George Rounds

(1805 - 1855) New Yorker George Rounds served in Col. James W. Fannin's regiment in the Texas War for Independence but escaped the Goliad Massacre. He settled in Columbia, where he operated a tavern. Just before his death, he drew up a will devising his estate to "educating poor and orphan children" in the community. Discoveries of oil and gas on the Rounds property during the 1930s increased the value of the fund. Rounds' philanthropy continues to aid local students today. Recorded - 1976