DUANE
Duane's take
Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about Captain Jesse Burnam, out in Burnet County. Now, some men leave a mark on a land. Jesse Burnam — and you might see it spelled Burnham depending on which document you're lookin' at — left a mark on just about every chapter Texas had to offer.
He came into this world the youngest of seven children, born in Madison County, Kentucky. In 1812, Jesse married Temperance Null Baker over in Shelbyville, Tennessee, and not long after that he was serving as a private in the Mounted Volunteers of Tennessee in the War of 1812 — from September of 1814 all the way through April of 1815, which means he was right there at the Battle of New Orleans. That's a man who did not shy away from the thick of things.
And he was just getting started. In 1821, Jesse, Temperance, and their family arrived in Texas, settling first at Pecan Point up in Red River County. By 1823, they had made their way into the company of Stephen F.
Austin's legendary Old Three Hundred — the earliest colonists on that frontier. Jesse didn't just settle, mind you. He built a home, a fortified trading post, and a ferry service on the Colorado River.
A man running a fortified trading post on the Colorado River frontier is a man who understood exactly what kind of country he was standing in. Austin took notice. In May of 1824, he commissioned Jesse Burnam as a captain of militia.
The title stuck. Then sorrow came, the way it does on the frontier without much warning. Temperance died in 1833, leaving Jesse with nine children to raise.
He later married Nancy Ross, and together they had seven more children. Sixteen children. Let that settle over you for a moment.
But Jesse Burnam was not a man content to stay home by the fire. He was a delegate to the Conventions of 1832 and 1833, and then again to the Consultation of 1835. When the Texas Revolution came to a boil, he was aiding Colonel James W.
Fannin in gathering volunteers and supplies. And then came a moment that would test any man's resolve. On March 17, 1836, General Sam Houston arrived at Burnam's Crossing.
Houston ordered the ferry burned. The homestead burned. The store burned — all of it — ahead of the advancing Mexican army.
Jesse had built that life with his own hands, and he watched it go up on the orders of a general he was fighting to support. That's the kind of sacrifice that doesn't make it into the short version of the story. Afterward, Jesse served as a Representative in the Republic of Texas' provisional government, and then in its first congress.
The man had fought, lost, built, burned, and governed. In 1855, Jesse and Nancy moved their family to Burnet County, following two older sons who had already settled here. Jesse's land sat southeast of present-day Marble Falls on Double Horn Creek, where he established one of the first sheep raising operations in the area and ran a large wheat farm.
A new frontier, a new chapter. And here's the thing about Jesse Burnam that the marker wants you to know before you drive on: that homestead on Double Horn Creek is still there. Still in the family — fifth generation now.
There's a log cabin, a two-story home, a spring house, and a family cemetery where Jesse and Nancy and others are buried. Some men pass through a land. Jesse Burnam became part of it — and that land held on right back.
What the marker says
Texas Patriot Jesse Burnam (also spelled Burnham), born in Madison county, Kentucky, was the youngest son of seven children. In 1812, Jesse married Temperance Null Baker in Shelbyville, Tennessee. Jesse was a private in the Mounted Volunteers of Tennessee in the War of 1812, serving from Sep. 1814 to Apr. 1815, including the Battle of New Orleans. Jesse, Temperance and family arrived in Texas in 1821, settling at Pecan Point (Red River County). By 1823, they were among Stephen F. Austin’s “Old Three Hundred,” building a home, fortified trading post and ferry service on the Colorado River frontier. Austin commissioned Burnam as a captain of militia in May 1824. Temperance died in 1833, leaving Jesse with nine children. He later married Nancy Ross, who bore him seven more children. Jesse was a delegate to the Conventions of 1832 and 1833 and the Consultation of 1835. He aided Col. James W. Fannin in gathering volunteers and supplies during the Texas Revolution, and Gen. Sam Houston arrived at Burnam’ s Crossing on March 17, 1836, ordering the ferry, homestead and store burned ahead of the advancing Mexican army. Jesse was a Representative in the Republic of Texas’ provisional government and its first congress. Jesse and Nancy moved their family to Burnet County in 1855, following two older sons who had settled here. Jesse’s land was southeast of present-day Marble Falls on Double Horn Creek, where he established one of the first sheep raising operations in the area and a large wheat farm. The historic Burnam homestead, now in the family’s fifth generation, includes a log cabin, two-story home, spring house, and family cemetery where Jesse, Nancy and others are buried.