Richard Meredith Hart (1811–1864) was an early

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

settler A settler or a colonist is a person who establishes or joins a permanent presence that is separate to existing communities. The entity that a settler establishes is a Human settlement, settlement. A settler is called a pioneer if they are among ...

soldier A soldier is a person who is a member of an army. A soldier can be a Conscription, conscripted or volunteer Enlisted rank, enlisted person, a non-commissioned officer, a warrant officer, or an Officer (armed forces), officer. Etymology The wo ...

and cowman who served as a Texas Ranger and in the

Texas militia The Texas Militia are the militia forces of the State of Texas. It currently consists of the Texas Army National Guard, Texas Air National Guard, and Texas State Guard. It is administered by the Texas Military Department under command of the Texa ...

Early life

Richard was born in

Hardin County, Kentucky Hardin County is a county located in the central part of the U.S. state of Kentucky. Its county seat is Elizabethtown. The county was formed in 1792. Hardin County is part of the Elizabethtown-Fort Knox, KY Metropolitan Statistical Area, as ...

in 1811 to Josiah Hart. His brother John Hart would serve as a commander in the Texas Militia with Richard serving under him. He relocated to

in c1833, making a stop in

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the West South Central region of the Southern United States. It borders Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, Texas to the southwest, and Oklahoma ...

where he married Mary Riley in 1831. In total the couple had 6 children. The family lived in

Red River County, Texas Red River County is a county in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 11,587. Its county seat is Clarksville. The county was created in 1835 and organized in 1837. It is named for the Red River, which forms its ...

in an area that is today part of Fannin County.

Military career

On July 20, 1836, Hart was mustered into the Texas Militia, serving in a cavalry company that was commanded by his brother John. He only served for a number of months, being discharged on October 20, 1836. From March 16, 1839, to September 16, 1839, he served in the Texas Rangers. He received a headright certificate granting him one league and one labor of land. He also received a total of 320 acres for serving in the Texas Army and in 1840 he reported owning 1,280 acres and twenty cattle in Fannin County, as well as 1,090 acres in Red River County. He would become a cattleman later in life, with operations in

Hunt Hunting is the Human activity, human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, and killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to obtain the animal's body for meat and useful animal products (fur/hide (sk ...

, Navarro, Erath,

Comanche The Comanche (), or Nʉmʉnʉʉ (, 'the people'), are a Tribe (Native American), Native American tribe from the Great Plains, Southern Plains of the present-day United States. Comanche people today belong to the List of federally recognized tri ...

and

Johnson Johnson may refer to: People and fictional characters *Johnson (surname), a common surname in English * Johnson (given name), a list of people * List of people with surname Johnson, including fictional characters *Johnson (composer) (1953–2011) ...

counties. He would sell stock at Fort Belknap as well as other army posts. In 1846, Hunt County was organized and Hart become one of the commissioners. In 1855 he bought land on Mustang Creek in Johnson County, roughly a mile from what is now the town of Rio Vista. He built a two-story house which is known as the Meredith Hart House. The house was designated on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

on April 13, 1977. Later in life his first wife died and he remarried Cassandra Wilkins. The couple had three children.

Death

During the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

Hart lost most of his land and holdings. He died in December 1864 and is buried near his home in Johnson County.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hart, Richard American cattlemen Texas local politicians 1811 births 1864 deaths People from Kentucky People from Hunt County, Texas Place of birth missing