Background
James Milford Day was born May 11, 1815 in Anderson County, South Carolina. He was the son of Johnson Day and Sarah Hembree.
- Photos
- Works
- Photos
- Works
James Day
Edit Profile
Career
When returning, the Johnson Day and George Nichols families met Henry B. King and John R. King along with a group bound for Texas near Saint Augustine. With the same destination agreed upon, the three groups decided it safer to travel together. The troop arrived at Gonzales, Texas on October 6, 1837.
Misfortune hit the Day family in Gonzales, when the father was killed in 1838.
That same year, James Milford Day married Martha Nichols and they had 2 children. A third child died along with Martha during birth.
Day"s Mother would help raise and care for the children. In 1838, Day became one of the founders of Walnut Springs, a new town in Gonzales County, Texas.
During this time, he moved his mother into an adobe built home in his new town.
Day would join Mathew Caldwell"s Gonzales - Seguin Rangers in 1839. Caldwell stationed half of his men in the town, to protect the new settlers of the upcoming town. The Day home site would used extensively by the Rangers and become known as the Seguin Ranger Station.
On March 29, 1839, a company of 80 men commanded by General Edward Burleson had defeated Vicente Córdova and his rebels during a battle near Seguin, Texas, at "Battleground Prairie".
While Day and his company were scouting and camped on the Guadalupe River, he was surprised by Cordova"s fleeing company. Although holding their own, he was severely wounded but survived.
lieutenant was here he would suffer an injury that impaired his ability to walk for the rest of his life. Day was a participant in the battle of Plum Creek on August 12, 1840.
On September 18, 1842, Day fought at the battle of Salado Creek.
During the war with Mexico, Day served in 1846 and 1847 in Captain McCulloch"s Company. Day would remarry twice. There he died October 22, 1894 and was buried in Brown Cemetery.
In 2011, a historic marker was placed at the site of the old Walnut Branch Ranger Station in Seguin.
The old 1820"s adobe structure had stood for almost 200 years and was due for recognition and restoration, when it was razed in about 2000. A brief message on the marker tells of the Day"s contributions to the birth of Texas.
Membership
He was a member of Mathew Caldwell"s and Jack Hay"s Seguin Rangers and a participant in the Mexican-American War. Córdova survived, but was pursued by Caldwell"s Rangers, Seguin militia and members of the Henry Karnes company, thus insuring his departure from Texas.
