Jabez Fitzgerald

Fannin County TXGenWeb
Jabez Fitzgerald

Our ancestor JABEZ FITZGERALD, born about 1787 in Tennessee, was the son

of the Garrett Fitzgerald and Jane Moore. He married Elizabeth, surname unknown,

about 1805 and purchased land in Marion County, AL, 8 March 1822. Jabez is listed

as a private in Capt. William Russell's Company of Mounted Spies in the state of TN.

On the company muster and pay roll he is listed as serving from 4 October 1813

through 4 April 1814. Jabez Fitzgerald appears on the 1830 Marion County, AL, and

census, as head of household. We find him in 1836, as Strickland,in his History of

Fannin County 1836-1843, says, Jabez Fitzgerald, along with his family came overland

through Arkansas and the Cherokee county to Fort Towsen Landing. There they

crossed the Red River to Jonesboro,which was in the Mexican province of Texas

located north of the present day Clarksville,TX. At Jonesboro, he and Mark R. Roberts

joined Daniel Rowlett's party, which had left Memphis, TN, in the fall of 1835, arriving

in Jonesboro 1 March 1836. Rowlett's party consisted of John and Edward Stephens,

Daniel Slack, and Richard H. Locke. This group had engaged the services of Captain

Benjamin Crook of the Steamboat "Rover" to bring them to Jonesboro. About the last

of March 1836, these pioneers left Jonesboro headed for the home of Carter B.Clifft on

Bois d'Arc Creek. They arrived there about the first of April. The women, children,

and slaves remained at the Clifft's compound, while the men ventured further west on

the river in search of favorable places to establish their new homes.Jabez Fitzgerald,

and most of the rest of the party, settled at a location on Red River called Pepper Mill

Creek. This area was later renamed Tulip Bend, because of the natural bend made by

Red River. Early Fannin County deed and probate records refer to this community as Lexington. During the first months, these pioneers were busy building homes, clearing

land, and making the settlement secure. But from time to time, detachments were sent

out to determine the location and mood of the Indians in the area.

Several settlers were killed by the Indians between 1836 and 1843, but more

often renegade bands of Indians made thieving raids from north of Red River or

Arkansas. On 1 May 1839, a group of twelve citizens set out in an attempt to recover

some horses stolen the previous night from Jabez Fitzgerald John R. Garnett (Jabez's son-in-law),John Duncan, George Duncan, George Dameron,J. C. Dodds, John Davis,

and Isham Davis. The horses were trailed into the Indian Territory and some almost

to Ft. Smith, AR. Those horses in Arkansas were in the possession of a Cherokee

Indian, and some were recovered.

As soon as possible, several men from the settlement left for south Texas to

join the war against Mexico for Texas Independence. Jabez Fitzgerald, considered

an old man at age 50, did not accompany the group; but he loaned a man a horse,

which enabled one more man to enter the fight. For this deed,Jabez Fitzgerald was

later granted an additional Land Certificate by the Republic of Texas Board of Land Commissioners for

640 acres.

Jabez Fitzgerald's original claim was on Red River, directly north of Ft.

Inglish, now Bonham, Texas. A Texas Historical Marker, bearing Jabez's name along

with the others in the Daniel Rowlett party, stands a Tulip denoting that these seven

men were the original settlers of the area. Court records in 1838/9 show that Jabez

Fitzgerald and Thomas Jouett were granted permission to operate a ferry across Red

River near the mouth of the Blue River. On the Republic of Texas 1840 census, Jabez

is listed in Fannin County as follows: 1 poll, 872 acres, 3 slaves, 1 stud horse, and 1

wooden clock.

Hodges in her History of Fannin County, refers to a Garrett Fitzgerald, as a brother

to Jabez. They were likely not brothers. It is believed that Garrett was the son of William,

who was a brother to Jabez. So this would make Garrett, Jabez's nephew.

This Garrett Fitzgerald along with a wife named Margaret, is found on early census

records.

By using these census records, we place this Garrett in the same county in

1830 and 1840 as Jabez. This Garrett Fitzgerald died in 1859 naming "Elizabeth" as

his widow. So he married at least twice, it would appear. This Garrett was the father

of John Denison, James, Elizabeth Jane, and others; but not a Garrett. Jr. There was

a younger Garrett Fitzgerald also found on the 1830 Marion Co.,AL, census on the

farm next to Jabez Fitzgerald. He is listed as head of the household, aged 20-30, with

a wife, and a son under the age of five. This Garrett Fitzgerald, who is our ancestor,

also came to Texas. He and his family are found on the 1850 Fannin County census

as G. Fitzgerald aged 43/45 born in TN, wife Nancy aged 40, born in SC; W. P. male

aged 20 born in AL, along with other children born after 1830. Jabez named Garrett

Fitzgerald as a son in his will dated 1841/1843. It is confusing to have two Garrett

Fitzgeralds from Marion County, AL, arrive in the Republic of Texas about the same

time, but even more confusing in that the younger Garrett was referred to as Garrett,

Jr. when he was not the son of the older Garrett. But it was not uncommon at that

time one to be called "junior" to distinguish him from his older relative, which was

done in this case.

All ten children of Jabez and Elizabeth Fitzgerald accompanied them to Texas,

or soon followed. Patrick, a young single man, died 5 March 1836, soon after his

arrival in Texas. Jabez filed a land claim on Patrick's behalf, as heir to Patrick's

estate, and was granted one-third league of land in Cooke County, TX, as Patrick's

headright.

Garrett Fitzgerald, an older son born about 1806, left his wife and children

in Alabama when he came to Texas in 1836. His family joined him in Texas in

1844. William R., a son, married Nancy A., likely Boswell. Three of Jabez's older

children are listed by name in his will. They were Garrett, William R. and Margaret

Baker. Thomas Jenkins, William Sadler, and John R. Garnett are listed

as sons-in-law. Sarah Fitzgerald was married to William Sadler, and Margaret to

James Baker. The daughter who married Thomas Jenkins is yet unknown. In his

will, Jabez named his three minor children: John, James T. and Rachel B. Rachel

later married a man named Pace. John must have died without issue before 1855,

as he, or his heirs,are not mentioned in the settlement of Jabez's estate.

John R. Garnett, administrator of Jabez's will, was a son-in-law. We are not

sure which Fitzgerald daughter was his wife. His wife is listed as Margaret on the

1850 census, but Margaret Fitzgerald is known to have married James Baker.

Perhaps Margaret Fitzgerald married Garnett second, or John R. Garnett had a

second wife who just happened to be named Margaret. The Dallas News reported

the worst flood seen in years along the Red River near the end of 1842 or the

beginning of 1843. The paper, explaining that word of the damages was just reaching

Dallas, dated about 5 January 1843 said, "The flood's destructive influence carried

away the distillery of Mr.Jabez Fitzgerald." This flood happened shortly before Jabez's

death. Jabez Fitzgerald had only about seven years in Texas before his death soon

after 19 March 1843, which is when he added a codicil to his will. During those seven

years, Jabez fought Indians, filed land claims, cleared land, built a home, operated

a river ferry, planted crops, raised livestock, ran a whiskey still, and made a will.

BIRTH: History of Fannin County, TX, by Floy C. Hodge 1966 p 177
MARR: Estimation based on birth of first child; 1830 Marion Co., AL, census
DEATH: Jabez Fitzgerald's codicil to will, Fannin Co., TX, 19 March 1843

RESEARCH LOG: Deed Book J, Land Deeds of Jefferson County, TN, printed record
P 230 #220; 1830 Marion County, AL, census; Jabez Fitzgerald's will, dated 1841,
codicil added 1843, Fannin County, Texas; A History of Fannin County,TX, 1966, by
Floy Candall Hodge p 177 (Note: She confuses much, but is correct about Jabez's
birth and death dates and that he joined Dr. Daniel Rowlett's party fromTN to Texas
in 1836.); History of Fannin County, Texas, 1836-1843, by Rex Wallace Strickland from Southwestern Historical Quarterly, 1930,PP 84-91, 116-117; The Lamar Papers. Vol. IV,
p 218; Willow Wild Cemetery, Bonham, TX; Obituaries for William Patrick and Emily Belle (Downing) Fitzgerald; Fannin County Probate Records 1836-1843,LDS Library ,Microfilm #1293839; Republic of Texas 1840 Census; LDS Library Microfilm #1293839, #1293840, 1293841, #1293842, Fannin County, TX, Probate Records, Books A, B,C, D,
E. F., G.; TN Gazette 24 Oct. 1804; Land Records Vol. 3 p 177 Huntsville, AL, #1297, 8 March 1822; Lora Tindall's Texas First Families (Certificate& Narrative) on Jabez Fitzgerald 1846-1996;Texas Historical Marker standing in Fannin County near Tulip
Bend; Jabez Fitzgerald's War of 1812 Records from National Archives
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(1787-1843)

Compiled by: Lora B. Tindall