Kerr, James, 1790-1850
Biography
James Kerr, soldier, attorney, surveyor, and physician, was born near Danville, Kentucky, on September 24, 1790. In January 1825, Kerr was appointed surveyor general of the Texas colony of Green DeWitt and that same year he joined the colony of his close friend, Stephen F. Austin. In 1827, Kerr received title to a league in Jackson County. During the period of the republic, Kerr represented Jackson County in the House of the Third Congress and introduced anti-dueling legislation and a bill to make Austin the capital of Texas. He died in his Jackson County home on December 25, 1850.
Sources:
Stephen L. Hardin, "KERR, JAMES," Handbook of Texas Online, accessed November 17, 2014. Uploaded on June 15, 2010. Published by the Texas State Historical Association.
Found in 2 Collections and/or Records:
Green C. DeWitt papers
Papers include a letter from DeWitt (1787-1835), empresario, to the Commandant of Arms at La Bahia, reporting clashes with Indians in DeWitt's Colony and requesting troops for protection, as well as a power of attorney (1827) signed by DeWitt, appointing James Kerr acting empresario for DeWitt's Colony; and a fragment of a typewritten transcript of an anonymous letter describing events and conditions in Gonzales, DeWitt's Colony, 1832.
James Kerr papers
The James Kerr Papers, 1827-1850, include 15 pages of the notary public memorandum book kept by James Kerr for Jackson County, Texas, a letter sent to Kerr by Thomas Jefferson Chambers concerning land surveys, and a prayer book.
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