Biographies of Oakwood Cemetery Residents
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GARRISON, GEORGE PIERCE (1853-1910) Buried in Section 3, lot 968
George Pierce Garrison, historian, was born in 1853 in Georgia. He moved to Texas in 1874 and taught at schools in East Texas for five years. From 1879-81, he studied at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, where he received certificates of merit in mathematics, natural philosophy, logic, metaphysics, rhetoric, English, and arts. Back in Texas by 1881, he married and taught at Coronal Institute in San Marcos. In 1884, he was appointed instructor in English literature and history at the University of Texas. In 1888, when English and history were separated, he eventually became head of the history department. He remained chairman of the history department until his death. He completed a doctor of philosophy degree at the University of Chicago in 1896. He offered graduate work in history and was one of the first Texas writers to publish in major journals. He encouraged women to enter the history profession and to pursue graduate work in history, even before a doctorate for women at the University was a possibility. The building housing the departments of history and American studies bears his name. He was one of the founders of the Texas State Historical Association and was editor of its Quarterly from its beginning in 1897 until his death. Garrison labored to secure the passage of a law to place the Texas State Library under efficient control. Garrison cooperated with Lester Bugbee in obtaining the Bexar Archives for the University of Texas and he helped Guy M. Bryan to donate the Austin papers to the University. Furthermore, he originated the university's policy of transcribing documents from the Mexican National Archives. Garrison wrote a number of books and articles, including Texas: A Contest of Civilizations which was the first historic study by a Texas author sufficiently based on relevant Spanish and French sources. Among his lesser accomplishments was his ability to sing old plantation songs and write poetry. He died of heart disease in 1910. Source
http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online
GLASSCOCK, GEORGE WASHINGTON (1810-1868) Buried in Sec 1, lot 243
George Washington Glasscock was born in Hardin County, Kentucky on April 11, 1810. It was there that he was reared and spent most of his early youth. In 1832, he was in Springfield, Illinois in partnership with Abraham Lincoln in flatboarding on the Sangamon River. At this time, he also fought in the Black Hawk War in Illinois, in which his brother Gregory died. He moved to Texas in September of 1835 and soon went into business. He became partners in a firm engaged in the land locating business and Glasscock was the surveyor. Glasscock was with James Cheshire's Company in the Grass Fight and the Siege of Bexar. It was there that he was ten feet in front of Colonel Ben Milam when Milam fell on December 10, 1835, at the storming and recapture of San Antonio. George along with his wife Cynthia moved to Bastrop County in 1840. By 1846 they were living in Williamson County. He helped to organize the county and donated 172 acres for the county seat of Georgetown, which was named for him. In 1853, he settled in Travis County. In 1887, the Twentieth Legislature in appreciation of his distinguished services rendered by him to the State, created and named Glasscock County in his honor. Cynthia passed away in 1866. George died in Austin on February 28, 1868. The cemetery sexton ledger bluntly records his cause of death as "fell from mule." But another source, written years later, more graciously records the circumstances as "...Glasscock was thrown from a horse he was riding near Webberville and died a few day afterwards from the injuries received. From tour information.
GOGGIN, JAMES MONROE (1820-1889) Buried in Section 3, lot 717
James Monroe Goggin, soldier and planter, was born in 1820 in Virginia. He attended the United States Military Academy at West Point with the class of 1842, although he did not graduate. He moved to the Republic of Texas, where he served in the Texas army as a lieutenant. He acquired large landholdings, principally in Waller County. He lived elsewhere from 1844-1861, when he entered the Confederate Army as a major in the Virginia Infantry. He was commended for gallantry and appointed brigadier general in 1864, but probably because there was no vacant brigade at the time, the appointment was subsequently canceled, and he returned to staff duty at his former rank of major. After the war, Goggin returned to Texas and was a planter in Waller County until about 1883, when he moved to Austin. Goggin died in 1889. Source
http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online
GRAY JR, GEORGE H, (1828-1891) Buried in Section 3, lot 730
George H Gray Jr lawyer and clerk of the Texas Supreme Court, was born in 1828 in Virginia. He moved with his family to Mississippi in 1832. He served in the Mexican War. Gray moved to Austin in 1849 and was admitted to the Texas bar. He was elected chief justice of Travis County in 1858. A Unionist, Gray decided in 1862 to move to New Orleans, where he remained until the end of the Civil War. In 1865, he was appointed clerk of the Texas Supreme Court. He served until 1867, when in spite of his Unionist sympathies, he was removed from office as a hindrance to Reconstruction. He resumed private practice in Austin. Gray was elected Austin city Attorney in 1872. After the organization of Kimble County in 1876, he practiced law for several years at Junction. He died in 1891 in Austin where he had moved due to declining health. Source
http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online
GREEN, THOMAS (1814-1864) Buried in Section 1, Green lot
Thomas Green, military leader, was born in Virginia in 1814. He received a degree from the University of Tennessee in 1834. He then studied law with his father, a prominent judge on the Tennessee Supreme Court. When the Texas Revolution began, he left to join the volunteers. He reached Nacogdoches in December 1835, and enrolled for military service in January, 1836. He operated the Twin Sisters cannon in the Battle of San Jacinto on April 21, 1836. He resigned on May 30 to continue studying law in Tennessee. When he returned and settled in Texas in 1837, he was granted land in reward for his army service. He was elected engrossing clerk for the House of Representatives of the Republic of Texas until 1839. From 1841 to 1861, he was clerk of the state Supreme Court. Between legislative and court sessions Green served in military campaigns against the Indians and Mexico. He served as inspector general for the Sommervell expedition. When the United States went to war with Mexico, Green recruited and commanded a company of Texas Rangers in La Grange as part of the First Texas Regiment of Mounted Riflemen. After secession in 1861, Green was elected colonel of the Fifth Texas Volunteer Cavalry which joined the invasion of New Mexico. There Green led the Confederate victory at the battle of Valverde. In 1864, he led a division in successful attacks at the battle of Mansfield and also at the Battle of Pleasant Hill. A few days later, on April 12, 1864, Green died while leading an attack on federal gunboats patrolling the Red River at Blair's Landing. Source
http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online
GREGORY, THOMAS (1861-1933) Buried in sec 3, lot 1157
Thomas Watt Gregory, was born in Crawfordsville, Mississippi on November 6, 1861. He received his law degree from the University of Texas in Austin in 1885 and subsequently formed a law partnership with Robert L. Batts in Austin. In 1914 he was appointed Attorney General of the United States by President Woodrow Wilson and served in that capacity from 1914 to 1919. President Wilson offered Gregory an appointment to the United States Supreme Court, which he declined due to hearing impairment. Upon returning to Texas he settled in Houston. He served as a Regent of the University of Texas for eight years as well as a lecturer at the University. The Gregory Gymnasium was named in his honor. Gregory died on February 26, 1933 while on a trip to New York City to confer with President Franklin Roosevelt. Written by SAC volunteer
GROOS, JOHANN JACOB (1822-1878) Buried in Section 1, lot 266
Johann Jacob Groos surveyor and commissioner of the General Land Office was born in Germany in 1822. Groos had three years of college study as a civil engineer and worked as a surveyor in Germany. He became interested in accounts of Texas circulated in Germany and in 1845, he immigrated to Texas with his wife. Settling in New Braunfels, Groos took part in the first public drawing for town lots in 1845. By 1850, he had bought 520 acres in the Waco Springs community on the Guadalupe River, but seven years later, he had returned to New Braunfels. From 1849 to 1860 Groos served as deputy surveyor and as surveyor of Comal County. He was elected captain of the Texas State Troops. During his service with the militia he helped defend frontier settlements against Indian raids. As a surveyor, Groos located claims and boundary lines in Comal, Bexar, and Kendall counties. He also secured preemption rights and land patents for numerous clients. In 1871, he was appointed to secure the right of way through Comal County for the International Railroad Company. He was elected commissioner of the General Land Office in 1873. He served in that office until his death in 1878. Source
http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online
