DUANE
Duane's take
The marker tells it this way, and I'm just the voice carryin' it forward. Her name was Helena Dill Berryman, born September 8, 1804, and if tradition holds — and in Texas, tradition has a way of holdin' real firm — she was the first Anglo child born in this state. Let that settle for a moment.
The whole vast enterprise of Texas, and a little girl named Helena Dill arrives at the very front of it. She grew up in Nacogdoches back when Spain still ruled the land, which means the world she was born into was one world, and the world she came of age in was shifting into something else entirely. That's a lot of change to witness before you're even grown.
In 1823, she married a man by the name of Lieutenant Henry Berryman. In time, the two of them moved to an estate she had inherited in what is now Cherokee County. And in 1847, they built a log home out there and gave it a name with a certain quiet elegance — Forest Hill.
That wasn't just a house. At Forest Hill, Helena entertained many noted Texans, took an active part in the county's development, and built a life that reached well beyond her own family's four walls. She and Henry had five children together, though only three lived to adulthood — and if you've spent any time with the history of this land, you know that grief like that was common, and it was never small.
Then her husband died. And here is where Helena Dill Berryman's story takes a turn that'll make you sit back and reconsider what one person is capable of. After his death, she raised thirty orphans.
Not one, not a handful — thirty. She lived until March 13, 1888, and by then she had outlasted a Spanish colony, a Republic, a Civil War, and a whole lot of Texas turbulence. The first Anglo child born in Texas, they say, spent her life making sure other children had somewhere to belong.
That's not just tradition worth keepin'. That's a life worth tellin'.
What the marker says
Helena Dill Berryman (September 8, 1804 -- March 13, 1888) first Anglo child born in Texas, according to tradition. Grew up in Nacogdoches when it was ruled by Spain. Married Lt. Henry Berryman in 1823. They moved later to the estate she inherited in present Cherokee County. Built log home in 1847, named it "Forest Hill." There entertained many noted Texans. Took active part in county development. Had 5 children; 3 lived to adulthood. After death of husband, reared 30 orphans.