Roll of Honor
Incident
After the Republic of Texas was annexed by the United States in 1845, it was the duty of the US Army to control the raiding by Indians into Texas. The defense of the state by the US government was a continuous source of conflict and caused the State of Texas to raise ranging companies to defend its citizens.
On February 5, 1858, William Earbee enlisted in a company of Rangers in Austin who were formed to pursue hostile Indians in North Texas. On May 5, 1858, Private William (Bill) Earbee was accidently killed when his gun discharged when he tied it to his saddle. He was 24 years of age and had been residing in Bastrop, Texas. He had served three months. His commander was Captain John S. (Rip) Ford. No other information is known about him at this time.
On May 12, 1858, his company engaged hostile Indians on the Canadian River in present day Oklahoma where two rangers were killed.
Rest In Peace Brother LEO. Your sacrifice is not forgotten.
Officer Mike Robinson (Ret) Upland Police Dept. CA May 5th, 2018
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-TX-81D98C08- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- April 2, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
168 years is a long time for a name to go unread. Not today.
Private Earbee 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
Service Record
Incident Details
Private William Earbee is one of 10,088 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 31% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In TX, 653 of 2,421 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 27% of this state's fallen. That is 4 percentage points below the national rate of 31%.
At Texas Rangers, 11 of 122 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 9% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. William Earbee's cause is highlighted.
How William Earbee Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. William Earbee is highlighted in May.
Others Who Wore This Badge
121 officers from Texas Rangers are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
