Born in New York on January 28, 1804, Thomas Henry Borden was a prominent surveyor, inventor, and businessman. Among other achievements, he helped survey the sites of Galveston and Houston, and he was one of Stephen F. Austin's early surveyors for his colony in 1830. In 1835, along with Joseph Baker and his brother Gail Borden Jr., he became one of the founders of the Telegraph and Texas Register, the first Texas newspaper to achieve long-lasting significance. To Galveston, he provided the first windmill and the first local gristmill; he also hosted the initial organization of First Baptist Church at his home in January 1840. After a move to New Orleans and financial success followed by serious losses, he returned to Galveston and died on March 16, 1877. He is buried in Evergreen Cemetery in Galveston.
