Joshua Hadley (c.1785–1845) was an American

pioneer Pioneer commonly refers to a settler who migrates to previously uninhabited or sparsely inhabited land. In the United States pioneer commonly refers to an American pioneer, a person in American history who migrated west to join in settling and dev ...

settler A settler is a person who has migrated to an area and established a permanent residence there, often to colonize the area. A settler who migrates to an area previously uninhabited or sparsely inhabited may be described as a pioneer. Settl ...

and

public official An official is someone who holds an office (function or mandate, regardless whether it carries an actual working space with it) in an organization or government and participates in the exercise of authority, (either their own or that of their s ...

. He participated in the

Convention of 1832 The Convention of 1832 was the first political gathering of colonists in Mexican Texas. Delegates sought reforms from the Mexican government and hoped to quell the widespread belief that settlers in Texas wished to secede from Mexico. The conven ...

and 1835 Consultation.

Life

He was born c1785 in

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia a ...

to Benjamin Hadley (son of

Thomas Jefferson Hadley Thomas Jefferson Hadley (1728 – September 1, 1781) was an American politician, settler and soldier in the American Revolutionary War. He played a prominent role in the signing of North Carolina's constitution in 1776. Early life Thomas Jeffe ...

), and Elizabeth King. The couple lived in

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to ...

, before moving to what is now

San Augustine County, Texas San Augustine County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 7,918. Its county seat is San Augustine. History San Augustine County was formed in 1837. It was supposedly named after the Saint, ...

in 1830. On May 7, 1831 he was the recipient of a league of land that stood to the north-east of

Anderson, Texas Anderson is a city and county seat of Grimes County, Texas, United States. The population was 193 as of the 2020 census. The town and its surroundings are listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Anderson Historic District. The ...

. He constructed a fort, known locally as the ''Hadley Fort'' to protect the family against Native American attacks. The fort was the site of an Indian raid in 1840 which saw a woman

scalped Scalping is the act of cutting or tearing a part of the human scalp, with hair attached, from the head, and generally occurred in warfare with the scalp being a Human trophy collecting, trophy. Scalp-taking is considered part of the broader cult ...

. During the

, Hadley represented the District of Viesca. In 1835 he was elected

Alcalde Alcalde (; ) is the traditional Spanish municipal magistrate, who had both judicial and administrative functions. An ''alcalde'' was, in the absence of a corregidor, the presiding officer of the Castilian '' cabildo'' (the municipal council) ...

. Hadley also served in the

Army of the Republic of Texas The Texas Army, officially the Army of the Republic of Texas, was the land warfare branch of the Texas Military Forces during the Republic of Texas. It descended from the Texian Army, which was established in October 1835 to fight for independenc ...

in 1836. Due to his military service, he was gifted land in

Grimes County Grimes County is a county located in southeastern Texas in the United States. As of the 2020 census, its population was 29,268. The seat of the county is Anderson. The county was formed from Montgomery County in 1846. It is named for Jesse Gr ...

, totalling 320 acres. Throughout his life, he married twice, firstly to Obedience Grantham, with whom he had five children, and secondly the widowed Joyce Voilet Bostick McGuffin.

Death

Hadley died in 1845 after falling from his horse.

References

1780s births Convention of 1832 delegates Army of the Republic of Texas personnel 1845 deaths American emigrants to Mexico {{Texas-bio-stub

Life

Death

See also

References