James Taylor White
Anahuac, Chambers County, Texas
Marker Inscription
A veteran of the War of 1812, James Taylor White (b.1789) migrated to this area from Louisiana in 1828. As a rancher, he developed one of the largest herds of Longhorn cattle in southeast Texas. On White's ranch in June 1832, area colonists signed the Turtle Bayou Resolutions. Written to protest the actions of Captain Juan Davis Bradburn, commander of Mexican troops at Anahuac (9 mi. SW), the resolutions were an early sign of the growing dissatisfaction with Mexican governmental policies which limited the rights of colonists. Four years later, during the Texas Revolution, White provided aid and shelter for settlers fleeing the advancing Mexican forces under General Santa Anna. He also helped the Republic of Texas by supplying cattle for the Texas army. Following the revolution, White began driving his cattle overland to markets in New Orleans. His early cattle drives, utilizing sections of the Opelousas Trail, preceded development of post-Civil War routes, including the Dodge City and Chisholm trails. White died in 1852 and was buried near his home (200 yds. S). His cattle brand, the "Crossed W", inherited from his father in 1806, is still used by members of the White family. (1980)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
A veteran of the War of 1812, James Taylor White drove cattle from Louisiana into the Texas coastal prairies in 1828 and built one of southeast Texas's greatest Longhorn herds. On his ranch in 1832 colonists drafted the Turtle Bayou Resolutions, an early protest against Mexican rule, and during the Revolution he sheltered fleeing settlers and supplied beef to the Texas army. His postwar cattle drives to New Orleans, over the Opelousas Trail, foreshadowed the great trail-driving era to come.
Why it matters
White was a pioneer of the Texas cattle industry whose ranch witnessed the first stirrings of the Texas Revolution, linking the American cattle frontier to the birth of the Republic.
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Related people
- · James Taylor White
- · Juan Davis Bradburn
Related events
- · Turtle Bayou Resolutions
- · Texas Revolution
Themes & tags
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