counties – Page 2 – Texas History Notebook

James A. Brooks, Texas Ranger

Ranger James Abijah Brooks was one of the “Four Great” captains in Texas history, along with Captains John R. Hughes, William J. McDonald and John H. Rogers. Brooks was born in Kentucky in 1844 to Dr. John Stroke Brooks (1802 – 1862) and Mary Jane Kerr Brooks (1818 – 1912). His father was a doctor and a farmer. John Stroke Brooks died in 1862. In the 1860 and 1870 census forms, James was living in Kentucky with his family. He left Kentucky for Texas in 1876, settling in Collin County. There, he worked on ranches until he joined the Rangers in 1883, at the age of twenty-seven. Brooks enlisted as a private and over the years was promoted to corporal, sergeant, and lieutenant before being promoted from lieutenant to captain by Governor Sul Ross while serving with Company F in 1889.

The Immortal 32

The Immortal 32 is a name given to a group of men who responded to an appeal from Colonel William Barrett Travis for help in defending the Alamo. These men were from Gonzales and they arrived March 1, 1836. Travis had sent letters to several other settlements but Gonzales was the closest to the location. All of the Gonzales contingent died in the battle.

John Robinson Ralls

The October 27, 1921 issue of the Lubbock Avalanche carried a front page article with the headline “Funeral of John R. Ralls Attended by a Large Concourse of Friends From All Over the State.” It was held in the town of Ralls, Texas, about thirty miles east of Lubbock on Highway 82. The number of attendees was “into the thousands,” the article added and noted that friends came from Texas, New Mexico and Oklahoma to pay their respects.

Impeachment of Mirabeau B. Lamar

The list below shows the elected presidents and vice presidents of the Republic of Texas during its existence:

President	Vice President
David G. Burnet (Interim) Mar. 16, 1836 – Oct. 22, 1836	Lorenzo de Zavala Mar. 16, 1836 – Oct. 17, 1836
Sam Houston Oct. 22, 1836 – Dec. 10, 1838	Mirabeau B. Lamar Oct. 22, 1836 – Dec. 10, 1838
Mirabeau B. Lamar Dec. 10, 1838 – Dec. 13, 1841	David G. Burnet Dec. 10, 1838 – Dec. 13, 1841
Sam Houston Dec. 13, 1841 – Dec. 9, 1844	Edward Burleson Dec. 13, 1841 – Dec. 9, 1844
Anson Jones Dec. 9, 1844 – Feb. 19, 1846	Kenneth Anderson Dec. 9, 1844 – July 3, 1845

Source: Texas State Library and Archives Commission

Branch Tanner Archer

Branch Tanner Archer was born in Virginia to Peter Field Archer and Frances Tanner Archer. Archer’s grandfather was Colonel William Wharton Archer, who had fought in the American Revolution as had Archer’s father. As a young man, Archer had received his education at William and Mary College. He then studied medicine at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia before returning to Virginia to set up a medical practice. He also served several terms in the Virginia State Legislature.