Death of an Old Veteran
(Death Notice for Bird's Fort Settler James Jackson Beeman)
The Lampasas Leader (Lampasas, TX), Vol. 1, No. 11, Ed. 1, December 15, 1888
Saturday, while Mr. J. J. Beeman was sitting in his room conversing with some of his friends he suddenly ceased speaking, his head dropped forward and his soul winged its way into the great unknown.
James J. Beeman was born in Madison, Illinois, about three miles below the city of Alton, in 1816. On September 16, 1836, he was married to Sarah Crawford, of Calhoun county, Illinois, who survives him.
Together with his brother and nephew he started for Texas in September, 1840, and crossed her border in December, and stopped at first in Bowie county. He served with marked bravery through several expeditions against the Indians who infested the country at that time. Mr. Beeman was a member of the expedition that established Bird's Fort near the present site of Fort Worth. He drove the first wagon into Dallas and built one of the first houses in that town.
His life was a long and useful one and he carried his years well. Up to a few days previous to his death he was upon the streets and doing chores for his family.
His posthumous papers are being edited and will soon be published. They will throw new light upon the history of Dallas and Tarrant counties, and are of great value to the history of Texas.