Mary Smith Jones facts for kids

Letter from Mary Jones to her son Cromwell Jones, March 10, 1878

Mary Smith Jones (born July 24, 1819 – died December 31, 1907) was an important woman in Texas history. She was the last First Lady of the Republic of Texas. This means her husband, Anson Jones, was the last president of Texas before it joined the United States. Mary also became the first president of a group called the Daughters of the Republic of Texas in 1891.

Mary Smith Jones's Early Life

Mary Smith was born on July 24, 1819, in Lawrence County, Arkansas. Her parents were John McCutcheon Smith and Sarah Pevehouse Smith. When Mary was about 14 years old, her father passed away in 1833.

After her father's death, her family moved to a part of Mexico that is now Texas. This area was called Coahuila y Tejas at the time. Mary's mother later remarried John Woodruff, which meant Mary gained many new step-brothers and sisters.

The family moved several times because of growing problems and fighting that led to the Texas Revolution. They finally settled in Houston. At 19, Mary married a soldier named Hugh McCrory. Sadly, he died in 1837. He was buried at Founders Memorial Cemetery. There is also a special monument, called a cenotaph, at this site for Mary Smith Jones.

Life with Anson Jones

On May 17, 1840, Mary married Anson Jones. He was a doctor in Austin and had rented a room at her mother's house. Mary and Anson had four children together: three sons named Samuel, Charles, and Cromwell, and one daughter named Sallie.

Anson Jones had traveled a lot, even living in Venezuela for a time. He had worked in both private jobs and for the government of the Republic of Texas. In 1844, Anson Jones became the last President of the Republic of Texas. This made Mary the last First Lady of the Republic.

Anson Jones did not want Texas to join the United States right away. This caused a lot of disagreement, and some people even wanted to remove him from office. When Texas officially joined the United States in 1845, Anson Jones stopped being president.

A few years later, Anson had a serious accident that made him very weak. He hoped to be elected to the United States Senate, but it didn't happen. He became very sad and passed away in 1858. After his death, Mary Smith Jones moved with her children to Galveston and then to a farm in Harris County.

Mary's Later Years

In 1891, Mary Smith Jones became the first president of the Daughters of the Republic of Texas. This group helps preserve the history of Texas. She also joined the Texas State Historical Association.

After Anson Jones died, Mary and her children faced money problems. They had to sell their land and home in Washington-on-the-Brazos. A friend named Ashbel Smith helped the family buy land near Galveston. In 1860, Mary also asked Ashbel Smith to take her husband's writings, called Memoranda, to New York to be published. However, all the copies of the book stayed stored away and were not shared until 1929.

Mary Smith Jones spent her final years living with her children. She continued to manage the financial matters related to her husband's property. She never remarried. Mary Smith Jones passed away in 1907. She is buried next to Anson Jones at Glenwood Cemetery in Houston, Texas.