http://www.sanjacinto-museum.org/herzstein_library/veteran_biographies/browse_biographies/biographies/default.asp?action=bio&id=3251

HORTON, ALEXANDER -- The following was written by Colonel Horton at San Augustine, Texas, October 18, 1891:

"I was born in the State of North Carolina 18th day of April, 1810. My father's name was Julius Horton, my mother's name was Susannah Purnell. My father moved to the State of Louisiana in 1818. He died in the month of May, 1818, leaving my mother with nine helpless children, Nancy, Elizabeth, Sarah, Samuel, Sandy or Alexander, Martha, Wade, Henry, Susan. My mother moved to Texas first part of January 1824 and settled in San Augustine then called Ayish Bayou; found the country almost uninhabited. There were but few people then living in the county. I found James Gaines keeping a ferry on the Sabine river. The next house was Maximilian's. At the Polygoch, Macon C. Cole. The next settler, Brian Doughtery, living at the place where Elisha Roberts formerly lived. The next place was Nathan Davis living at the crossing of the Ayish Bayou. The next place occupied was where William Blount now resides, but the houses were east of the houses where Mr. Blount now resides. At that place lived John A. Williams. From there there was no one living, until you came to the place where Milton Garret lived. There, a man named Fulcher lived, and at or near the Attoyac lived Thomas Spencer. That was about the number of inhabitants living in this county first Jany. 1824. But the county from this date began to make rapid improvements and all things seemed prosperous. Among the early settles of this county were some of the noblest men to be found in any county. They (were) generous, kind, honest and brave I will here give the names of many of them. I will begin with David and Isaac Renfro, Elisha Roberts, Donald McConald, John Cartwright, Willis Murphy, Phillip A. Sublett, John Chumly, Nathan David, Obadiah Hendrick, John Bodine, John Lout, Bailey Anderson, Benjamin Thomas, Wiley Thomas, Shedrack Thomas, Thomas Cartwright, Isaac Lindsey, John G. Love, Martha Lewis and family, George Jones, Achilles Johnson, Elias K. David, Theodore Dorset, John Dorset, Benjamin Lindsey, Stephen Prater, Wyatt Hanks, James and Horatio Hanks, Solomon Miller, Hiram Brown, William Lace (Lacey), George Tell, Edward Tell, John Sprowl, James Bridges, Ross Bridges, Peter Galloway, John McGinnis. These were the most earliest settlers of East Texas. In 1825 the people began to make rapid improvement, opening large farms and building cotton gins. This year Elisha Roberts, John A. Williams and John Sprowl each erected cotton gins on the main road for at that time there was no one living either north or south of the old King's Highway. In the year 1824 William Quirk built a mill on the Ayish Bayou just above where Hanks Mill now stands. All things went on harmonious for several years, the country filling up rapidly. The first trouble we had commenced 1827. This was what was called the Fredonian war. This grew out of a quarrel between the Mexican citizens of Nacogdoches and