William F. Fitzhugh was born in Kentucky in 1818, son of John and Sarah (Shelton) Fitzhugh. After living in Missouri and Florida, he and his parents moved to Texas in 1845 and settled south of present Melissa, Texas. He served in the First Regiment, Texas Mounted Volunteers under the command of Colonel John (Jack) Coffee Hays during the Mexican War. After the war, he returned to Collin County and farmed; he also served in the Texas Rangers. In March 1862 he entered Confederate services as first colonel of the Sixteenth Texas Cavalry. He died on October 23, 1883 when he was thrown from a wagon. He had seven children.
Biographical Note taken from information published in
Papers contain Fitzhugh, Skelton, and Shelton family documents. The bulk of the collection is comprised of letters sent to William Fitzhugh and property deeds.
Unrestricted access.
William Fitzhguh Papers, 1847-1923, Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin.