DUANE
Duane's take
Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about James Kerr — and friend, this one covers some ground. Now, Kerr County carries a name, and that name belongs to a man who packed about a dozen lifetimes into one. James Kerr.
Born in Kentucky in 1790, raised in Missouri as the son of a Baptist minister. By the time most young men were still figuring out which direction to point themselves, Kerr had already fought in the War of 1812. After that, he turned to the law — became sheriff of St.
Charles County, Missouri. Then came the Missouri Senate. Then the Missouri House of Representatives.
The man did not sit still. In 1818 he married Angeline Caldwell, and in 1825 he received an appointment that would change the shape of Texas history: Surveyor General of the Texas colony of Green DeWitt. He packed up Angeline, their three children, and several slaves, and joined Stephen F.
Austin's Old Three Hundred colony in Brazoria. That August — August of 1825 — he set out to find a site for the DeWitt colony. He found it.
And he named the community he established there Gonzales, in honor of the governor of Coahuila, Mexico. But the frontier does not offer its gifts without taking something in return. By the time Gonzales had a name, Angeline Kerr and two of the children had passed away.
Kerr kept going. That seems to be the throughline of this man's life — he just kept going. He acted as attorney and surveyor for Benjamin Rush Milam in 1827.
He negotiated for peace before the Fredonian Rebellion. He signed a treaty with the Karankawa Indians. He fought other tribes.
He served as the Lavaca delegate at the Convention at San Felipe de Austin in 1832, then sat as a member of the Second and Third Conventions. Two years after that, he married Sarah Fulton. In 1835 he became a major in the Texas Rangers, and in 1836 a major in the Republic of Texas army.
In 1838 his fellow Texans elected him to the Third Texas Congress. His later years found him practicing medicine in Jackson County — because of course he did that too. Why not.
Now here's where the story ties itself into a bow. In 1856, a pioneer named Joshua Brown gave the land around this very site so that the county being formed here could be named for his longtime friend — Texas frontiersman and patriot James Kerr, who had left this world back in 1850, never knowing a county would carry his name. Joshua Brown made sure it would.
And out here on these Hill Country roads, that name is still on every map, every sign, every deed. James Kerr. 1790 to 1850. The man earned it.
What the marker says
(1790-1850) Kentucky native James Kerr, the son of a Baptist minister, was reared in Missouri. Kerr fought in the War of 1812 and was later sheriff of St. Charles County, Missouri. He married Angeline Caldwell in 1818 and served in the Missouri Senate and House of Representatives. Kerr was appointed Surveyor General of the Texas colony of Green DeWitt in 1825. With his wife, three children and several slaves, he joined Stephen F. Austin's "Old Three Hundred" colony in Brazoria. In August 1825 he set out to select a site for the DeWitt colony. Kerr named the community Gonzales in honor of the governor of Coahuila, Mexico. By this time, Angeline Kerr and two of the children had passed away. Kerr was active in area politics and law enforcement during the formative years of the Republic of Texas. He acted as attorney and surveyor for Benjamin Rush Milam in 1827. He negotiated for peace before the Fredonian Rebellion, signed a treaty with the Karankawa Indians and fought other tribes. He was the Lavaca delegate at the Convention at San Felipe de Austin in 1832 and served as a member of the Second and Third Conventions. Two years later, he married Sarah Fulton. He became a major in the Texas Rangers in 1835 and in the Republic of Texas army in 1836. He was elected to the Third Texas Congress in 1838. Kerr's later years were spent practicing medicine in Jackson County. In 1856, pioneer Joshua Brown gave the land around this site in order that Kerr County be named for his longtime friend, Texas frontiersman and patriot James Kerr. (2000)