A veteran of the War of 1812, James Taylor White (b.1789) migrated to this area from Louisiana in 1828. As a rancher, he developed one of the largest herds of Longhorn cattle in southeast Texas.
On White's ranch in June 1832, area colonists signed the Turtle Bayou Resolutions. Written to protest the actions of Captain Juan Davis Bradburn, commander of Mexican troops at Anahuac (9 mi. SW), the resolutions were an early sign of the growing dissatisfaction with Mexican governmental policies which limited the rights of colonists. Four years later, during the Texas Revolution, White provided aid and shelter for settlers fleeing the advancing Mexican forces under General Santa Anna. He also helped the Republic of Texas by supplying cattle for the Texas army.
Following the revolution, White began driving his cattle overland to markets in New Orleans. His early cattle drives, utilizing sections of the Opelousas Trail, preceded development of post-Civil War routes, including the Dodge City and Chisholm Trails.
White died in 1852 and was buried near his home (200 yds. S). His cattle brand, the "crossed W", inherited from his father in 1806, is still used by members of the White family.
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