Hopkins CO. TX - James Knox Pierce

Submitted by: June E. Tuck  <1224be@neto.com>

Copyright.  All rights reserved.
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From the historical files of June E. Tuck, who does not validate or
dispute any historical facts in the article.

 

Past History and Present Stage of Development of Texas

Published by The Forrister History Company

Regan Printing House, Chicago, Ill.

I. G. Forrister, Publisher

(No date given. 1912??)

James Knox Pierce was born Feb. 10, 1845, his parents naming him in honor
of James Knox Polk, who had the year previous been elected President of
the United States. The scene of his birth and boyhood days was on a farm
near the confluence of the Hiawasse and Tennessee Rivers, in Meigs
County, East Tennessee. Mr. Pierce worked on a farm, and went to school
in the old-fashioned log cabin in the mountains until he was seventeen
years of age, when, as a mere stripling of a boy, the civil war being on,
he went to Knoxville and tendered his service to the Confederate cause in
June 1862, enlisting in Co. D, 1st East Tenn. Cav., commanded by Col. J.
C. Carter. His regiment was used as scouts in the mountains of East
Tennessee, Virginia and Kentucky, in which rough territory they
participated in, approximately two hundred engagements, numbered among
which were the Siege of Knoxville, Morristown and Rogersville, East
Tennessee. In the last named battle his brigade captured 2,000 men,
artillery and all supplies. A short time before the war closed, Mr.
Pierce obtained a furlough to go home and get some clothing of which he
was in dire need, and being cut off, peace was declared before he was
able to rejoin his command.

In 1867 Mr. Pierce turned his face to the setting sun of the West.
Traveling by steamboat to Arkansas, DuVall^Òs Bluff, hence by rail to
Little Rock, thence on foot twenty-five miles to Saline county, where he
planted a crop in the early spring of 1868. However, he soon disposed of
said crop, purchased a horse, saddle and bridle, and arrived in Hopkins
county soon afterwards, in the spring of 1868 (sic.) When he came to
Sulphur Springs he found one hundred Yankees in control of the place,
intimidating and murdering its citizens at will. Mr. Pierce and a small
coterie of brave citizens met at Old Tarrant, then the county seat, to
join Farr^Òs company and assist in carrying out a program on a given day
to massacre these riotous one hundred Yankees. The Yankees afterwards
learned of this movement, minimized their dastardly work, and the more
sober-minded citizens advised against their destruction pending their
proper behavior, and they soon afterwards moved their headquarters from
this place. A few months after this episode began the uprising of the
Comanche Indians, and Gov. E. J. Davis (carpetbagger) ordered the state
militia to form for their suppression. Armed with commissions from the
Governor, Mr. Pierce, Capt. Joe Bartley and "Doc" McFall raised in
independent company of soldiers in Hopkins county, but the same was never
called into active service. Acting under orders and with seven men under
him, well armed with shotguns and six-shooters, Mr. Pierce on horseback,
set out with an ox wagon train to convey commissary supples from
Jefferson to Jacksboro, the army fort. It was the understanding that
soldiers would meet him fifty miles east of the fort to guard the train.
Ten miles before reaching this point, to his surprise, he came in
contract with the Indians. Preparing for defense to the best of their
ability, while he and his men were awaiting the Indians to attack, again
to their surprise firing was heard a short distance away, which later
proved to be a company of cowboys following the trail of the Indians. The
cowboys rushed unto the Indians yelling, and repulsed them with a loss of
one killed and sixty head of horses.

Returning to Hopkins county, Mr. Pierce, as he states, settled on the
poorest farm he could find, and was married Feb. 15, 1871, to Miss Belle
Wallar, daughter of A. W. Wallar, an old and honored Texan, who came from
Kentucky and settled here in 1853. Mr. and Mrs. Pierce, having no
children in their home, took into their charge for rearing and educating
an orphan girl, Miss Beaulah Brannom, who is now the wife of Prof. Oscar
L. Guy, in charge of public schools at Italy, Ellis County. Throughout
the intervening years Mr. Pierce has been unusually successful in
farming, stock-raising and speculating in land, with the result that he
is today in a position of affluence and ease, owns about 3,000 acres of
Hopkins county^Òs choicest farming soil and pasturage lands, and is
probably the largest taxpayer in the county, besides owning highly
improved town property at this and other points. He is a member of the
Methodist Protestant faith.