Elbert M. Bacon

BACON, ELBERT M. (1835~1918) Elbert M. Bacon, Confederate veteran, was born in 1835, in St. Marys, Camden County, Georgia. In 1851, he attended Yale University, where he studied medicine, law, and geology. According to Yale's records, Bacon only attended classes for one year, 1851. He apparently came to Texas prior to the Civil War, because he served in Company B of the 21st Texas Cavalry.

The 21st Texas Cavalry, which was also known as the 1st Texas Lancers, was organized in the spring of 1862, with about 800 men from Parker, Dallas, Bell, and Austin counties. The unit served in the Trans-Mississippi Department and took part in Marmaduke's Missouri Raid and several conflicts in Louisiana and Arkansas, but disbanded before the surrendered in June, 1865.

Following the War, Bacon, who was an attorney, lived in Austin, where he was connected with the General Land Office and later involved in real estate. He had extensive land holdings in Hardin County.

Major Bacon was also quite influential in Texas and national politics. One of his obituaries claimed that, even though he never put himself up for public office, he wrote speeches for and counseled several governors. Bacon also spent a great deal of time in Washington, D. C. He was close friends William G. McAdoo, who was U. S. Treasury Secretary and later U. S. Senator from California.

Bacon moved to Houston, where, on February 16, 1918, he was hit by a train and killed. He was buried in the Texas State Cemetery several days later.

There is very little information concerning Major Bacon's early life and family. The 1880 census shows he was married to Elizabeth Bacon who was born in South Carolina. At that time they had two sons Harry and Elbert, Jr. There are two additional females listed on the Bacon family census, and those are Dellah, a servant, and Courtney, a laborer. It is believed they had a total of five children, two daughters and three sons. Lucas, or Hal is the name of the third son. Neither of his daughter's first names are known. One of the daughters was identified as a Mrs. Clarence Chapin. Bacon was also said to have been a cousin to U. S. Senator Augustus Octavius Bacon.

Information taken from various newspaper articles found in the Bacon Family Biography File at the Austin History Center and the Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System at http://www.itd.nps.gov/cwss.