James Franklin Perry

James Franklin Perry (1790–1853) was an early settler and prominent citizen of Texas. James married Emily Austin Perry, operated Peach Point Plantation, and was involved in Texas land distribution.

James Franklin Perry was born in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania on September 19, 1790. He married Emily Austin on September 23, 1824. He was her second husband, and the two had six children together:

By marrying Emily Austin, James became owner of Peach Point Plantation and was one of the first plantation owners to shift from cotton to sugar production. He also was involved in the earliest plans for a railroad in Texas. He was offered the position of Secretary of the Treasury of the Republic of Texas in 1839, but declined. James was also the executor of the will of Stephen F. Austin (Emily Austin's brother), a distinction that directly involved him in land distribution, maps, and early Texas colonial affairs. A court case related to titles of land was at one time filed and even appealed by Sam Houston against James Franklin Perry in his capacity as executor for Stephen F. Austin.

James Franklin Perry and his son Henry each died from yellow fever on September 13, 1853. There are obituary references to James in various newspapers.

Letters between James, his wife, and their son, Stephen, serve as significant records, frequently referenced as foundational in Texas history. They were archived in the 1930s and housed at the Center for American History at the University of Texas at Austin.

Perry's Landing, in Brazoria, Texas, is named for James Franklin Perry. There is an historical marker for James Franklin Perry at the Gulf Prairie Cemetery. He is referenced as "James F. Perry" in the Supreme Court decision Bryan v. Kennett.

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