The Fortson Family
Rice, Navarro County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Members of the Fortson family came to Texas from Mississippi and settled in Navarro County in the 1840s. Civil War veteran James T. Fortson wed Ida Clayton, daughter of another pioneer area family, in 1867, and they moved to the Rice area in 1872. Their son, Joseph Benjamin (Joe B.), and his wife Lyda built their home at this site in 1904. Joe B. and brother John acquired large landholdings in the area for farming and ranching, and established a cotton gin operation and a mercantile. They also opened the First State Bank of Rice and began levee improvement districts to aid local farming. In addition, Joe B. served on the school board. The family is remembered for its lasting contributions to the area's history. (2005)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
The Fortson family came from Mississippi to Navarro County in the 1840s, and Civil War veteran James T. Fortson married into another pioneer family before settling near Rice. His son Joe B. and brother John built up large farming and ranching holdings and became local pillars—running a cotton gin and mercantile, founding the First State Bank of Rice, and organizing levee districts to aid area farmers. Joe B. also served on the school board, and the family's home was built at this site in 1904.
Why it matters
The Fortsons show how a single settler family could anchor a rural Texas town's economy—its gin, bank, and land improvements—across the generations from settlement through the cotton era.
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Related people
- · James T. Fortson
- · Joseph Benjamin Fortson
Themes & tags
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