Indian Wars and Pioneers of Texas Page: 269 of 894

INDIAN WARS AND PIONEERS OF TEXAS.

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the site of the one destroyed. As there were no
saw-mills, it was constructed of hewn logs and
some of the same men who had kindled the fire
under the old house chopped logs to build the new
one. It was here, in the " Prairie House" that
Mary Jane first met Andrew Briscoe, who was a
warm frien(d of lier mother and brothers, and
August 17, 1837, she became his wife, the marriage
ceremony being performed by Mr. Isaac Batterson,
in the new house, which by that time was partly
coml)leted. In tile meantime the city of Houston
had become the new seat of government and the
county seat of Iarris County. As Mr. Briscoe's
appointment as Chief Justice of the county of Harris
necessitated his residence in Houston, he purchased
a two-story residence in process of building on
Main street, about one block from the capitol and
where is now situated the Prince building, on the
corner of Main and Prairie streets. Mrs. Briscoe's
life is so closely connected with that of her husband,
that it is unnecessary to repeat her different
places of residence. As opportunities to purchase
large tracts of land induced him to make long
journeys into the interior of the sparsely settled
country, she frequently accompanied him, although
traveling was attended with danger on account of
the inroads often made by hostile Indians. At
Anderson, Grimes County, they stopped over night
at the house of Mrs. Kennard, who showed in the
floor one loose board, kept purposely so, that in
case of an attack by Indians she could make her
escape under the house. After the death of her
husband in 18419 Mrs. Briscoe lived for two years
oin the pllantation of his father in Claiborne County,
Mississippi, remaining there during tile absence of
the latter in California, and until after his deatlh,
in 1851.
Returning to Texas in 1.52, she lived for some
years at Anderson, Grimes County, where the RIev.
Chas. Gillette had established an Episcopal scilool,
under the title of St. Paul's College, and wliere sihe
hoped to be able to give her sons a collegiate education
without being separated from them. After
a resi(lence of six years there, the schiool having
proved unsuccessful, she move(l to Galveston,
which offere(l the best educational advantages of
any city in the State. In 1859, at her mother's
solicitation, she returned to Harrisburg, where she
lived until 1873, when she moved to flouston.
Through careful economy she was able to raise and
educate her children on a limited income, keeping
for tlhem the greater part of the large landed interesCs
held by her husband at the time of his death.
An unusual affection characterizes this family
worthy of mention and of imitation. While Judge

Briscoe at his death in 1849 left considerable property,
consisting chiefly of land in Texas, yet to this
day his children have never sought to obtain any
part of it although entitled to it un(ler the community
laws of the State, but have left their mother the exclusive
control of it, thereby showing their deep filial
affection and sincere appreciation of her devotion to
them in childhood and in youth. She feels a reasonable
pride in her husband's connection with the war
of Texas Independence and a sincere affection for
those who shared with him the dangers of the
Revolution. For years she has been a member of
the Texas Veterans' Association and takes great
pleasure in their annual re-unions. At the earnest
solicitation of her friends she wrote an account of
one of these re-unions, which was published at the
time in several of the newspapers, and is given
below:TIIE
TEXAS VETERANS--TIIEII LATE MEETING AT
TEMPLE.
"At the meeting of the Veteran Association in
1887, Temple was selected as the place for meeting
on April 20, 1888. It is beautifully situated in
a high rolling prairie country, on the Santa Fe
Railroad, 245 miles from Galveston. As it is only
seven years old, many fears were entertained that
the hearts of the citizens were too large for the
accommodating capacity of their young town; but
all such fears were dispelled, andl Temple proved
itself equal to the emergency. Everything was
managed with tact and skill, and the Veterans were
unanimous in their expressions of praise and gratitude.
A committee met them at the railroad
depot, and conveye(l them to their allotted destinations,
generally some private house. Mine was tile
liome of Mr. F. II. Avers, wlich is beautifully
situated. In the view from liis gallery the undulations
of the surrounding country looked, in the
distance, like miniature lakes. If all the Veterans
were as delightfully located as myself, they will
long remember with pleasure their meeting at
Temple. Mr. and Mrs. Ayers were the soul of
hospitality. Their house seemed made of rubber,
or like a street car
never so full but it could take
one more; but there the similitude ends, for the
(lear lady's only regret was that she had one cot
which had not been occupied, so there was no
standing up.
"On the morning of the 20th, we all repaired to
the Opera House, which is large and well ventilated,
with very comfortable seats. In addition to the
usual decorations of flags and placards, suspended
in the center of the stage was ' Old Betsy,' an old
ride which had been in most of the battles for