Jane Long: The 'Mother of Texas'

Jane Long's Lasting Legacy in Fort Bend County History

On ​a frigid Friday in December 1821, Jane Herbert Wilkinson Long gave birth to a baby girl on Bolivar Peninsula. Accompanied only by her five-year-old daughter and Kian, an enslaved African American woman, Jane believed that she was the first Anglo woman to give birth to a child in Texas. Though census data contradicts that claim, her nickname and legacy as the “Mother of Texas” stuck.

Before the 'Old 300'

Jane first came to Texas in 1819, following
her husband James who was fighting to free
Texas from Spanish rule. Just two months after she arrived, advancing Spanish troops forced the pioneers to flee for their lives; they later regrouped at Bolivar Point. James and many of the other settlers headed back into the heart of Texas in September 1821, intending to be gone only a month. However, James was captured and imprisoned. He went to Mexico City in March 1822 to plead his case, but was mysteriously shot and killed by a guard the following month.

On Her Own

Jane didn’t learn of her husband’s death until later that summer. Alone in Texas with two daughters to provide for, she initially tried to seek a pension from Mexico for her husband’s accidental death, but was unsuccessful. In 1824, she received a title to a league of land in Fort Bend County and a labor of land in Waller County from empresario Stephen F. Austin. She sold a portion of her Fort Bend County league to Robert E. Handy, who later developed the town of Richmond.

Boarding Houses

In addition to her ranching and farming endeavors, Jane also operated two boarding houses. She started the first in Brazoria in 1832; her guests included Sam Houston, Mirabeau Lamar and William B. Travis. In 1837, she opened a second boarding house in Richmond, which became a center for social and political activities pertaining to Texas independence.

This 1939 picture shows Jane Long's boarding house. At the time, it was the oldest building in Richmond. Sources suggest it either burned down or was torn down sometime before 1962.

Later Life

Folklore and family tradition say that Jane was courted by several famous Texans, including Sam Houston and Mirabeau Lamar. Jane never remarried, however, and died in December 1880. She is buried in Morton Cemetery.

ABOVE: You can see Jane Long’s piano inside the Long-Smith Cottage here at the Museum. Though she never actually lived there, the house was originally built on land owned by Jane Long.