Mary Jane Grissett De Caussey

DE CAUSSEY, MARY JANE GRISSETT DAVIDSON (1848~1903) Mary Jane Grissett Davidson De Caussey, granddaughter of Alamo hero Colonel William B. Travis, was born on December 24, 1848, to John D. and Susan Isabella (Travis) Grissett in Washington County, Texas. Miss Grissett married Mr. John Green Davidson, District Attorney for the Brenham District. Together, they had three children, Edward Travis, Mattie Irene Davidson, and John G. Davidson.

Upon the death of John Davidson in 1875, Mary Jane married Captain Charles B. De Caussey, a wealthy Confederate veteran from Florida. After De Caussey lost most of his money, he and Mary Jane moved around the state allowing him to work odd jobs. Around 1898 - 1899, Mrs. Anson Jones, President General of the Daughters of the Republic of Texas, wrote a letter to Texas Governor Joseph D. Sayers requesting a job for De Caussey. Governor Sayers came through for Mrs. Jones, because De Caussey served as a Capitol watchman from 1899 until his death in 1904.

The De Caussey's were obviously destitute, as Mary Jane worked for many years trying to get the State to purchase Colonel Travis' Bible. She deposited the Bible with the State Library on October 5, 1903, and died the next month. The Legislature did not purchase the Bible, as its possession was transferred to Mary Jane's granddaughter, Annie Maude (Davidson) Settoon, of Plainview, Hale County, Texas, in 1936. The Bible is still today a part of the State Library and Archives Commission's collection, but is still apparently owned by the descendants of the Travis family.

As the De Caussey's financial situation worsened, The Daughters of the Republic of Texas took it upon themselves to care for Mary Jane and her husband. They helped Mary Jane through a serious and lengthy illness and when she died, they sponsored her being buried in the State Cemetery.

Mary Jane finally succumbed to her illness on November 11, 1903.

Information taken from obituary, "Travis' Grand Daughter Dies After Long Illness," in the Austin Statesman, Thursday, November 12, 1903, and "The Legacy of William Barrett Travis In Texas."