Samuel Washington Lindley - Character Certificate

The Governor of Illinois, John Reynolds, wrote this Certificate of Character for Samuel Washington Lindley in 1833 when Lindley was moving to Texas. This document can be found in the Texas General Land Office at Austin, Texas.

Character Certificate for Samuel Lindley

Samuel Lindley and several family members moved from Illinois to the Mexican state of Coahuila y Tejas in November 1833. He moved his family to Texas after securing a Mexican Land Grant on the present boundary of Montgomery and Walker Counties. There he founded the town of Danville. Texas was still part of Mexico and Samuel needed a letter of recommendation from a reliable citizen of the US before he could be admitted to Texas.

Governor of Illinois wrote SWL a character certificate and it reads:

"State of Illinois, Fayette Co., Sept 27, 1833,

The Bearer hereof Mr. Samuel Lindley has resided in the Sate of Illinois about 20 years during which time I have known him and a number of his family and hereby take pleasure in certifying that hehas uniformly maintained a character for industry and sobriety and honesty, and that his deportment has been that of a Christian. John Reynolds, Governor of Illinois."

The recommendation was signed by Vehlein, a Mexican official who checked all papers of the people coming to Texas by way of Nacogdoches. It contained the notation "Located about one and a half miles south Cooshatee Trace a branch of the San Jacinto."

Samuel's son, Jonathan Lindley, also received a certificate of character, as did his son-in-law, John Sadler.  

Samuel Washington Lindley and His Four Marriages

Samuel Washington Lindley was married four times: 1) Mary Polly Hall, 2) Elizabeth Whitley, 3) Margaret E Collard, 4) Martha E Taylor.

Samuel was the father of  fourteen known children.  And grandfather of possibly around a 100 grandchildren.  It appears most of the children and grandchildren helped to settle the great state of Texas.  

1. First marriage:  Samuel Lindley first married Mary Polly Hall on 5 June 1809 in Christian County, Kentucky.  They had one daughter, Sarah Lindley, born 1810.  Wife, Mary died at childbirth or soon after.  Daughter, Sarah, married Thomas Steele.  They were the parents of nine children.

2. Second marriage:  Samuel then married Elizabeth Whitley soon after the death of his first wife in 1810.  Samuel and Elizabeth were the parents of twelve children.  Elizabeth Whitley Lindley died in 1838.  Our line descends from the oldest child, Basheba Lindley Sadler. 

Samuel and Elizabeth (Whitley) Lindley children: 

1) Basheba, 1811-1885, married John Sadler.  Nine children.

2) Mary "Polly", 1813-1893, married Hiram Little. Ten children.
3) Jonathan, 1814-1836. Jonathan was killed at the Alamo. No wife and no children.
4) Sarah, 1816-1874, married Lemuel Collard. Eleven children.
5) William Nathan, 1817-1870, married Mary Jane Hostetter. Ten children.
6) Martha "Patsy", 1821-1882. She first married John Crowson and then Anthony Gibson. Martha had several children died as infants and five children live to adulthood.
7) Samuel Washington, Jr, 1823-1849, married Margaret Fowler Park. One known son who died as an infant.
8) Rachel, 1827-1916, married Benjamin Franklin Kelton and then William O'Banion. Ten children.
9) John L,1829-1911, married Eliza Ann Martin.  Fourteen children.
10) James, 1831-1895, married Mary Irvine. Nine children.
11) Mahala, 1833-1860, married Elijah Collard Tolbert. Four children.
12) Elijah, 1835-1880, married Eliza Tolbert first and then Margaret McGill.  Five children.

3. Third marriage:  After wife Elizabeth's death in 1838, Samuel then married a third time to Margaret Elizabeth Collard on 4 Sep 1839 in Montgomery County, Texas.  They had one daughter, Amanda Marie Lindley (1840-1911).  Wife, Margaret died in 1840 after the birth of their daughter.

4. Fourth marriage:  Samuel married a fourth time to Martha Elm Taylor.  No children.