DOUGLASS, KELSEY HARRIS (?-1840). Kelsey Harris Douglass, Nacogdoches merchant and Republic of Texas congressman, came to Texas sometime before the Texas Revolution. In March 1836 he sold several large orders of apparel and dry goods to the Texas army. He issued paper notes in Nacogdoches, payable either at his store or at his office in New Orleans. These notes circulated at or near par alongside Republic of Texas currency. In 1837-38 he represented Nacogdoches County in the House of the Second Congress in Houston. He joined Col. Edward Burleson, who along with his volunteers from East Texas, succeeded in pushing the Cherokee Indians from Texas. Douglass was in command at the battle of the Neches. He was also a charter member of the Masonic Grand Lodge of Texas. He married Minerva Benton. He died in Nacogdoches on October 4, 1840, and is buried in Oak Grove Cemetery. His wife went bankrupt paying off his debts and currency after his sudden death. The town of Douglass is named in his honor.
BIBLIOGRAPHY: Texas House of Representatives, Biographical Directory of the Texan Conventions and Congresses, 1832-1845 (Austin: Book Exchange, 1941).
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