He Soldiered with Henry M. Stanley by John Sharpe - Published in Frontier Times-, February, 1926

He Soldiered with Henry M. Stanley

John Sharpe, in Dallas News, December 27, 1925

Published in Frontier Times, February, 1926

It is not often that we find a man who through all the achievements of a busy life has

steadfastly remained a farmer. That, however, is the position of Col. James Henry

Faubion, of Leander, Williamson County, who is at once a farmer, a pioneer, a statesman

and patriot. Quietly at the age of 81 years, this beloved and honored citizen lives

with his two daughters n his valuable farm where all of his seven children were born.

His life has been a busy one and a blessing to his country, state and nation. He has

served her as a soldier, in legislative halls and as a pioneer justice of the peace,

county commissioner and supervisor of roads and most of all as a true citizen who has

been upstanding for the fundamentals and sensible applications of democracy in

government.

Col. Faubion was born at Newport, Cooke county, Tenn. Aug. 20, 1844, and arrived in

Georgetown, Texas, Dec. 24, 1865, coming here from Greenville, S. C., after having been

paroled from the Confederate army at Kingston, GA. He later went to Milam county where

he spent one year and then moved to Leander where he has since resided. At first he

rented land with his uncle John Faubion, Sr., then purchased the place on which he

continues to reside. He married Miss Margaret C. Mason, December 30, 1869, who has

been dead for a number of years now. He has seven children, E. M Faubion, of Houston;

O. E. Faubion, of Temple; Mrs. Lelia McBride of Leander; Mrs. W. B. Stanfield, of

Fowlerton and Misses Maud and Kate Faubion who make their home with their father.

Col. Faubion joined the Confederate army immediately on the declaration of war and

served throughout that struggle taking part in many of the battles. He was sergeant of

Company C, 26th Tennessee Infantry, and is the only survivor of his company and one of

only four of his command, the division was shot to pieces in a number of fights and at

one time only a handful escaped and Col. Faubion being one of them joined a pick-up

company and followed on in the running battle which followed. Col. John M. Lillard

was his first divisional commander. He was captured at Fort Donaldson, Tenn., and was

taken to Camp Morton as a prisoner of war, remaining eight months. After the battle of

Vicksburg, he was exchanged and re-entered the service. He was again captured at

Bluntsville, Tenn., and there he escaped from his guards before reaching prison. He

rejoined his regiment and served through the campaign which swept through Georgia,

Tennessee, Alabama, being the fifth Tennessee regiment at the close of the war.

In 1873 Col. Faubion was elected justice of the peace and county commissioner, which

office carried with it the further duties of assessor of taxes and road supervisor.

Judge Sidney Seymour was at that time chief justice; there were no county judges. When

he assumed his duties as justice of the peace, tax assessor, road supervisor and county

commissioner, Col. Faubion states Williamson county script was worth 10 cents on the

dollar. He states that Dr. Sam Houston, Jr., son of General Sam Houston, was county

physician at that time. He also says that many bills were presented the court the

first time it assembled and among them $1,000 for building the first court house of

the county. The court concluded that the bill was an imposition as the first court

house had been builded in 1848, and refused to pay it.

In 1885, Col. Faubion was elected to the legislature of Texas and served through the

19th, 20th, 21st, 22nd and 23rd sessions during which time he was chairman of a number

of committees.. He recalls the services of L. L. Foster, John H. Cochran, and Speaker

Alexander as the speakers of the house in those days.

In 1905, he was elected to the state senate and served in the 28th session in the upper

house.

Not only is Col. Faubion a pioneer farmer, stockraiser, legislator, senator and county

official but he is also a pioneer in newspaper work having been a regular contributor

to the Williamson County Sun since its establishment in 1877. He at one time edited

the Liberty Hill Curant and later the Leander Times, each of which papers were among

the first established in smaller towns of this state.

Of all the important positions Col. Faubion has held during his eventful life, the most

appreciated perhaps is the office of president of the Williamson County Old Settlers’

association which he has filled with credit to himself and the association for many

years. He is the second man to have held that office during the 21 years of its

existence as he succeeded Col. W. K. Makemson, its founder , at his death. He is

greatly beloved by the membership.

Reminiscently Col. Faubion has informed this writer from time to time that when he

moved to Texas Williamson county had a wonderful supply of wild deer, prairie chickens,

quail, wild turkey and kindred game. There was no such thing as a wire fence and the

country was open and regarded as a free range. He saw the rich prairie land around

Georgetown, Taylor and Granger raise from $2 per acre before the day of barbed wire to

its present high value much of it worth $500 per acre. Land in the timber where rock

or rails were available was worth much more money in those days.

Col. Faubion tells yet with a shudder of the terrible casualty list in his company at

the battle of Murffersboro, Tenn., when after the battle in calling the names of the

companies when his was reached his captain said all are slaughtered.

“He was wrong,” Col. Faubion says “for me and a few more of the boys had come through

that fire which was nothing short of a miracle.”

Col. Faubion says there has been but one mystery in his life that he could not solve

and that was whether or not he was correct in his deductions as to a ‘buddie’ he had

once during the war. He has always believed and does yet that a man attached to his

regiment and company at one time was Henry M. Stanley, later of African fame. He says

the man had the same name, he looked like the pictures of Stanley and at the same time

was a soldier of fortune. He believes sincerely that his comrade was none other than

Mr. Carter.

All credit for this article goes to
John Sharpe
Dallas News
and
Frontier Times