John Rice Jones
Fayetteville, Fayette County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Born in Kaskaskia, Illinois January 8, 1792. Came to Texas in 1831. Served in the army in 1835 until he was chosen postmaster general of the provisional government of Texas, 1836. Appointed postmaster general of the Republic December 14, 1839. Died in Fayette County, Texas, 1845. Erected by the State of Texas 1936
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Born in frontier Kaskaskia and arriving in Texas in 1831, John Rice Jones took up arms in the 1835 struggle before being tapped to organize the mail service of the new provisional government. As postmaster general of the Republic of Texas, he helped knit scattered settlements together with the most basic sinew of nationhood — a working post. The state honored him with this marker a century later.
Why it matters
Building a postal system was nation-building in the most literal sense, and Jones's work gave the young Republic of Texas one of its first functioning institutions.
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Related people
- · John Rice Jones
Related events
- · Texas Revolution
Themes & tags
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