Thomas Jefferson Pilgrim (December 14, 1804 – October 30, 1877) started the first school in Texas. The town of Pilgrim, Texas

Pilgrim, Texas

Pilgrim, Texas is located in Gonzales County, Texas and has a population of approximately sixty. Pilgrim is situated on land granted to Thomas J. Pilgrim by Stephen F. Austin. Pilgrim, TX is located near a salt flat, and was a notable hideout for John Wesley Hardin in the 1870s. A map shows...

 is named for Thomas J. Pilgrim. Thomas was born to Thomas and Dorcas Pilgrim, in East Haddam, Connecticut

East Haddam, Connecticut

East Haddam is a town in Middlesex County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 8,333 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it is water....

. Thomas attended the Hamilton Literary and Theological Institute at Colgate University

Colgate University

Colgate University is a private liberal arts college in Hamilton, New York, USA. The school was founded in 1819 as a Baptist seminary and later became non-denominational. It is named for the Colgate family who greatly contributed to the university's endowment in the 19th century.Colgate has 52...

. In 1828, Pilgrim heard about the settlements in Texas and left school in New York to travel to Texas in the company of approximately sixty men. The pilgrimage (npi) was led by Elias R. Wightman. Pilgrim arrived at Matagorda, Texas

Matagorda, Texas

Matagorda is an unincorporated community in Matagorda County, Texas, United States. It had a population of approximately 710 in 2000. Matagorda is at the end of State Highway 60 and beginning of Farm to Market Road 2031, which runs over the Intracoastal Waterway and south to the Gulf of Mexico...

. Soon thereafter, Pilgrim served the Austin Colony as a Spanish interpretor. Pilgrim was also a close friend of Stephen F. Austin.

• Started First School in Texas: In the beginning of 1829, Pilgrim founded an all-boys school called the "Austin Academy" which was located in San Felipe de Austin. Pilgrim additionally that year began the first Sunday school in Texas; there the children sat on cut logs inside a log house. Pilgrim's Sunday school was of historical note particularly because the school was in violation of a Mexican law which prohibited Protestant worship.

• Military Participation: In 1836, Pilgrim took part in the capture of a Mexican vessel off the coast of Matagorda. In 1840, Pilgrim fought in the Battle of Plum Creek
  Battle of Plum Creek
  The Battle of Plum Creek was a clash between militia and Rangers of the Republic of Texas and a huge Comanche war party under Chief Buffalo Hump, which took place near Lockhart, Texas, on August 12, 1840, following the Great Raid of 1840 as the Comanche war party returned to West...
  
  .

• Marriages: Pilgrim married Lucy M. Ives in 1839, and they lived in present day Gonzales, Texas
  Gonzales, Texas
  Gonzales is a city in Gonzales County, Texas, United States. The population was 7,202 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Gonzales County.-Geography:Gonzales is located at...
  
  . Lucy died in 1839. In April of 1841, Pilgrim married Sarah Jane Bennett, daughter of Major Valentine Bennett. The Pilgrims had thirteen children, but only seven reached adulthood.

• Contributions: At or about 1847, Pilgrim organized the Gonzales Baptist Church Sunday school that lasted for about thirty years. Pilgrim served as a deacon of that church. Later, during 1850-1860s, Pilgim served as Chairman of the Committee on Sunday Schools for the Baptist state conventions. Pilgrim was also an active Democrat and served as county treasurer and as Justice of the Peace. He died on October 30, 1877, and was buried in Gonzales.

• Legacy: Today the Thomas J. Pilgrim Academy is named for his honor, and that school is part of the Houston Independent School District and located at 6302 Skyline Drive, Houston TX 77057 and listed on Wikipedia under List of Houston Independent School District schools. In 1838, Pilgrim received a Republic of Texas
  Republic of Texas
  The Republic of Texas was an independent nation in North America, bordering the United States and Mexico, that existed from 1836 to 1846.Formed as a break-away republic from Mexico by the Texas Revolution, the state claimed borders that encompassed an area that included all of the present U.S...
  
   land grant in Gonzales County, Texas
  Gonzales County, Texas
  Gonzales County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. In 2000, its population was 18,628. It is named for its seat, the city of Gonzales.-History Timeline:* Paleo-Indians Hunter-gatherers, and later Coahuiltecan, Tonkawa, Karankawa...
  
  . A lake and a settlement on this land were called "Pilgrim." In addition, there were three schools that were part of the Pilgrim Creek School District in the 1880s: 1) Burnett School (established in 1875 and named from another family which had come to the area); Salt Creek School (established in 1878, named for the salt flats in the area); and Lake Grove, (a school then only for blacks established in 1883). The Pilgrim Presbyterian Church and the Pilgrim Cemetery were also named for Thomas J. Pilgrim. A Texas Historical Marker was placed on the road attesting to the history of Pilgrim.