(October 25, 1809 -- August 25, 1857) ' Maryland native John Lawrence Hall lived in New Orleans before coming to Texas in 1831. Hall served in the Texas Army (1835-36), Republic of Texas Army (1841), and in the Mexican War (1846). He added to the land grants he received for military service and became a successful land speculator. A Mason and a friend of President Sam Houston, Hall owned a thriving hotel in Crockett during the 1850s, and was among the signers of a petition to create Houston County. Sesquicentennial of Texas Statehood 1845-1995