Arabella Jemima Gray Deaver Harrington was a pioneering settler born around 1768 or possibly 1778 in what is now Burke County, North Carolina. She was the daughter of Lydia Richardson Gray and William Gray. In the early 1790s, she married Nathaniel Deaver, a Revolutionary War veteran, and they moved to Illinois, where they appeared in the 1810 census. That same year, Nathaniel died, leaving Arabella widowed with up to five children. Following his death, she returned to North Carolina and later moved through Missouri and Arkansas before heading to Texas. Along the way, she married John William Harrington, who died in a sawmill accident during their journey.

Arabella arrived in Texas around 1826 and settled in Washington-on-the-Brazos. She received a Mexican land grant in 1831 for one league of land on New Year's Creek, which became known as the Arabella Harrington League. She supported herself and her children through farming, cattle raising, midwifery, and hospitality. Her sons William Harvey Deaver and John Walton Harrington served in the Texas Revolutionary Army. In a letter dated October 28, 1842, Arabella described the hardships caused by the Mexican invasions, noting her isolation and her son John's conscription into the army, which left her alone and unable to travel.

Later in life, Arabella sold a 100-acre tract called Hickory Grove to Jesse Farral and James Hurt, which became the foundation for downtown Brenham. She built her home on a hill south of the town and was a founding member of the Brenham Methodist Church in 1844. Arabella Jemima Gray Deaver Harrington passed away in April 1860 in Brenham and was buried in Walker Cemetery, leaving behind a legacy of resilience and contribution to early Texas settlement.