JAMES B. MANOR - FOUNDING FATHER

Although he was born in North Carolina on November 17th, 1804, his family moved to Murfreesborough, Rutherford County, Tennessee in 1814. According to family lore and tradition that was where James B. Manor met and became friends with Sam Houston, which resulted in Manor accompanying Houston to Texas in 1832 when President Jackson sent him to Texas to negotiate treaties with some of the Indian tribes. Family history goes on to say that James Manor remained in Texas for 3 years, returning to Tennessee in 1835 and then in 1836 he brought his wife and 2 daughters back to Texas where he cleared and they settled on land which, at that time, was considered to be a part of the Webberville or Webber's Prairie community.

However, historical documents do not support the stated family history. There is other information that indicates James Manor and his wife may have been living in Mississippi from 1831 to 1836, before coming to Texas.

James B. Manor

Certificate 77 issued July 5, 1838 by the Board of Land Commissioners of Bastrop County granted 640 acres of land to James Manor. It reads:

“No. 77 Class 2 Republic of Texas County of Bastrop. This is to certify that James Manor has appeared before us the board of land Commissioners for the County aforesaid and proved according to the law that he arrived in this Republic subsequent to the declaration of independence and that he is a single man and entitled to six hundred and forty acres of land to be surveyed after the first day of August 1838. Given under our hand at Bastrop this fifth day of July 1838.”

The document was signed by S. B. Patton who was President of the Board of Land Commissioners and by Josiah Wilbarger and Moses Gage as Assistant Commissioners.

On November 12, 1838 a survey was made for James Manor by Thomas Mays, Dept. Surveyor of Bastrop County. It reads, in part:

“Survey No. 39 of six hundred and forty acres of land for James Manor (Second Class) situated on Gillilands Creek on the east side of the Colorado River 35 miles above Bastrop, it being the quantity of land to which he is entitled by virtue of a certificate No. 77 issued by the Board of Land Commissioners for the County of Bastrop.”

The survey was verified and authenticated on March 9, 1839 by Bartlett Sims.

Certificate number 3164 issued by the Republic of Texas granted James Manor 1280 acres of land because of his service in the Texas military from May 1837 to April, 1838. It was issued May 3, 1838 and signed by Barnard Bee, Texas Secretary of War. 

A second survey was made also on November 12, 1838 by Thomas Mays and verified by Bartlett Sims on March 9, 1839. It reads, in part:

“Survey No. 40 of Twelve hundred and Eighty Acres of land for James Manor situated on the East side of the Colorado River on Gillilands Creek, 35 miles above Bastrop. It being the quantity of land to which said James Manor is entitled to by virtue of Land warrant No. 3164 issued at the City of Houston on the third day of May 1838 for military service by Barnard E. Bee, Secretary of War.”

This section of a map of Travis County made in 1861 shows surveys 39 and 40 made for the land grants given to James Manor with Gilleland Creek running through both of them.