Dodson, Sarah Bradley (1986)

Born in Kentucky in 1812, eleven-year-old Sarah Bradley and her parents arrived in Texas in 1823 with Stephen F. Austin's old three hundred colonists, settling near Brazoria. Sarah married Archelaus Bynum Dodson of nearby Harrisburg on May 17, 1835. As tensions mounted between Mexico and the Texian colonists, a call for military volunteers was circulated in September 1835, and Archelaus Dodson became First Lt. in Captain Andrew Robinson's Harrisburg Volunteers. Sarah offered to design and make a flag for her husband's company. Using blue, white, and red calico, she fashioned a flag of three equal squares, with a five pointed white star in the center of the blue square. Reportedly the first Lone Star flag, the banner was displayed in the town of Gonzales in October 1835, and in December flew during the Siege of Bexar. When the Declaration of Independence was signed, two flags were seen flying over Convention Hall. One was described as a Lone Star flag and is believed to have been the one made by Sarah Dodson. Following the Texan victory at San Jacinto, the Dodsons lived in Fort Bend County, then moved in 1844 to Grimes County. They donated the land for Bethel Cemetery (5 mi. N) where Sarah was buried in 1848. Texas Sesquicentennial 1836 - 1986

Dodson, Sarah Bradley is a historical marker in Bedias, Grimes County, dedicated in 1986. It is one of 73 historical markers documented in Grimes County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 213 historic sites cataloged across the county.

The site sits at 30.8304, -95.9465 near Bedias. The nearest cataloged historic site is Phillips Family (cemetery), about 0.7 miles away. Others within a short drive include Plaster Family, unknown (Mt Pleasant Ch), and Grimes County Bethel Cemetery.

This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5185008570. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.