DUANE
Duane's take
Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about General Edward H. Tarrant. Now settle in, because this man covered more ground than a tumbleweed in a West Texas windstorm — and I mean that in the most literal sense possible.
South Carolina to Kentucky to Tennessee to Texas, and that's just the first half of the story. Edward H. Tarrant enlisted in the Kentucky Militia in 1814 and served under General Andrew Jackson himself at the Battle of New Orleans.
After 1816 he moved to Tennessee, where he rose to Colonel of the Henry County Militia and served as County Sheriff. The man was not one for sitting still. Then November 1835 rolls around, and Tarrant arrives in Texas, settling in Red River County — right in the thick of a republic that hadn't quite figured out what it was yet.
He served in the Republic of Texas Congress, and by 1839 he was a Brigadier General in the Texas Militia. Two years later, in 1841, he commanded the Texas Rangers at the Battle of Village Creek — right here in what we now call Tarrant County. And in 1843, alongside George W.
Terrell, he negotiated treaties with many of the Texas Indian tribes at Bird's Fort. A soldier, yes, but also a man sent to the table to talk. By 1845 he was representing Bowie County at the Annexation Convention — present for the moment Texas decided to join this Union.
Come February 1846, he'd moved again, this time to Navarro County, where he became Chief Justice and was elected to the 3rd and 4th Texas Legislatures. And still he wasn't done. In the 1850s, Tarrant was out on the frontier commanding Texas Rangers at Fort Belknap.
Edward H. Tarrant died in Parker County in 1858 and was buried there. The following year, his remains were moved to his farm in Ellis County.
Then in 1928, the Daughters of the Republic of Texas brought him here for his final rest. Tarrant County was created in 1849 and named in his honor — a whole county carrying the name of a man who never could stay put, but always showed up exactly where Texas needed him.
What the marker says
South Carolina native Edward H. Tarrant enlisted in the Kentucky Militia in 1814 and served under Gen. Andrew Jackson in the Battle of New Orleans. Moving to Tennessee after 1816, he was elected Colonel of the Henry County Militia and served as County Sheriff. Tarrant arrived in Texas in November 1835, settling in Red River County. He served in the Republic of Texas Congress and became a Brigadier General in the Texas Militia in 1839. He commanded the Texas Rangers at the Battle of Village Creek in present Tarrant County in 1841 and, with George W. Terrell, negotiated treaties with many of the Texas Indian tribes at Bird's Fort in 1843. Tarrant represented Bowie County at the Annexation Convention of 1845. By February 1846, he had moved to Navarro County, where he became Chief Justice and was elected to the 3rd and 4th Texas Legislatures. In the 1850s, Tarrant commanded a force of Texas Rangers defending the frontier at Fort Belknap. He died in Parker County in 1858 and was buried there. The next year, his remains were moved to his farm in Ellis County. In 1928, his body was reinterred here by the Daughters of the Republic of Texas. Tarrant County, created in 1849, was named in his honor.