George W. Heard
Agency patch
Private

George W. Heard

Texas Rangers — Austin, TX
Felonious
End of Watch August 22, 1841
Age 31
Tour of Duty 1 mo
The Vigil Panel 1 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Private George Heard was shot and killed while on a scouting party 14 miles from Franklin in Robertson County.

Private Heard led the eight-man patrol and followed a trail towards Parker's Fort. They were in a single file while passing an area where two deep ravines joined together when they were attacked by Indians who fired upon them from ambush. Private Heard was struck by three bullets and was killed instantly. The remaining seven rangers could not hold out against the attack and return to camp for reinforcements.

When they returned to the scene of the ambush they discovered that Private Heard had been scalped and mutilated.

He was survived by his wife, daughter, and four sons. He is buried at Franklin.

Survivors

He was survived by his wife, daughter, and four sons.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-TX-45CA1CAD
Stewardship
Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
Added to badge.nw
August 2, 2026
Last updated
August 2, 2026

Honored here by 1 tribute.

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Tributes

185 years is a long time for a name to go unread. Not today.
Private Heard served with the Texas Rangers.
Thank you for your service to the Austin community. Gone but never to be forgotten.

— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993

Agency

Department Texas Rangers
Type Other
Location Austin, TX
Platform Identity tr.travis.tx.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch August 22, 1841
Tour of Duty 1 mo
Age 31
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Weapon Rifle

Private George W. Heard is one of 1 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,772 officers honored here.

In TX, 1,461 of 2,422 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 60.3% of this state's fallen. That is 60.3 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At Texas Rangers, 104 of 122 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 85.2% of this agency's fallen.

Texas Rangers
104
of 122 officers
85.2% Felonious
TX — Statewide
1,461
of 2,422 officers
60.3% Felonious
Nationwide
1
of 97,772 officers
0% Felonious

National Cause Distribution

How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. George W. Heard's cause is highlighted.

Felonious
1 (0%)
Accident
1 (0%)
Illness
1 (0%)
Cardiac
1 (0%)
Undetermined
1 (0%)
Suicide
1 (0%)

How George W. Heard Compares

Age at Death
31
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years
Years of Service
0.1
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 8.4 years

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. George W. Heard is highlighted in Aug.

Jan
1,392
Feb
1,295
Mar
1,373
Apr
1,516
May
1,504
Jun
1,442
Jul
1,587
Aug
1,517
Sep
1,491
Oct
1,371
Nov
1,447
Dec
1,624

Weapons Used Against Officers

Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. George W. Heard was killed by rifle.

Handgun
3,684
Gun
3,592
Gun; Unknown type
1,492
Shotgun
1,109
Rifle
935
Officer's handgun
909

Incident Location