Wilbur Cherry

Duane's take

The way the official marker tells it, here's the story of Wilbur Cherry. Born in New Haven, New York, on January 4, 1820, this man packed a whole lot of living into a life that touched two continents and one very young republic. When 1836 rolled around, Wilbur Cherry was serving in the Texas army.

Think about that for a moment. The Republic of Texas itself was brand new, still finding its footing, and there was Wilbur Cherry, present for it. Then, years later, in 1843, he purchased the Galveston News.

A soldier turned newspaper man, with ink and newsprint trading places with whatever a young soldier carried. He died on June 19, 1873, in a city that had grown up considerably since those army days. Now, the marker doesn't let Wilbur Cherry stand alone in its telling.

It makes room, and rightly so, for Catherine Crosby French Cherry. She was born in Sligo, Ireland, on February 22, 1826, which means her story began on a different shore entirely before it found its way to Galveston. She outlasted her husband by many years, living on until February 15, 1909.

Two people, two very different starting points on the map, one marker on the Texas coast that holds both their names together. That's the kind of arithmetic even a Texas road doesn't argue with.

What the marker says

Served in the Texas army, 1836. Purchased the "Galveston News" 1843. Born in New Haven, N. Y. January 4, 1820; died June 19, 1873. His wife Catherine Crosby French Cherry born in Sligo, Ireland, February 22, 1826; died February 15, 1909.