John James: Early surveyor of Texas

John James began to acquire land soon after his arrival in Texas by locating certificates on property in the outlying territory. He received these certificates as pay for all the land surveyed.

It was said of his work that his name on a survey meant it was golden, no questions.

Among the towns he platted were Castroville, Bandera, D’Hanis, Quihi and Boerne, which he plotted in 1852, after partnering with Gustav Theissen.

In 1854, John James decided to take a risk with a promise of great reward when he organized a cattle drive to California, starting the trip with 1,000 cattle. Since 1849, California gold miners had been clamoring for more beef.

We are fortunate to have excerpts from James G. Bell’s diary of his trek to California with the James herd. These fearless men ventured into hazardous land and planned to cover 1,500 miles to reach the end of the trail.

Some members of our family say the drive concluded near San Diego and others say the trek went all the way up to Sacramento and the gold fields. Whichever is true, the drive itself was quite an accomplishment.

Family lore says that James bought the cattle for $6 a head and sold them for $45 per head. It is unclear how many cattle arrived in California, but this is an amazing return for his investment.

James found time to buy land near Comanche Springs, where Fort Davis would later be located, on his way to California. When the herd ran into Careless Weed near the Giles and Yuma rivers, over 100 head perished in just a short time.

As Bell commented, “It looked like taking away all of a man’s property at one sweep. James was cool about it believing in the old saying that ‘it was no use to cry over spilt milk.’” Besides garnering nearly 150,000 acres, James invested in a mercantile store, a wool mill in New Braunfels, a mill near Bandera, a lumber yard in San Antonio, a cattle and sheep ranch near Bandera and Uvalde County, and a horse ranch in Wilson County.

As an early sheep owner, he profited from the Franco-Prussian War in 1873 when the price of wool skyrocketed. His home in San Antonio, the first two story in the city, was purchased for $200 in 1847. His heirs sold the home later for $65,000.

One can only guess at the value today in San Antonio. The house is gone, but the downtown location is prime real estate today.

My connection to John James is from my paternal grandmother Annie Laura James, who married Alfred Giles.

It seems John James was an enigma. He was quick to seize business opportunities and to take risks. Yet his vast holdings of land diminished over his lifetime because he often paid medical bills to Dr. Herff with deeds to land.