomas, 2011.
[Identification of Item], William McFarland Papers, MC164, San Jacinto Museum of History, Houston, Texas.