Historical Marker
Menefee Reunion
Historical marker location:
Rio Vista, Texas
( Grounds of First Street Bank, Rio Vista)
Marker installed: 1966
Yearly gathering of heirs of colonists entering America 1623. Wm. L. Menefee, ancestor of this branch of the family, migrated to Texas 1830; signed Declaration of Independence 1836; was on the commission selecting Capital site at present-day Austin. He served 6 terms in Congress of Republic of Texas, one term in the State Legislature. His sons, H. F. and the Rev. W. O. Menefee, were early settlers in Johnson County. The family has produced many jurists, soldiers, political leaders, ministers. The reunion, started in 1890, has been held here since 1891.
The state of Texas was once an independent country known as the Republic of Texas. It gained independence from Mexico in 1836 and was a separate nation until it was annexed by the United States in 1845.