John Sadler

Duane's take

The way I tell it, this comes straight from the official marker for John Sadler, out of Limestone County, and I'm not adding a single word the stone didn't earn. John Sadler came into this world on May 24, 1811, and he came into Texas in 1833, which tells you something right there about the kind of man he was. Texas in 1833 was not a destination for the faint of heart.

It was a proposition, a gamble, a place still figuring out what it wanted to be. And John Sadler walked right into it. Then the War for Independence came calling, and Sadler answered.

He served as a volunteer, under Captain William Ware's Company, and he was there. At San Jacinto. If you know Texas history, you feel the weight of that.

If you're just learning it, let me tell you, San Jacinto is the name that echoes. That is where Texas became Texas. And John Sadler was standing in it, a volunteer, doing what needed doing.

He lived out the rest of his days and died on April 18, 1885. Now here is where the story gets quiet and tender. His wife, Bashie Lindley Sadler, born March 5, 1811, the very same year as John, died October 17, 1885, just six months after her husband.

Two people born in the same year, buried in the same year. Some stories don't need any embellishment. The State of Texas erected this marker in 1962, making sure nobody drives past Limestone County without knowing that John Sadler was here, and that he showed up when it counted.

What the marker says

Born May 24, 1811 came to Texas 1833. Served as a volunteer in the Texas War for Independence, in Captain William Ware's Company at San Jacinto. Died April 18, 1885. His wife Bashie Lindley Sadler born March 5, 1811, died October 17, 1885. Erected by the State of Texas, 1962