DUANE
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Duane's take
Here's my telling of what the official marker says about James Alfred Head. Now settle in, because this man packed about four different lives into one. Born in Georgia in 1797, James Alfred Head made his way to Texas in 1835, and he didn't ease into things.
He enlisted at San Felipe de Austin, in Silas Parker's ranging company, which means he was a Texas Ranger before there was even a Texas to range for. He secured a land grant at Sarahsville de Viesca, and he was already building something. He fought in the War for Independence, came out the other side, and kept right on going.
He and his wife, Elizabeth, born a Seale, settled in what is now Brazos County and farmed. By 1841 he was serving as Justice of the Peace, which tells you something about how a community saw the man. Later that same year, he was elected to the Sixth Congress of the Republic of Texas.
Ranger, farmer, legislator. He wasn't done. He served as Chief Justice of Brazos County from 1848 to 1851.
And by 1852, James Alfred Head was farming seventeen thousand eight hundred acres spread across Robertson and Limestone counties. Seventeen thousand eight hundred acres. That is not a farm.
That is a kingdom with crops. He and Elizabeth raised thirteen children together, and he died at a place called Headsville in 1872. When a town carries your name, you didn't just pass through Texas.
You left a mark on it.
What the marker says
James A. Head was a Texas Ranger, veteran of the War for Independence, and Republic of Texas legislator. Born in Georgia in 1797, he moved to Texas in 1835, enlisting at San Felipe de Austin in Silas Parker’s ranging company and securing a land grant at Sarahsville de Viesca. With wife Elizabeth (Seale) Head, he farmed in what is now Brazos County, serving as Justice of the Peace in 1841. Later that year he was elected to the Sixth Congress of the Republic of Texas and served as Chief Justice of Brazos County, 1848-51. By 1852 Head farmed 17,800 acres in Robertson and Limestone counties. He died at Headsville in 1872. James Alfred and Elizabeth Head had 13 children.