Erastus "Deaf" Smith (April 19, 1787 – November 30, 1837), who earned his nickname due to hearing loss in childhood, was an American frontiersman noted for his part in the

Texas Revolution The Texas Revolution (October 2, 1835 – April 21, 1836) was a rebellion of colonists from the United States and Tejanos (Hispanic Texans) against the Centralist Republic of Mexico, centralist government of Mexico in the Mexican state of ...

and the

Army of the Republic of Texas The Texas Army, officially the Army of the Republic of Texas, was the land force 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 independence ...

. He fought in the Grass Fight and the

Battle of San Jacinto The Battle of San Jacinto (), fought on April 21, 1836, in present-day La Porte and Deer Park, Texas, was the final and decisive battle of the Texas Revolution. Led by General Samuel Houston, the Texan Army engaged and defeated General A ...

. After the war, Deaf Smith led a company of Texas Rangers.Barr (1990), p. 17. Smith died in Richmond, Texas, aged 50, at the home of Randall Jones. Some later accounts would give tuberculosis as the cause of death although no cause of death was given in contemporary accounts. The

Episcopal Episcopal may refer to: *Of or relating to a bishop, an overseer in the Christian church *Episcopate, the see of a bishop – a diocese *Episcopal Church (disambiguation), any church with "Episcopal" in its name ** Episcopal Church (United States ...

churchyard has a modest marker, "Deaf Smith, the Texas Spy, Died Nov. 30, 1837", but his exact burial site is unknown.

Posthumous legacy

Deaf Smith County, Texas Deaf Smith County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, the population was 18,583. The county seat is Hereford, which is known as the "Beef Capital of the World". The county was created in 1876 and later orga ...

, is named in his honor. Unlike his nickname, which was pronounced "Deef", the county name is pronounced by most residents as . Likewise, a brand of peanut butter known as Deaf Smith was manufactured by the

Arrowhead Mills Arrowhead Mills is a brand of organic baking mixes, grains, and, cereals. The brand has been owned by Hain Celestial Group since 1999. Since 2019, the brand has been owned by Hometown Food Co. Its consumer affairs department is located in Bou ...

company, which was founded in 1960 by Frank Ford, then from

Hereford Hereford ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of the ceremonial county of Herefordshire, England. It is on the banks of the River Wye and lies east of the border with Wales, north-west of Gloucester and south-west of Worcester. With ...

, the seat of Deaf Smith County. Many school districts in Texas name schools after heroes of the Texas Revolution. Several schools across the state are named for Deaf Smith, including Lamar CISD's Deaf Smith Elementary in Richmond, Texas.

In popular culture

* 1915, ''

Martyrs of the Alamo ''Martyrs of the Alamo'' (also known as ''The Birth of Texas'') is a 1915 American historical war drama film written and directed by Christy Cabanne. The film is based on the historical novel of the same name by Theodosia Harris, and features a ...

'', Smith was played by

Sam De Grasse Samuel Alfred De Grasse (June 12, 1875 – November 29, 1953) was a Canadian actor. He was the uncle of cinematographer Robert De Grasse. Biography Samuel Alfred De Grasse was born in Bathurst, New Brunswick to Lange De Grasse and Helene ( Com ...

(as "Silent Smith"). * 1939, '' Man of Conquest'', Smith was played by

Max Terhune Max Terhune (February 12, 1891 – June 5, 1973) was an American actor. He appeared in nearly 70 films, mostly B-westerns, between 1936 and 1956. Among these, Terhune starred in '' The Three Mesquiteers'' and '' Range Busters'' series. B ...

. * 1956, ''

The First Texan ''The First Texan'' is a 1956 American CinemaScope and Technicolor western film directed by Byron Haskin and starring Joel McCrea, Felicia Farr and Jeff Morrow.

'', Smith was played by

Chubby Johnson Charles Randolph "Chubby" Johnson (August 13, 1903 – October 31, 1974) was an American film and television supporting character actor with a genial demeanor and warm, country-accented voice. Early years Johnson was the son of entertaine ...

. * 1958, in "''Deaf Smith''" episode of ''

The Adventures of Jim Bowie ''The Adventures of Jim Bowie'' is an American Westerns on television, Western television series that aired on American Broadcasting Company, ABC from 1956 in television, 1956 to 1958 in television, 1958. Its setting was the 1830s-era Louisiana T ...

'', Deaf Smith was played by

Vic Perrin Victor Herbert Perrin (April 26, 1916 – July 4, 1989)Cox, Jim (2007). ''Radio Speakers: Narrators, News Junkies, Sports Jockeys, Tattletales, Tipsters, Toastmasters and Coffee Klatch Couples Who Verbalized the Jargon of the Aural Ether fr ...

. * 1972, '' Los Amigos'' (Smith and Johnny Ears) is based on Smith;

Anthony Quinn Manuel Antonio Rodolfo Quinn Oaxaca (April 21, 1915 – June 3, 2001), known as Anthony Quinn, was an American actor. He was known for his portrayal of earthy, passionate characters "marked by a brutal and elemental virility" in over 100 ...

played the Deaf Smith character. * 1986,

TV movie A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie, telefilm, telemovie or TV film/movie, is a film with a running time similar to a feature film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a terrest ...

'' Houston: The Legend of Texas'', Smith was played by Ivy Pryce. * 1998, TNT's

TV Movie A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie, telefilm, telemovie or TV film/movie, is a film with a running time similar to a feature film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a terrest ...

''Two for Texas'', Smith was played by Richard Andrew Jones. * 2004, ''

Alamo The Battle of the Alamo (February 23 – March 6, 1836) was a pivotal event and military engagement in the Texas Revolution. Following a 13-day siege, Mexican troops under President General Antonio López de Santa Anna reclaimed the Alam ...

'', Smith was played by Michael Crabtree. * 2015, ''

Texas Rising ''Texas Rising'' is a 2015 History Channel five-part television miniseries based on the Texas Revolution against Mexico and how the Texas Rangers were created. It was directed by Roland Joffé and premiered on May 25, 2015. The series stars Bill ...

'', Smith was played by

Jeffrey Dean Morgan Jeffrey Dean Morgan (born April 22, 1966) is an American actor. He is best known for playing the character Negan in the AMC horror drama series '' The Walking Dead'' (2016–2022) and its spin-off '' The Walking Dead: Dead City'' (2023–present ...

References

* * "Battle of San Jacinto" A Texas Historical Commission historical marker. * ” Daughters of the Republic of Texas, Muster Rolls of the Texas Revolution (Austin, 1986). * ” Joseph Milton Nance, Attack and Counterattack: The Texas-Mexican Frontier, 1842 (University of Texas Press, 1964). * ” The Writings of Sam Houston, 1813-1863 (University of Texas Press, 1938) * Erastus "Deaf" Smith historical marker, Lake Casa Blanca International State Park,

Laredo, Texas Laredo ( ; ) is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Webb County, Texas, Webb County, on the north bank of the Rio Grande in South Texas, across from Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico. Founded in 1755, Laredo grew from a villag ...

, dedicated 1936

External links

Young Perry Alsbury Letter

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Deaf 1787 births 1837 deaths Army of the Republic of Texas officers Deaf military personnel People of the Texas Revolution Members of the Texas Ranger Division American deaf people People from West Columbia, Texas 19th-century American military personnel