Richard Meredith Hart (1811–1864) was an early

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

settler A settler is a person who has human migration, 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 ...

soldier A soldier is a person who is a member of an army. A soldier can be a conscripted or volunteer enlisted person, a non-commissioned officer, or an officer. Etymology The word ''soldier'' derives from the Middle English word , from Old French ...

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 Te ...

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 we ...

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 South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the Osage ...

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 2010 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 n ...

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 practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, or killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to harvest food (i.e. meat) and useful animal products (fur/ hide, bone/tusks, horn/antler, et ...

, Navarro, Erath,

Comanche The Comanche or Nʉmʉnʉʉ ( com, Nʉmʉnʉʉ, "the people") are a Native American tribe from the Southern Plains of the present-day United States. Comanche people today belong to the federally recognized Comanche Nation, headquartered in La ...

and

Johnson Johnson is a surname of Anglo-Norman origin meaning "Son of John". It is the second most common in the United States and 154th most common in the world. As a common family name in Scotland, Johnson is occasionally a variation of ''Johnston'', a ...

counties. He would sell stock at Fort Belknap as well as other army posts. In 1846,

Hunt County Hunt County is a county in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 99,956. Its county seat is Greenville. The county is named for Memucan Hunt, Jr., the first Republic of Texas Minister to the United States from 18 ...

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 United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

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, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

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