DUANE
Duane's take
The official marker's the source here, and this is my telling of it. Now settle in, because Fort Bend County has got a name worth remembering — Daniel Perry. Born in 1791 in Mississippi, Perry was the kind of man who seemed to show up right where history was being made, and Texas in 1832 was exactly that kind of place.
He came with his wife Eliza Whitehead and two sons, setting roots in territory that was still very much figuring out what it was going to become. He was widowed not long after, and in 1833 he married Louisa Ann Morton. They built a life together on her inherited land, situated on the David Fitzgerald League, and they had four children between them.
Now, if you think Perry was just a quiet farmer keeping to himself out on that league — well, he wasn't. He joined the Texas Army as a captain and a recruiter. He fought at the Battle of San Jacinto.
Let that sink in a moment. Then, as if that weren't enough, he went on to serve in the Republic of Texas Navy. Land and sea, this man covered the ground — and the water.
In 1837, Perry put his name on the petition for the creation of Fort Bend County itself. Not just living in history, signing it into being. He was a rancher, a farmer, and an administrator of several estates.
His cattle brand was 7P, and if you rode through this county in his day, you'd have known exactly whose cattle those were. He was widowed a second time before marrying Jane Hamblen in 1851. Daniel Perry died in 1869 and was buried in the Duke Cemetery, laid to rest beside Louisa Ann and two of their children.
Three markers in that ground, and one marker here on the road, making sure none of it gets forgotten.
What the marker says
Daniel Perry, an early area settler, was born in 1791 in Mississippi. He came to Texas in 1832 with his wife Eliza Whitehead and two sons. He was widowed and in 1833 married Louisa Ann Morton. They had four chidlren and lived on her inherited land on the David Fitzgerald League. Perry joined the Texas Army as a captain and recruiter. He fought at the Battle of San Jacinto and then served in the Republic of Texas Navy. In 1837, Perry signed the petition for the creation of Fort Bend County. After being widowed again, he married Jane Hamblen in 1851. He was a rancher, farmer and administrator of several estates. His cattle brand was 7P. Perry died in 1869 and was buried in the Duke Cemetery beside Louisa Ann and two of their children. (2008)