DUANE
Duane's take
Here's my telling of what the official marker says about James Bradford Pier. Now, not every soldier who fought for Texas independence stood on the front lines at San Jacinto — and the story of J. B.
Pier is proof that the men holding the edges of a battle matter just as much as the men at its center. James Bradford Pier was born on November 23, 1813, in Circleville, Ohio. By 1835, he had packed up his life, taken his wife Lucy — born a Merry — and made the long haul down to Texas.
The Piers settled in Austin County, near the site of an early Texas town called Travis. Not a bad place to put down roots, as it turned out. When the War for Independence came calling, Pier answered.
He served as a member of the Texas Army, and during the Battle of San Jacinto, he was detailed as a rear guard at the camp opposite Harrisburg. That's the unglamorous assignment — holding the line behind, making sure nobody's back door swings open while the fight is raging. It takes a steady man to do that job without flinching, and Pier was apparently that kind of man.
After the war, he didn't exactly slow down. Farmer. Stock raiser.
Teacher. Merchant. He served as Justice of the Peace of Austin County, and he was the first postmaster of the Travis community.
First. You don't get that distinction by being the kind of fellow who waits around to see what happens next. James Bradford Pier died on February 5, 1888, and he rests today in the nearby Travis Cemetery — not far from the land where he and Lucy first planted themselves back in 1835.
A man who came to Texas before it was Texas, held the rear so others could press forward, and then spent decades building something worth guarding in the first place. That's a life with some weight to it.
What the marker says
(Nov. 23, 1813-Feb. 5, 1888) A native of Circleville, Ohio, J. B. Pier came to Texas in 1835 with his wife, Lucy (Merry). The Piers settled in this area near the site of the early Texas town of Travis. Pier served as a member of the Texas Army during the War for Independence. He was detailed as a rear guard at the camp opposite Harrisburg during the Battle of San Jacinto. In later years, he was a farmer, stock raiser, teacher, and merchant. He served as Justice of the Peace of Austin County and was the first postmaster of the Travis community. Pier is buried in the nearby Travis Cemetery. (1985)