(June 6, 1808 - January 26, 1868)

Born to a Jewish family in Spanishtown, Jamaica, British West Indies, Jacob De Cordova immigrated to Philadelphia about 1830. After a brief return to Jamaica where he founded a newspaper, he became engaged in trade between New Orleans and Texas. He and his brother Phineas (1819-1903) opened a shop in Galveston in 1837, then Jacob moved to Houston to establish a highly successful land agency.
     When Gavleston's John S. Sydnor (1812-1869) acquired a large tract of land here on the Brazos River's west bank in 1847, De Cordova was retained to survey and sell the property. He in turn hired George Bernard Erath (1813-1891) to conduct the survey. By 1848 De Cordova obtained control of the tract and journeyed here with Erath to lay out the town of Waco. About 1849 De Cordova also was retained to sell a vast tract near here on the east bank of the Brazos River.
     De Cordova donated several lots to the new town, including this Waco Spring site, the common square, and sites for numerous schools and churches. He died while formulating a scheme to industrialize the Brazos River Valley and was buried at Kimball in Bosque County (about 45 mi. NW). In 1935 De Cordova's remains were moved to the state cemetery in Austin.
Texas Sesquicentennial 1836 - 1986

Sorry, but we don't have a picture of this historical marker yet. If you have a picture, please share it with us. It's simple to do. 1) Become a member. 2) Adopt this historical marker listing. 3) Upload the picture.

Show me all markers in:  Waco, TX  |  McLennan County  |  76701  |  Texas  |  United States of America

The Waco Suspension Bridge
Waco Spring
The Waco Suspension Bridge
Going Up The Chisholm Trail
Gerald-Harris Shooting
Brann-Davis Shootings
The Courthouses of McLennan County
McLennan County Courthouse
First Baptist Church of Waco
Doris Miller

• GPX
• KML
• LOC

Have you seen this marker? If so, check in and tell us about it.