Gillett in Karnes County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)

John Wesley Hardin writes an autobiography

Photographed By James Hulse, October 23, 2023

1. John Wesley Hardin writes an autobiography Marker

Inscription. In December of 1894, after being on the losing side of a bitter election in Gonzales County, Wes retired to the home of a friend here in Gillett, the town where he and Jane married in 1872, and began to write the story of his life. This work wasn't as easy as he had anticipated, and he struggled to write his story. The end result of his labor would be the book "The Life of John Wesley Hardin by John Wesley Hardin."

Shortly after starting his book, he received word from his brother Jefferson Davis Hardin, then living in Junction, Texas, to come there and open a law office and start his life over again. Wes liked the idea and before long he was on his way to Junction and a new beginning. Before he left, he made one last visit to Jane's grave and then rode to the Duderstadt ranch to tell his old friend Fred and his own children goodbye. Wes rode out of the "Mound Creek" area and headed north, never to return.

Captions
Lower Right: If not now, maybe someday people will be able to understand my side of it. (Marker Number 13.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Communications • Law Enforcement. A significant historical month for this entry is December 1894.

Location. 29° 7.697′ N, 97° 47.295′

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W. Marker is in Gillett, Texas, in Karnes County. Marker is at the intersection of County Highway 277 and State Highway 190 Spur, on the left when traveling east on County Highway 277. The marker is located at the intersection. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 341 County Rd 277, Gillett TX 78116, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 12 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. John Wesley Hardin's Wedding Day (here, next to this marker); Old Riedel Dam and Early Industries (about 600 feet away, measured in a direct line); Harmony Baptist Church and Cemetery (approx. 5.6 miles away); First Baptist Church of Nixon (approx. 10 miles away); St. Ann's Catholic Church (approx. 10 miles away); Rancho (approx. 11.7 miles away); El Fuerte del Cibolo (approx. 12 miles away); Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Catholic Church (approx. 12 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Gillett.

Also see . . . Hardin, John Wesley (1853–1895). Texas State Historical Association (TSHA)

John Wesley (Wes) Hardin, outlaw, son of James G. and Elizabeth Hardin, was born in Bonham, Texas, on May 26, 1853. His father was a Methodist preacher, circuit rider, schoolteacher, and lawyer. Hardin's violent career started in 1867 with a schoolyard squabble in which he stabbed another youth. At fifteen, in Polk County, he shot and killed a black
Photographed By James Hulse, October 23, 2023

2. The John Wesley Hardin writes an autobiography Marker is the right marker of the two markers
man as a result of a chance meeting and an argument. With the Reconstruction government looking for him, he fled to his brother's house, twenty-five miles north of Sumpter, Texas, where in the fall of 1868 he claimed to have killed three Union soldiers who sought to arrest him. Within a year, he killed another soldier at Richard Bottom.

(Submitted on October 25, 2023, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.)

John Wesley Hardin image. Click for full size.

Public Domain - Old West Gunfighters

3. John Wesley Hardin

Credits. This page was last revised on October 25, 2023. It was originally submitted on October 25, 2023, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas. This page has been viewed 56 times since then and 13 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on October 25, 2023, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.