Pioneers face peril in early Texas

Nacogdoches County, Texas—In the mid-1830s, the Greenwood family set their sights on the pine forests and fertile soil of East Texas, hoping to carve out a permanent home. For their eldest son, Jordan Greenwood, that meant venturing into the wilderness alone, accompanied by one hundred stock hogs and a loyal dog named Bolen. 

Forty miles from family and surrounded by Native American villages, Jordan set to work. He built pens, raised livestock, and prepared the land for the arrival of his parents and siblings. “I was alone except for our faithful dog,” he later recalled, describing the isolation of his vigil. “Months passed without word from my family as I tended hogs and occasionally killed bears or panthers, which freely preyed on my stock.” 

A fragile peace 

The solitude gave way to company when Jordan’s married sister, her husband, and a small household entourage arrived to help build a cabin and plant a garden. Yet the fragile peace of their settlement was soon broken by rumblings of conflict. 

One morning, Jordan encountered two Native Americans near a ravine. Hidden in the brush, he overheard their plans to raid the family’s cabin that night. With only a single gun and one shot, he could do little but ride eight miles to the nearest Mexican settlement for help. He found its residents already barricaded, bracing for attacks after reports of massacres north of Nacogdoches. 

That night, Jordan and his family hid in a thicket with their weapons while raiders entered their cabin, seizing blankets and clothing. “Our hearts pounded,” he remembered, describing how the intruders passed within 50 feet. At dawn, the family’s patriarch, Garrison Greenwood, arrived after riding through the night to warn them of the danger. Together, they retreated to safety, leaving behind Jordan’s hogs to be taken by wild animals. 

Rising tensions erupt 

By 1838, tensions in East Texas had reached a breaking point. A coalition of Kickapoo, Caddo, Cherokee and other tribes sought to drive white settlers from the frontier. In response, Generals Thomas Rusk and Kelsey Douglas raised an army of 300 to 400 men. 

Fighting stretched across three days and nights in the hills north of Nacogdoches. Both sides suffered casualties. Texans counted eight dead and several wounded, while at least 16 Native Americans were confirmed killed, though many more were likely carried off in accordance with custom. “They were brave and skilled with rifles,” Jordan later wrote. “In bush warfare, they matched Texans in courage.” 

Tragedy at the Eadon settlement 

Even as settlers organized defenses, some families faced devastating losses. At the Murchison and Eadon settlement, five families took refuge in a log home. One evening, while two women prepared supper, a small band of Native Americans opened fire. Mrs. Murchison and Mrs. Sadler were killed instantly. Others, including Mrs. Madden, Mrs. Eadon, and Mrs. Patten, were struck with tomahawks and left for dead. 

An elderly Black woman, who had lived with the Eadon family since childhood and declined freedom, returned during the chaos. She saved an infant, pulled the wounded to safety, and hid them until the attackers left. Despite the women’s endurance, the episode left a scar on the settlement — not only for its loss but for the failure of five armed men, who fled rather than fight. “This cowardice was inconsistent with the character of Texas pioneers,” Jordan wrote, “and it pains me to record it.” 

Legacy of resilience 

For the Greenwood family and others, survival meant endurance through relentless trials: the threat of raids, the chaos of the Runaway Scrape, and the loss of loved ones. Yet their sacrifices helped secure Texas during its most volatile years. 

Today, Garrison Greenwood is honored by a Texas Historical Commission marker in Lampasas County. Though not as celebrated as figures like Sam Houston, his service as a ranger and pioneer is etched into the state’s history. 

The family’s story embodies the paradox of Texas’s frontier era — a place of hope and opportunity shadowed by violence and loss. Their hardships and resilience forged the foundations of a new republic, a legacy that still echoes in East Texas.