DUANE
Duane's take
Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'll do my best to do it justice. Now, some men drift through history and leave barely a footprint. And then there's John Rice Jones — a man who managed to show up at just about every important moment Texas had to offer.
He was born in Kaskaskia, Illinois, on January 8, 1792. That's the beginning of the story, though Illinois had no idea at the time what kind of chapter it was opening. In 1831, Jones came to Texas.
And he didn't just arrive — he arrived at exactly the right moment, because Texas was fixing to need a lot of people who knew how to get things done. By 1835, he was serving in the army. Now that takes a certain kind of nerve, stepping into that particular fire.
But before too long, somebody noticed Jones had more to offer than a rifle. They chose him postmaster general of the provisional government of Texas in 1836. Think about that.
The Republic wasn't even fully formed yet, and someone had to make sure the mail moved — which, in a land that size, with stakes that high, was no small matter. And he stayed at it. On December 14, 1839, he was appointed postmaster general of the Republic of Texas.
Not the provisional government this time — the Republic itself. Official. Permanent.
The real thing. John Rice Jones died in Fayette County, Texas, in 1845. He'd come a long way from Kaskaskia, Illinois — and he'd carried the mail for a whole new nation along the way.
The State of Texas erected this marker in 1936, making sure nobody forgets the man who kept the Republic connected, one letter at a time.
What the marker says
Born in Kaskaskia, Illinois January 8, 1792. Came to Texas in 1831. Served in the army in 1835 until he was chosen postmaster general of the provisional government of Texas, 1836. Appointed postmaster general of the Republic December 14, 1839. Died in Fayette County, Texas, 1845. Erected by the State of Texas 1936