James Whitis Bullock: Early Settler and Soldier in Texas History (1788–1859)
Published: 1952
Updated: November 1, 1994
James Whitis Bullock, early settler and soldier, was born in North Carolina in 1788. He enlisted in the army in 1809 at Charleston, South Carolina, and served five years under captains Mabson, Levall, and Woodruff. He fought under Gen. Andrew Jackson in Indian campaigns and in the battle of New Orleans (January 8, 1815). He was discharged at Natchez, Mississippi, as a sergeant. He was married about 1817 to Nancy Horton, sister of Alexander Horton. They had eleven children. In January 1824 the Bullock family moved from Washington Parish, Louisiana, to the Ayish Bayou district, in what became San Augustine County, Texas. They settled on the island in the Attoyac River. Colonel Bullock commanded the forces that besieged Nacogdoches on August 1, 1832, and sent a commission to José de las Piedras commanding him to declare for the Constitution of 1824. Piedras's refusal led to the battle of Nacogdoches on August 2. On March 14, 1836, Bullock commanded a company of thirty-five men in the battle of Refugio. About 1852 he moved from San Augustine County to Collin County; his wife died there in 1854, after which he married Syntha Brumet. Bullock died on August 12, 1859, and was buried in Millwood, Texas.
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The following, adapted from the Chicago Manual of Style, 15th edition, is the preferred citation for this entry.
McXie Whitton Martin, “Bullock, James Whitis,” Handbook of Texas Online, accessed March 09, 2026, https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/bullock-james-whitis.
Published by the Texas State Historical Association.
TID:
FBU21
- 1952
- November 1, 1994
