DUANE
Duane's take
Here's what the official marker has to say, and I'll do my best to do it justice. Now, not every man gets a whole Texas county named after him, but then again, not every man was George Wilkins Kendall. Born on August 22, 1809, up in New Hampshire — about as far from Texas hill country as you can get without falling into the Atlantic — Kendall spent his early life chasing stories.
He was a journalist by profession, and a serious one at that. In 1837, he co-founded the New Orleans Picayune, which tells you something right there about the kind of ambition the man was carrying around. But if you think starting a newspaper was the peak of his adventures, well, you haven't heard the rest.
Kendall rode out with the 1841 Texan Santa Fe Expedition — and whatever he saw on that journey, it was enough to put it in a book. Then came the Mexican War, and he wrote about that too, chronicling his experiences for anyone willing to sit down and read. The man had a gift for bearing witness.
Then came 1857, and something shifted. George Wilkins Kendall, the New Hampshire boy turned New Orleans newsman turned expedition chronicler, moved to this area of Texas and became a sheep rancher. You can't script a turn like that.
He threw himself into it, though — his promotional efforts led to growth and development of the county around him. And in 1862, the Texas Legislature took note and named that county for him. Kendall County.
He passed on October 21, 1867, but the county bearing his name has been here ever since. Some men write history. George Wilkins Kendall wrote it down first, then went and made a little more of it himself.
What the marker says
(August 22, 1809 - October 21, 1867) A native of New Hampshire, George Wilkins Kendall was a journalist by profession. He was co-founder of the New Orleans "Picayune" newspaper in 1837. Kendall later wrote books chronicling his experiences with the 1841 Texan Santa Fe Expedition and the Mexican War. He moved to this area in 1857 and became a sheep rancher. His promotional efforts led to growth and development of the county, which was named for him in 1862. Recorded - 1989