Mary was widowed and she moved to Texas by February 1832. Radford Berry, alcalde and commissioner of Nacogdoches, signed a document on 26 Oct 1835 that said that Mary "Vanwinke" was a Christian lady with a family who entered Nacogdoches in the year 1832. On the same day, John Walling signed a similar document about "Mary Vanwinke". On the same day, Stephen George signed a similar certificate about Josiah Thomas.
In June 1838 Mary Vanwinkle signed a document stating:
"This is to certify that Absalom Gibson a Deputy Surveyor of the County of Nacogdoches has surveyed for me one labor of land situated about twenty miles North of Nacogdoches and the beginning corner being 4700 varas distant and bearing S 13 degrees W from the South Most corner of a Survey of one labor of land located in the name of Manuel Antonio Romses [?] and Sold by Isaac Need [?] to Wm Wooton --Being part of the land to which I am entitled by virtue of Certificate No 448 issued by the board of land commissioning for the County of Nacogdoches for one league and one labor of land.
Given under my hand this ____ day of June 1838.
Williams Settlement - Nacogdoches County
Mary (her mark) Vanwinkle."
Mary and her second husband, John Monroe Chisum, sold the land that she had obtained by virtue of Certificate No. 448, and Mary signed every document for the sale.
In Oklahoma, Polly was called "Pistol Packing Polly" because she always carried a pistol in her apron pocket. She was afraid of rattlesnakes, and her aim was so accurate that she could shoot the head off a rattler before it could coil to strike.
