Gonzales in Gonzales County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)
Sarah Ponton Eggleston
Sarah Ann Ponton, the youngest child of William Ponton and Isabella (Mooreland) Ponton, was born September 16, 1820 in Boonville, Cooper County, Missouri. She migrated to Texas with her parents in 1829. After her father's massacre by Indians in 1834, Sarah Ann became a pillar of strength and comfort to her bereaved mother.
Sarah had lovely dark eyes and classical features that portrayed a wholesome beauty. On May 3, 1835 she married thirty-five year old Horace Eggleston. Horace was the son of Sidney Eggleston and Sarah Harwood. He was an attorney, storekeeper, and citizen soldier. Early in the couple's marriage they were swept into Texas' struggle for independence. Sarah was just fifteen years old and seven month's pregnant with her first child when she fled Gonzales along with the rest of the Ponton clan and an estimated five thousand fellow Texans fleeing Santa Anna's Army in the run-away-scrape. Sarah's husband joined the Texas Republic Army and fought at the Battle of San Jacinto on April 21, 1836. She gave birth to her first child, William P. Eggleston, across the river from the San Jacinto Battlefield on May 2, 1836. Sarah gave birth to four more children: Mary Jane, John H., George Tyler, and Newton Harwood. This dog-run cabin, known as the "Eggleston House" was home to Horace, Sarah, their five children, and her mother, Isabella Ponton. Two years after Horace's death in 1855, Sarah married Benjamin A Minter. She continued to live in Gonzales until her death on February 25, 1880.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Settlements & Settlers • War, Texas Independence • Wars, US Indian • Women. A significant historical date for this entry is February 25, 1880.
Location. 29° 30.245′ N, 97° 26.52′ W. Marker is in Gonzales, Texas, in Gonzales County. Marker is at the intersection of St. Louis Street (State Highway 146) and De Witt Street, on the right when traveling west on St. Louis Street. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Gonzales TX 78629, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. The Eggleston House (a few steps from this marker); Gonzales Memorial Museum and Amphitheatre (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Route of Gen. Sam Houston (about 500 feet away); The Immortal 32 (about 500 feet away); Cemetery Square (approx. 0.4 miles away); "The Great War" (approx. 0.4 miles away); "We Shall Not Forget"
(approx. 0.4 miles away); Company L, First Texas Infantry (approx. 0.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Gonzales.
Also see . . .
1. Horace and Sarah Eggleston Histories. Sons of the DeWitt Colony (Submitted on October 21, 2020, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.)
2. Ponton Creek - Story of William Ponton's death. TSHA Texas State Historical Association (Submitted on October 21, 2020, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.)
Credits. This page was last revised on October 22, 2020. It was originally submitted on October 21, 2020, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas. This page has been viewed 232 times since then and 57 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on October 21, 2020, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.