DUANE
Duane's take
Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say — and friend, this one's got layers. Settle in. David and Sarah Davis Breeding packed up their lives in Kentucky and came to Texas in 1833, settling right here in Fayette County with five sons in tow — John, Richard L., Napoleon B., Fidelio S., and Benjamin W.
Five sons. Now, you might think arriving in unsettled Texas with that crew was the bold move. And it was.
But the story was just getting started. Because John, Napoleon, and Fidelio Breeding — three of those five boys — fought in the Texas Army during the War for Independence. And they weren't just along for the march.
They were there on April 21, 1836, at San Jacinto. The victory at San Jacinto. You know the one.
Two years later, in 1838, the family was still building something. David Breeding sat on the board of Land Commissioners of Fayette County. And his son John?
John became the first county sheriff, also taking office in 1838. Father on the commission, son wearing the badge. The Breedings were not people who stood on the sidelines.
The family cemetery opened in 1843 with the burial of David Breeding himself. Sarah and John Breeding also lie there. Three of the people who built so much of what this county became rest on this very land.
But here's the detail I want you to hold onto, because it might be the most remarkable of all. Before San Jacinto, before the sheriff's office, before the land commission — back in 1834, just one year after the Breedings arrived — a school session was held in a log house on Breeding's land. The first known school session in Fayette County.
Taught by a Mr. Rutland. Now who showed up to learn?
Edward, George, Gus, and James Breeding — orphan nephews of David Breeding. Alongside them: Lyman Alexander, Patsie Dougherty, Marian and Sally York, and a girl named Emily Alexander. Emily Alexander, who would later become Mrs.
Joel Robison — wife of one of the men who captured Santa Anna himself. She was sitting in that log schoolhouse in 1834. Think about that.
Emily's father, Sam Alexander, kept four of the students as boarders. But the one that really gets me is Captain Jesse Burnham — or Burnam, the marker gives you both spellings and doesn't take sides. Captain Burnham brought his children fifteen miles to attend that school.
Fifteen miles. And when they got there, he built a shed tent with a long bedstead so the girls would have somewhere to sleep. The boys slept under the trees.
A log house. A Mr. Rutland at the front of the room.
Children sleeping under the trees. That's where education in Fayette County began. The Breedings came from Kentucky in 1833 with five boys and a determination to put down roots in hard ground.
By 1834 there was a school. By 1836 three of those sons had fought at San Jacinto. By 1838 a Breeding was on the land commission and another was the county's first sheriff.
By 1843 this cemetery opened its arms to the man who started it all. Some families leave a mark. The Breedings left a county.
What the marker says
David and Sarah Davis Breeding came to Texas from Kentucky and settled here in 1833 with sons John, Richard L., Napoleon B., Fidelio S., and Benjamin W.; John, Napoleon, and Fidelio Breeding fought in Texas Army during the War for Independence, participating in the victory at San Jacinto on April 21, 1836. IN 1838 David Breeding was a member of the board of Land Commissioners of Fayette County. John was the first county sheriff, also taking office in 1838. Family cemetery was opened with burial of David Breeding, 1843. Sarah and John Breeding also lie here. In a log house on Breeding's land, the first known school session in Fayette County was taught in 1834 by a Mr. Rutland. Attending were Edward, George, Gus, and James Breeding, orphan nephews of David Breeding; Lyman Alexander, Patsie Dougherty, Marian and Sally York, and Emily Alexander (later Mrs. Joel Robison, wife of one of the captors of Santa Anna), whose father Sam Alexander kept four students as boarders. Capt. Jesse Burnham (or Burnam) brought his children 15 miles and built a shed tent with a long bedstead for the girls; the boys slept under the trees. Incise in base: Marker Sponsor: Fayette County Historical Survey Committee and Seth D. Breeding.