| Marker Text |
(1795-1863) Nancy Nixon Tevis, a native of Louisiana, came with her husband Noah (1772-1835) and children in 1825 to settle this bluff beside the Neches. They were the first known Anglo-Americans here. They received in 1835 a Republic of Texas land grant that included much of the future site of Beaumont. Before dying, Noah Tevis sold some of this land to Henry Millard. When civilians fled toward Louisiana to escape the Mexican Army in the "Runaway Scrape" of 1836, the widowed Nancy and her eight children held their own, remaining here. In 1837 she joined with Joseph Grigsby, Millard, and others to establish a town, changing the name from Tevis Bluff to Beaumont. She was firm in upholding her rights. At one time she appealed by letter to Texas President Sam Houston against a man who claimed some of her land. She also blocked all rivalry to her profitable ferry service across the Neches and the bayous. About 1838 she married Joseph Hutcheson, who later disappeared. She survived for many years, dying during the Civil War (1861-65). Her burial was in the Tevis Cemetery, now extinct. Descendants of Nancy and Noah Tevis have been leaders in the local community. Incise in base: Marker Sponsors: Andrew Jackson Tevis Heirs and Friends |
