Judge Greenleaf Fisk
Georgetown, Williamson County, Texas
Marker Inscription
(May 19, 1807 - Jan. 26, 1888) Born in Albany, New York, Greenleaf Fisk was the son of a Presbyterian minister. He began preparation for the ministry himself but left his studies to migrate to the Texas frontier. In 1834 he settled in Bastrop. There he joined a company of volunteers and fought at the Battle of San Jacinto, April 21, 1836. Later he was elected to the Republic of Texas Senate. In the 1840s Fisk moved his family to a log house on the South San Gabriel River near present Leander. When Williamson County was organized in 1848, Fisk was the first "chief justice," as the office of county judge was then called, a position he had held in Bastrop County. It is said that he often waled the 11 or 12 miles from his home to the courthouse in Georgetown. Fisk was also a surveyor, and many land records in Williamson County bear his name. In 1860 Fisk moved to Brown County, where he again served as county judge and held other county offices. He donated 60 acres for the townsite of Brownwood and additional acreage for county use. His grave is in Brownwood's Greenleaf Cemetery. Fisk was married first to Mary Manlove, who is buried near Leander. After her death, he married Mary Hawkins. He had 15 children. (1976)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Greenleaf Fisk left a New York minister's household for the Texas frontier, arriving in Bastrop in 1834 and fighting in the decisive Battle of San Jacinto in 1836. He served in the Republic of Texas Senate and, when Williamson County was organized in 1848, became its first chief justice, reportedly walking a dozen miles to hold court. A surveyor whose name marks countless land records, he later helped found Brownwood.
Why it matters
His life traces the arc from Texas independence to the settling and governing of the frontier counties, the generation that grew a republic into a state.
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Related people
- · Greenleaf Fisk
Related events
- · Battle of San Jacinto
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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