JAMES M. RICE
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James M. Rice was born in Hamilton County, Tennessee, in
1826, and came to Milam County, Texas, in 1847. He was married to
Elizabeth Standifer.
Mr. Rice was a ‘49'er in California, came back to
Texas, and moved to Hamilton County in 1855 from Hogg Creek country in
McLennan County. He brought the first wagon rom that section into Hamilton
County and settled on the Headright of Isaac Standifer on the Leon about
12 miles east of Hamilton. The trail that he made into Hamilton County
became the old Hamilton-Waco road, running from the Leon south of Mt. View
school house and down Hogg Creek.
He took a leading part in the creation of Hamilton
County and became the first Chief Justice (County Judge) in 1858.
He selected and negotiated for the land that the county
seat now occupies, and with Henry Standifer, a brother-in-law, opened the
town’s first store.
He was captain of the Hamilton County company for
frontier defense during the Civil War, and with a portion of his company
was at the battle of Dove Creek southwest of San Angelo.
In early days he drove cattle to Abilene, Kansas,
Oklahoma, and Eastern markets, and drove one herd as far as Vicksburg,
Miss.
He died in Galveston, where he had gone on a business
trip, and was buried there in October, 1879.[sic.--James
M. Rice died in Galveston in 1872.]
PAGE THREE
PIONEER EDITION
HAMILTON COUNTY NEWS, Vol. VIII, No. 7
THE CARLTON CITIZEN, Vol. 30, No. 23
Friday, June 24, 1938
W. F. Billingslea, Publisher, Hamilton
County, TX
