Mary Ann Kent Byas Chambers Morriss

Duane's take

The official marker tells it this way, and I'm just Duane, passing it along. Now, some people are defined by one hard chapter in their lives. Mary Ann Kent Byas Chambers Morriss was defined by about a dozen of them — and she outlasted every single one.

She came into the world in 1827, born in Calloway County, Missouri, to Andrew and Elizabeth Kent — Elizabeth being a Zumwalt before she married. When Mary Ann was just three years old, the family pulled up roots and moved to Texas, settling in Gonzales in 1830. Andrew Kent was a carpenter, a farmer, a rancher — a man who could turn his hand to most anything.

And when the moment came that Texas called men to fight, he answered. Andrew Kent joined the fight for Texas independence. He was killed at the Battle of the Alamo.

Let that sit a moment. Soon after that, the Kent family found themselves swept up in the Runaway Scrape — fleeing Gonzales under the orders of General Sam Houston, part of that long frightened wave of families moving ahead of the Mexican army. But the war ended.

And eventually, the Kents made their way back home, to their place on the Lavaca River. Mary Ann was growing up fast in a world that didn't give much room for childhood. By 1845, she was eighteen and she married William Byas, a freighter.

While William worked the freight routes, Mary Ann ran the farm and raised their household of seven children. She was the anchor of that operation, and by all the evidence, she held it together. Then came the Civil War.

William served in the Confederacy. He came home in 1864 — and died shortly afterwards. Mary Ann was left with a large family to support and a hard set of choices to make.

She sold much of her property. And in 1869, when a malaria outbreak struck the area, she loaded up her family and moved them west, near waters west of Johnson Creek, about two miles below what is present-day Mountain Home. That creek became known as Byas Branch.

Mary Ann and her children were among the earliest settlers in that country. Now, you might think that moving to fresh land would mean a fresh start. And it did — mostly.

But the early 1870s brought a typhoid fever epidemic through that region, and it took the lives of four of Mary Ann's children. Four. The kind of grief that would flatten most people.

She kept going. In 1879, Mary Ann married Robert Chambers, a farmer and blacksmith. He passed away a year later.

In 1881, she married her third husband, John Morriss — folks called him Pap. The two of them moved to land near Schumacher Crossing on the Guadalupe River, south of Hunt. John Morriss died in 1897.

By now Mary Ann had buried a father at the Alamo, a husband just home from war, two more husbands, and four of her own children. She had fled under military orders, survived malaria and typhoid, and carved a life out of the Hill Country scrub. And still — still — she stayed.

Right there in her log cabin, long after most folks would have gone somewhere easier. She lost her sight. She lost much of her hearing.

And visitors kept coming anyway — coming to sit with this woman and hear her tell of life in early Texas. Because who better to tell it? In 1917, Mary Ann died.

Her family buried her in Nichols Cemetery. The marker calls her a noted pioneer who braved the hardships of the turbulent early years in Texas history. That's accurate enough.

But what strikes me is the later years too — the decades after the frontier, when the hard times didn't stop but she didn't either. Sitting in that log cabin, half-blind, half-deaf, still telling the story. That's the kind of Texan they don't make monuments big enough for.

What the marker says

Early Texas pioneer Mary Ann Kent was born in Missouri (Calloway Co.) in 1827 to Andrew and Elizabeth (Zumwalt) Kent. Their family moved to Texas in 1830, settling in Gonzales. Andrew was a carpenter, farmer and rancher before joining in the fight for Texas independence. He was killed at the Battle of the Alamo. Soon afterwards, the Kent family joined in the Runaway Scrape, fleeing Gonzales under the orders of Gen. Sam Houston. After the war, the Kent family eventually returned to their home on the Lavaca River.In 1845, Mary Ann married William Byas, a freighter. She managed their farm and household of seven children. In 1864, William returned from serving in the Confederacy during the Civil War, but died shortly afterwards. With a large family to support, Mary Ann sold much of her property and in 1869, after a malaria outbreak, moved her family near waters west of Johnson Creek, about two miles below present day Mountain Home. This creek became known as Byas Branch. Mary Ann and her children were among the earliest settlers in the area.In the early 1870s, a typhoid fever epidemic took the lives of four of Mary Ann's children. In 1879, Mary Ann married Robert Chambers, a farmer and blacksmith; he passed away a year later. In 1881, she wedded her third husband, John " Pap" Morriss. Afterwards, the two moved to land near Schumacher Crossing on the Guadalupe River south of Hunt. John Morriss died in 1897. Although she lost her sight and much of her hearing, Mary Ann continued to stay in her log cabin, where many visitors came to hear her tell of life in early Texas. In 1917, Mary Ann died and family buried her in Nichols Cemetery. Today, she is remembered as a noted pioneer who braved the hardships of the turbulent early years in Texas history. (2008)