The sign at the base of this daughter Deaf Smith Oak Tree reads as follows:
"This oak tree was grown from an acorn saved from the Deaf Smith tree which stood for almost 180 years on what is now the Circle N Dairy, about 300 years from FM 775, neat the Wilson-Guadalupe County line. In 1835, high up in that tall oak, where one could see far and wide, Erastus "Deaf" Smith, a scout for Gen. Sam Houston, is reported to have spied on Santa Anna's troops which were camped nearby, where the Gonzales Road crossed the Cibolo Creek about one mile from here.
The acorn was grown into a sapling by Iris and Skipper Seale, who transplanted it here on Nov. 18, 2007." There is a seal of the La Vernia Historical Association on the bottom right corner of this sign."
Deaf Smith did have some hearing loss due to a childhood illness but was not completely without hearing. He came to Texas briefly in 1817 but returned to Texas in 1821 where he stayed, married, and had children. During the Texas Revolution from Mexico, Smith escorted Angelina E. Dickenson and her infant girl from the Alamo after Santa Anna spared her life and sent her to tell Sam Houston of the defeat of the Alamo.
Smith was made a Captain and was an excellent scout/spy for General Sam Houston. During this conflict with the Mexican army lead by Santa Anna, Erastus Deaf Smith did a lot of information gathering about the Mexican troop movements. It was during this time that he was in the area of La Vernia and climbed into the tall oak tree and was able to spy on the Mexican Army's camp and their troop movements. Later he was a valuable assess during the battle at San Jacinto where Santa Anna was finally captured, partly because Captain Erastus Deaf Smith and his company of men had destroyed the bridge that prevented Santa Anna from escaping. After Texas gained its independence, Deaf Smith formed a company of Texas Rangers and lead them to uphold the peace against both Anglo criminal behavior and Native American raids on settlers moving into Texas.
The story of Erastus Deaf Smith climbing up to the top of the oak tree in a field in La Vernia, TX to spy on the Mexican soldiers is discussed in at least three books about famous trees in Texas. The reference material is as follows:
"Famous Trees of Texas" copyright 1970, edited by John A. Haislet, published by Texas Forest Service. Deaf Smith Oak, pages 154-155.
"Living Witness : Historic Trees of Texas" copyright 2012, edited by Ralph Yznaga, published by Texas A&M University Press, pages 82-85.
"FamousTrees of Texas" copyright 2015, edited by Grethen Riley and Peter D. Smith, published by Texas A&M University Press, pages 42-44.
Link to information about the life history of Erastus Deaf Smith by the Texas State Historical Association:
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visit link)