John Pollan
Two John Pollans
The tombstone of John Pollan in Old Bayview Cemetery marks the gravesite of John Pollan, Jr.(the son of Texas pioneer John Pollan, Sr.). There is a long biographical piece on John Pollan, Sr. that is carried in “Pathfinders†and can be found below. John Pollan, Jr. is buried in Old Bayview next to his mother who also died in the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1867. The gravestone indicates that it was donated by a sibling of John Pollan, Jr. since the stone lists John as “brother†and Mollie G. as “motherâ€. John Pollan, Sr. went on to marry again and had a second family. Mr. John Pollan (the elder) married Mary Gold January 4, 1868 and this couple had 3 children. The John Pollans moved to Lagarto in 1872 where he had a store. He passed away in his 85th years and was buried in the Lagarto Cemetery. His tombstone in the Old Lagarto Cemetery reads:
John Pollan
Texas Veteran 1835-36
May 28, 1808
July 27, 1890
(cf. “Lagarto: A Collection of Remembrances†by Hattie Mae Hinnant New)
Research and transcription: Michael A. Howell
Excerpt from:
On This Bluff…Centennial History 1867-1967, First Presbyterian Church, by Margaret Lasater Clark
John Pollan had spent his life on the frontiers of America. Born in 1806 in North Carolina, he was the son of William Pollan, who emigrated from North Carolina to Tennessee when John was a small boy. John grew up in Tennessee and in 1827 was married to Polly Harrup in Madison County, Tennessee. While the Pollan family bible states that Pollan’s wife was Polly, the church records list her name as Mary G. and her
tombstone in Old Bayview Cemetery reads Mollie G. Pollan. She was born in 1808. The young Pollan couple came to Texas about 1834. One family source states that hey came to Texas on a house boat with another family, landing at Copano. Pollan was granted a league of land by the Power and Hewetson Colony on October 30, 1834.
John Pollan hardly had time to establish a home …before becoming involved with the Texas Revolution. As a member of Major George Collingsworth’s company, he was engaged in the storming of La Bahia in October 1835. Since he owned a cart and a yoke of oxen, Pollan volunteered to help haul the spoils of this engagement to the Texan
forces who were camped outside San Antonio in the Siege of Bexar. Leaving his wife and three children in a camp near the mission at La Bahia, he made the trip back and forth with his cart for several weeks, traveling the important supply route between Copano, Goliad, and Bexar. As a member of Capt. Philip Dimmitt’s company, John Pollan signed the historic Goliad Declaration of Independence. After the signing of the
Declaration, which took place that Sunday, a large group of citizens and volunteers, adjourned to the courtyard of La Bahia and raised the first flag of Texas independence; the emblem featured a bloody arm grasping a bloody sword. Colonel Fannin was at Refugio in early February, and Pollan was among those who hauled freight from Copano to Refugio for the Fannin soldiers. As events gained momentum with the fall of the Alamo and the Goliad massacre, it is likely that Pollan moved his familyeastward for safety.
Although the victory of Gen. Sam Houston’s forces at San Jacinto marked the defeat of Santa Anna, this event was only the beginning of a new set of trouble s for the Texas colonists as they set about building the Republic of Texas. Not the least of the problems was the continuing Indian raids; Pollan was engaged in several skirmishes with the Indians. He moved from Refugio to the comparative safety of Victoria.
The Pollan family settled about 12 miles south of Victoria. He was a farmer there for nearly two decades. The Pollans had 11 children.
The Pollan family was converted by…Rev. John Wesley DeVilbiss. “…They all joined our church on probation. But our Presbyterian brethren at Victoria succeeded in getting them all into the their church.â€
Devilbiss was a welcome guest at settler’ homes. In the year 1844, DeVilbiss was traveling from Lavaca to Victoria, and when night fell he and his t raveling companion pitched camp on the prairie. They rose early from a restless sleep, having mistaken a crooked stick for a snake. DeVilbiss recalled the incident:
“When we had looked about, we found we were about a mile from the Guadalupe River, one mile form Brother Pollan’s. We saddled up and soon found a hearty welcome at Brother Pollan’s. I laid down and slept until breakfast was ready. When called up, we found two chickens on the table, cooked in the best style, with biscuits, coffee, etc., to match. I never enjoyed a breakfast more than that. After praying with this kind family we made our way pleasantly to Victoria.â€
After the Civil War when Pollan’s slaves were set free, he gave up farming and moved to Ingleside, where he built a home. The daughter, Mary, meanwhile, had been married to John M. Mathis in 1860. In February of 1866 Pollan sold his Ingleside property, moved his family to Corpus Christi, and became engaged in the mercantile business with Mathis. Mathis, however, found this occupation too confining, turned his store over to his father-in-law, and formed a shipping business with a cousin…John Pollan ran an advertisement in the Corpus Christi Advertiser:
John Pollan
Has removed from the “Meuly Houseâ€
New Store
(on Mesquite Street, near Market)
where his is in receipt of a fine stock of
Dry Goods and Groceries
Which he offers to his friends and the public
Cheap for cash.
(In1867) The highly-contagious yellow fever was brought to Corpus Christi by J. S. Snyder. He arrived in early July by horseback from Indianola, crossing the reef along Nueces Bay on the wagon road. Snyder received lodging at the Ziegler House, the largest hotel at that time. Two days later he was dead of yellow fever.
The Pollan family also suffered two losses. John Pollan’s wife died on July 27, and just a fortnight later, on August 10 John Pollan, Jr., died. These two victims had been nursed night and day by Mary Gold, who was engaged to marry the young John Pollan, but a few months after his death she married the elder Pollan himself.
Source:
Clark, Margaret Lasater. On This Bluff…Centennial History 1867-1967, First Presbyterian Church. Corpus Christi: Renfrow and Company, 1967.
Excerpt and transcription by: Geraldine D. McGloin, Nueces County Historical Commission