DUANE
Duane's take
Here's what the official marker on John P. Simpson has to say, and I'll do my best to tell it right. Now, most towns got a founding story that starts with a name everybody knows — a general, a politician, somebody who made a lot of noise.
But Fannin County's story has a quieter hero tucked inside it, and his name was John P. Simpson. Born October 17, 1806, in Tennessee, Simpson made his way to Texas around 1837.
And friend, that was not a gentle moment to show up. Texas was raw, the borders were contested, and the map was still more ambition than fact. But Simpson didn't flinch.
That very same year he arrived, he signed the petition to create Fannin County. Just walked into the territory and immediately started helping build the place. He farmed his land in the area and dug in for the long haul.
Then came the offices. In the 1840s and 1850s, Simpson served as county sheriff — which in those years was not exactly a desk job — and then as county judge, a position the law at the time called the chief justice. So the man knew his way around both a badge and a bench.
But here's the part that'll stick with you. Simpson donated land. Land that became Bonham's downtown commercial district.
Land that became the courthouse square. Think about that the next time you're standin' in the middle of Bonham — the ground under your boots may well be Simpson's gift to that town. And if all that wasn't enough, he also served a time as head of the Fannin Guards, the outfit that provided frontier defense for the region.
Sheriff, judge, land donor, militia leader — John P. Simpson spent the formative years of this county building it from the inside out. He passed on January 13, 1884.
The county he helped petition into existence is still here. So is the square he gave it.
What the marker says
(Oct. 17, 1806 - Jan. 13, 1884) Significant for his contributions to the formative years of Bonham and Fannin County, Tennessee native John P. Simpson arrived in Texas about 1837. In that year he signed the petition to create Fannin County and began to farm his land in this area. An early elected official, Simpson served as county sheriff and as county judge (then called the chief justice) in the 1840s and 1850s. He donated land that became Bonham's downtown commercial district and the courthouse square. Simpson also served a time as head of the Fannin Guards, which provided frontier defense for this region. Recorded - 2001