Elijah Houston Douglas was born on the 8th of April 1840 in Wilson County, Tennessee, the second son of Hamilton Douglass and Mary (Gill) Douglass.  He made the move to Texas with his family when many of their friends came west, and he joined Martin's Regiment of the Texas Cavalry for his Civil War service.   

After the war was over the Douglas family dropped the extra “s” from their name.  On January 13, 1864, Elijah married a Wilson County girl who had also moved to Texas with her family, Amanda Ann Wilson.   Amanda was a descendant of David Carroll Wilson, pioneer resident of Wilson County Tennessee.

Elijah and Amanda raised a large family of 10 children and lived in southern Grayson County, Texas.   Some of their descendants live in Van Alstyne today.  

Their children were:  Mary Belle Douglas (1864-1927) who married Lorenzo Miller Davis; Josephine Douglas (1866-1894) who married Will Burge; David Frank Douglas (1868-1951) who married 1) Mary Elizabeth Durning and 2) Bessie Esperson; William Houston Douglas (1871-1890; Wayne Winfield Douglas (1873-1938) who married Lora Maner; Clarence Pearl Douglas (1876-1929) who married Martha Frances Harris;  George Oren Douglas (1878-1952) who married Susan Caroline Harris; Ladonia Douglas(1881-after 1930) who married 1) Van Patrick and 2) Frank Cook; Floyd Elijah Douglas (1884-1943) who married Dovie Patrick; and Oline Douglas (1887-1913) who married Will McCoy.

Elijah died May 19, 1888.  He and Amanda and some of their other relatives are buried in the Douglas/Wilson Cemetery (also known as Hackberry Cemetery), a small cemetery hidden back in the trees about 1/2 mile from the road and on a private farm.   A large gray granite stone can be seen among the trees. This marks Elijah's grave plus that of his wife and two of his children (Josephine and Oline).     Sources: Grayson & Collin Counties, TX, Marriage records for Grayson & Collin Co., TX; Will of Mary A. Douglas;  Census for: 1850 Wilson Co., TN & 1860, 1870 & 1880 for Grayson Co., TX; Cemetery records for Grayson & Collin Co., TX.; and information from Family Records.