DUANE
Duane's take
Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'll do my best to do it justice. Now, some men drift into history quiet as creek water. Edward Thomas Branch was not one of those men.
Born December 6, 1811, in Virginia, he made his way to Texas in 1835 and put down roots in Liberty — and from that moment on, the man was everywhere at once. Within a year of arriving, he was fighting at the Battle of San Jacinto as a first sergeant in the Texas Volunteers. He stayed in the army as a second lieutenant until October 1836, then traded his uniform for a seat in the House of Representatives — elected to represent Liberty County in not one but both the first and second congresses of the Republic of Texas, running from 1836 to 1838.
Now here's where the story picks up pace. In 1838, the same year he won election as judge of the Fifth Judicial District — a district that stretched across Red River, Houston, Nacogdoches, Shelby, and Fannin counties, which is a whole lot of Texas to be responsible for — he also married Anne Cleveland Wharton, daughter of Texas pioneer statesman William H. Wharton.
The wedding was August 15, 1838. That is a man who did not believe in doing one thing at a time. He had moved to Nacogdoches to take that judgeship, but by 1840 he resigned from the bench and made his way back to Liberty.
Postmaster from 1842 to 1843. Then in 1846, elected again — this time to represent Liberty County in the first Legislature of the State of Texas, and he served as speaker of the House of Representatives, at least for a brief period. When he wasn't holding office, he was farming, practicing law, staying involved in his community.
He was a charter member of the Liberty Masonic Lodge when it was organized in 1848. Edward Thomas Branch was born December 6, 1811, and died September 22, 1861 — a Virginia man who came to Texas in 1835 and spent the rest of his days leaving his mark on just about every institution Liberty County had to offer. Some men settle a place.
Branch helped build one.
What the marker says
(December 6, 1811 - September 22, 1861) Virginia native Edward Thomas Branch came to Texas in 1835 and settled in Liberty. As a first sergeant in the Texas Volunteers, he participated in the Battle of San Jacinto, and remained in the army as a second lieutenant until October 1836. He later served as a lieutenant colonel in the Texas militia. Branch was elected to represent Liberty County in the House of Representatives of the first and second congresses of the Republic of Texas (1836-1838). He moved to Nacogdoches in 1838 after he was elected judge of the Fifth Judicial District, comprised of Red River, Houston, Nacogdoches, Shelby, and Fannin counties. Resigning from the bench in 1840, he returned to Liberty, where he was postmaster from 1842 to 1843. In 1846 he was elected to represent Liberty County in the first Legislature of the State of Texas and served as speaker of the House of Representatives for a brief period. Branch married Anne Cleveland Wharton, daughter of texas pioneer statesman William H. Wharton, on August 15, 1838. When not occupied by public business he was involved in farming, community activities, and the practice of law. Branch was a charter member of the Liberty Masonic Lodge, organized in 1848. (1992)