The program for the Dayton Historical Society Monday evening, Oct, 25, was presented by Dr. Luke Chachere and the topic was his Mother’s family ties to early Texas history.
Jon’s maiden name was Belt and her family resided in east Texas near the small town of Chester, close to Colmesneil. Her second great-grandfather, Samuel T. Belt, survived two Indian captures, the inside of a Mexican prison, and a gunshot wound prior to Texas independence from Mexico.
He was a close friend of Ben Milam and established a trading post and ferry crossing at Fort Teran, near Chester, that served as a gateway for travelers going west. His ferry crossing coined the phrase ‘beltway’, a term we still use today.
The next meeting of DHS will be its annual Christmas dinner on Nov. 29.