While researching something
entirely different, I came across a story about early Texas pioneer James
"Brit" Briton Bailey, and it caught my attention. (So typical of me and my research tangents.) Bailey is a
recurring name in my father's Johnson-Johnston-Johnstone family. Our ancestors migrated west from North Carolina, just as James Briton Bailey did. Hmm, so I
checked my brother's extensive genealogical research (added to my earlier extensive
research) of our family tree on www.Ancestry.com
and, sure enough, old Brit was a relative. And my brother and niece, who used
to live in Brazoria County and—in a sort of reverse migration—now live in North Carolina, have seen the ghostly lights on
Bailey's Prairie. How weird is that? Small world, right?
James Britton Bailey |
James Britton Bailey was a
descendant of Robert Bruce, once King of
Scotland. A veteran of the war of 1812 and a native of North Carolina, Brit
Bailey moved his family to Kentucky where he served in the legislature and got
into a fracas, then moved to Tennessee. Apparently unable to get along harmoniously
with his fellow man, he kept moving, stopped in Louisianna long enough to wed
his second wife after the death of his first wife, and ended up on the east
bank of the Brazos River in March 1818 (in what is now the school district of
Angleton, Brazoria County, Texas), two years before Stephen F. Austin’s first
visit to Texas. The locale in which he settled still bears his name—Bailey’s
Prairie.
Bailey received his league and a
labor of land (4,587 acres) in a land grant from the Spanish government—at least
that was his claim. Apparently no records exist to back up his assertion. After
Mexico freed herself from Spanish rule, Mexico refused to honor Bailey’s
supposed grant. He stayed on the property anyway. Then Bailey’s realm was
included in Stephen F. Austin’s colonization grant from the Mexican government.
Those who are not Texans may not recognize the significance
of Stephen F. Austin’s Old Three Hundred settlers. Stephen F. Austin was known
as the Father of Texas, as witnessed by naming the state capitol Austin, Stephen F.
Austin University, an elementary school bearing his name in most Texas towns, a
street by that name in most Texas cities, and so on. He led the second, but
first legal and ultimately successful, colonization of the region by bringing
300 families from the United States.
Bailey was apparently a thorn in
Austin's side, but they finally settled the question of ownership in Bailey’s
favor in 1824, when he became one of Austin’s Old Three Hundred. Austin’s respect
for—or maybe his desperation to get along with—Bailey resulted in Bailey's
appointment as a lieutenant and then captain in the 3rd Battalion of the
Militia.
Bailey's Oak no longer stands |
In the fall of 1832, the Baileys
were building their new house when Bailey became ill. Contrary to
rumors that he died of "pure meanness," cholera took Brit Bailey in
December of 1832. When he sensed that the end was near he issued directions
that he be buried standing up so no one could say, "There lies ol' Brit
Bailey." He said he'd never bowed down to any man and refused to do so after his death. He also asked to be buried facing west, as he had been migrating
in that direction all his life; and he wanted his favorite rifles and pistols
and enough ammunition to last him an eternity.
Asked why he needed such weaponry he replied,
"I am a rude man, and know not whom I may meet in another world. I wish to
be prepared, as usual, for all enemies."
As he had requested, Bailey was
buried in the grove near the big red house beside his children who had preceded
him in death, and in the manner described in his will. That is, standing
upright, facing west, with his rifle by his side. But no jug of whisky.
According to some, Mrs. Bailey had the jug removed and tossed it into the field.
She said he had carried a jug of whisky most of his life, and he wasn’t going to meet
his maker with one.
Almost as soon as Brit died, people started claiming to have seen his ghost. The couple that
bought the old homestead swore they saw his apparition quite often. To this
day, a strange light is said to haunt Bailey's Prairie and it's believed to be
old Brit Bailey, looking for his jug of whiskey. Supposedly, the ball of fire
rises from his grave and floats through the grove.
Whiskey Jug |
Uncle Bubba, Bailey’s manservant
who lived well past the century mark, claimed that the apparitions in the house
and the periodic appearances of a fireball that seemed to rise from Bailey’s
grave and moved across the prairie at night were his old master, carrying a
lantern in search of the jug of whiskey Uncle Bubba had promised to place in
his coffin.
The Texas State Historical Commission placed a state marker in Bailey's Prairie in 1970. The legend of Bailey’s light
persists, and in addition to my brother and niece, there are others living in
the area who have reportedly seen it on one or more occasions. All evidence of
Bailey’s homesite have long since disappeared including this giant oak by the
flag pond, toward which Bailey faces, flintlock at his side. There are still
oak trees in the area, and it was in a grove of them that my brother and niece
saw the light on several occasions. Was it old Brit looking for his jug of whiskey? Who knows?
Clay Coppedge, of the Country World
staff, said, “The light sometimes follows people along the highway, and there
is at least one reported shootout with the light, though there is no evidence
that the light shot back. Maybe the light doesn't belong to Brit Bailey, after
all. If Brit Bailey had anything to do with the light, I think it would have
returned fire.”
Do you believe in ghosts, spirits,
and haunting?
Caroline Clemmons is the Amazon best selling author of western romance. Her latest is the poignant BLUEBONNET BRIDE, available at Amazon and other online stores.
Sources:
Wikipedia
Texas State History Association, Handbook of History Online
6 comments:
Great post, Caroline, and I love the stunning colors of your latest cover.
Interesting post. Do you think they really went to the trouble to dig deep enough to bury him standing up, or did they fudge? I'd fudge, but then no, I don't believe in ghosts.
Also interesting to see his middle name. My plan is for the hero in my next book (not the one I'm working on now, but the next) to be Bret from Breton. Of course you can't count on me not to change things until the Publish button is clicked.
Great post. I found it most interesting and yes, I believe in ghosts. Thanks for posting.
Great post! Love the idea of a ball of fire coming from his grave and him hunting for his whiskey jug. I"m assuming nothing concrete has ever been established to say what the ball of fire is? Great piece of history.
I'm on the fence - several friends swear they've seen them. I guess I'll know if I ever come across an uneasy spirit. But what an interesting story about finding a relative! Small world indeed.
James Brit Bailey is my great great great grandfather
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