DUANE
Duane's take
Here's how the official marker tells it — the story of Moses Baine, as recorded in Washington County. Now settle in, because this one travels some miles before it's done. Moses Baine was a native of Ireland who made his way to the United States in 1819.
Twelve years later — twelve years of building a life in a new country — he and his wife, Cecilia, born Inglesby, made a decision that a lot of bold people were makin' at the time. In 1830, the Baines joined Stephen F. Austin's colony at San Felipe.
That right there tells you something about the man. San Felipe wasn't exactly a rocking chair on a quiet porch. It was a frontier proposition.
Then came San Jacinto. Moses Baine stood in that battle, a veteran of one of the most consequential fights on Texas soil. And when it was over, he didn't drift.
In 1837 he established a permanent home near Brenham — put down roots in Washington County and meant it. But a man like Moses Baine apparently couldn't stay still for too long. He joined the Somervell Expedition as a member of the Republic of Texas army — another chapter, another march, another hard thing asked of him.
And then, in 1843, he came back home. Back to Washington County, back to Cecilia, back to the land near Brenham. And you know what Moses Baine did with the rest of his days?
He became a successful stock raiser and farmer. From Ireland to the United States, from a colony on the frontier to a battlefield, from an expedition into uncertain country — all of it leading back to a piece of Texas ground he could call his own. That's a life that covered some territory.
What the marker says
A native of Ireland, Moses Baine came to the United States in 1819. In 1830 Baine and his wife, Cecilia (Inglesby), joined Stephen F. Austin's colony at San Felipe. A veteran of the Battle of San Jacinto, Baine established a permanent home near Brenham in 1837. He later participated in the Somervell Expedition as a member of the Republic of Texas army. Baine returned to his home in 1843 and became a successful stock raiser and farmer.