Judge Greenleaf Fisk

Duane's take

The way I tell it, I'm going by what the official marker says — so here's the story of Judge Greenleaf Fisk, straight from the record. Now, some men are born into their destiny. Greenleaf Fisk was born in Albany, New York, on May 19, 1807, the son of a Presbyterian minister.

He started down that same road — began preparing for the ministry himself. But somewhere along the way, the Texas frontier called louder than the pulpit. He put down his studies and headed west.

By 1834 he had settled in Bastrop. And Bastrop in 1834 was no quiet parish. Within two years, Fisk had joined a company of volunteers and stood on the field at the Battle of San Jacinto — April 21, 1836.

That's the kind of settling-in that leaves a mark on a man. After San Jacinto, Fisk didn't hang up his civic ambitions. He was elected to the Senate of the Republic of Texas.

Then, in the 1840s, he moved his family up to a log house on the South San Gabriel River, near what is present-day Leander. Williamson County was organized in 1848, and when it needed its first chief justice — that's what they called the county judge back then — they turned to Greenleaf Fisk. He'd already held the same office in Bastrop County, so the man knew the work.

Now here's the detail that makes you stop and reconsider your own morning commute. It is said that Fisk often walked the eleven or twelve miles from his home to the courthouse in Georgetown. Walked it.

The first chief justice of Williamson County, hoofing it down the road in what I can only imagine was not ideal footwear. The marker doesn't say why. It just says he did it.

And honestly, that tells you more about the man than most speeches could. Fisk was also a surveyor, and his name is written into many of the land records of Williamson County — literally inscribed in the record of the place he helped shape. In 1860 he moved on again, this time to Brown County.

He served as county judge there too, and held other county offices. He donated sixty acres for the townsite of Brownwood, and gave additional acreage for county use. A man who gave away land so a town could exist.

His grave is in Brownwood's Greenleaf Cemetery — a cemetery that carries his name into the present. Fisk was first married to Mary Manlove, who is buried near Leander. After her death, he married Mary Hawkins.

Between those two lives, he had fifteen children. He died on January 26, 1888. From Albany, New York, to the log houses of the South San Gabriel River, to the survey lines and courtrooms of two Texas counties — Greenleaf Fisk walked a long road.

Some of it, as we know, quite literally on foot.

What the marker says

(May 19, 1807 - Jan. 26, 1888) Born in Albany, New York, Greenleaf Fisk was the son of a Presbyterian minister. He began preparation for the ministry himself but left his studies to migrate to the Texas frontier. In 1834 he settled in Bastrop. There he joined a company of volunteers and fought at the Battle of San Jacinto, April 21, 1836. Later he was elected to the Republic of Texas Senate. In the 1840s Fisk moved his family to a log house on the South San Gabriel River near present Leander. When Williamson County was organized in 1848, Fisk was the first "chief justice," as the office of county judge was then called, a position he had held in Bastrop County. It is said that he often waled the 11 or 12 miles from his home to the courthouse in Georgetown. Fisk was also a surveyor, and many land records in Williamson County bear his name. In 1860 Fisk moved to Brown County, where he again served as county judge and held other county offices. He donated 60 acres for the townsite of Brownwood and additional acreage for county use. His grave is in Brownwood's Greenleaf Cemetery. Fisk was married first to Mary Manlove, who is buried near Leander. After her death, he married Mary Hawkins. He had 15 children. (1976)