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- Fayette County History features a bio of Virgil S. Rabb, most probably relative of Ulysses.
http://www.fayettecountyhistory.org/biographies_record_of_swtex.htm
William Rabb was born in the Keystone State, in Fayette County. At an early date he moved with his family to near St. Louis, Mo., on the Illinois side of the river, where he erected a water mill for grinding flour, ran it successfully, sold out and moved to Washington, Ark., and there resided until 1819. He then came to Texas, but did not bring his family until 1822, coming with Austin's colony. However, be himself was here in 1821 and raised his first crop on Rabb's Prairie that year. This was the first crop made by an American in this section.
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Daughters of Republic of Texas
Patriot Ancestor Album Vol 2
Google Books
William and Mary (Smalley) Rabb
came to Texas in 1821. William, son of Andrew and Mary (Scott) Rabb, was born Dec 21 1770 in Fayette Co PA> Mary was born abt 1772 also in PA and she and William were married around 1789. In 1803, William started westward with his wife and their children. He owned gristmills in a number of locations. In 1812 he was judge for Madison Co IL and served in the Illinois Territory Legislature during 1814 and 1815.
In 1820 William moved his family to the south side of the Red River to Jonesborough TX. The next year, william, Mary and two of sons, Thomas and Ulysses moved to Colorado River, near present day LaGrange. In 1823 they were joined by daughter, Rachel, her husband, Joseph Newman and children: sons: Andrew and wife Margaret (Ragsdale) and John and wife Mary (Crownover). William, his sons, Andrew, John and Thomas and son-in-law Joseph Newman were all members of the "The Old Three Hundred" Stephen F. Austin's Original Colonists.
Based on Austin's prior agreement with William to build a gristmill in the upper portion of the Colony, William received a total of five sitios. 13,000 acres in Fayette Co and 9,000 acres in Matagorda County. His land grant No 58 was dated Jul 19 1824. Due to Indians hostilities the gristmill was not completed until 1831. William and Mary both died later that same year, and are buried on a hillside overlooking Rabb's Prairie in Fayette Co, Texas.
Betty Newman (GGGGG) 219765
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