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GRAVESTONE OF ROWLAND NICHOLS...Nichols first buried in cemeteryEDITOR’S NOTE — The following is the fourth In a series, written cooperation with the Kerr County Historical Commission, about the people and places behind the 45 Texas Historical Markers located in Kerr County.By MICHAEL BOWUNTimes Staff Writer__INGRAM — One of the biggest obstacles the early settlers of the region had to face were confrontations with Indians.These pioneers were forced to keep on constant alert for the marauding Native Americans as they went about establishing their homesteads in the lush Guadalupe Valley. Many of our early residents lost their lives in an attempt to bring civilization to the frontier. One of those people was Rowland Nichols.Nichols moved to Kerr County from Tennessee in 1856. He settled on 640 acres of land between Ingram and Kerrville and built a small log cabin for his family consisting of his wife Miranda Jane and 10 children.The Nichols home was what was known as a dog-trot cabin — two rooms separated by an open hall.Each room in the structure, which was made out of hand-hewn cypress logs, was 14 by 16 feeL The cabin, a portion of which still stands today at die intersection of Junction Highway and Chloe Lane, also boasted alarge front porch and a shed room to the rear. Next to the cabin, Nichols planted a 10-acre field which he fenced with oak post rails.In the early morning hours of April 8, 18S9, Nichols, who was then serving as a Kerr County Commissioner, went out in search of a wild turkey to feed his growing family. When he failed to return by nightfall the family became alarmed and alerted neighbors who, the next morning, formed a search party.Among the members of that party was Daniel Adolphus Rees, first Kerr County clerk.The men followed the trail of Nichols up a draw to a point about onemile from his cabin. Here the trail turned abruptly in another direction. Numerous Indian tracks were evident. Nearly a mile from this point Nichols’ body was found against a big oak tree.Apparently Nichols halted there to use the tree as protection from the Indians. Tracks snowed Nichols had circled the tree repeatedly. Bark was scraped from the trunk as Nichols held onto it in a vain attempt to protect himself.When found, Nichols had one arrow in his breast and a single bullet wound to the body — the bullet and the arrow first striking the man’s leftarm about halfway between the elbow and the shoulder, then penetrating the body not more than a half inch apart.Searchers, in order to get more clues, went back to the spot where the Indians’ tracks were were first discovered. It was deduced by the men that it was at this point that Nichols was shot with (he arrow. The prints of his knees were evident in the sandy soil where he had knelt either to fire his rifle or possibly due to the shock of the wound. If he indeed did try to fire his rifle, he never got off a shot, instead grabbing his gun and running to the tree, where eventually he died. Nichols' gun was later discovered, after a search, covered up in the sand where the Indians had left it. It was still loaded.The Tennessee native had often expressed to his family that he hoped his burial plot would be under a spreading live oak tree that stoodr _ .L_ Y L' Itnear the family cabin. On April 11, 1859, that wish was granted and today that same live oak tree marks thegrave.QuickTax RefundsKerr Business Services257-7733
Newspaper Details
Kerrville Daily Times
Kerrville, Texas, US
Sun, Feb 17, 1991
Page 28
Full Page
Clipped by
Butt-Holdsworth M.
Texas, USA 08 Jan 2019
Other Publications Near Kerrville, Texas
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