John Monroe "Humpy" Jackson

John Monroe Jackson was reportedly born in Alabama or Tennessee about 1815. He received the nickname "Humpy" for the large hump he had on his back. His first wife was Cynthia Ann SMART and they had children: James Monroe, Nancy Jane, David M. and Rose Ann Jackson. Cynthia would die after Rose was born and Humpy then married Elizabeth Durham about 1855 and they came to Menard County sometime around 1860.

It is thought Humpy originally built a picket house in the area that would become the city of Menard....and later moved his family to a site east of Menard on the San Saba River. He bought horses, cows, chickens, geese and farm implements. It is said that with the help of his wife and children, the family made an excellent living.

After the Civil War, Fort McKavett was again occupied by soldiers, with General Ronald McKenzie as Commanding Officer. McKenzie ordered a sawmill set up between Menard and the Jackson farm to saw timber for use in rebuilding the fort. It is reported that the Jackson children had to pass this sawmill on their way to school and a Buffalo soldier named "Lanky Jim" became infatuated with one of Humpy's young daughters.

"Lanky Jim" would write a love note to this daughter and when Humpy learned of it, he became very angry. It is said that the next morning, Humpy hid in some tall weeds near the sawmill and shot the soldier he thought wrote the love note to his daughter. He then got on his horse and rode away. Knowing the soldiers would be looking for him, Humpy hid out in the thick brush of the area he knew so well.

When word of the killing got to Fort McKavett, Lieutenant Bullis and a large group of soldiers were sent to arrest Humpy Jackson. It is said that after many days of searching for Humpy and harassing his family, the soldiers finally spotted him in the distance on horseback.

The story goes that while trying to outride the soldiers, Humpy was thrown or fell from his horse. Moaning that his back was broken, Humpy convinced the soldiers that he might be at death's door and they took him to the nearby Jackson home.

With soldiers guarding the home, one of Humpy's daughters visited her father and was able to slip him a pistol and tell him of a plan by his friends to rescue him.

With two soldiers outside the house and one in the room with Humpy, three men approached the house and began shooting at the guards outside. Mr. Jackson pulled his hidden pistol and shot the man who was guarding him. Jackson then gathered food and left his home.

One of these guards managed to escape and made it back to Ft. McKavett about daybreak. Lieutenent Bullis and his soldiers returned to the Jackson home where they reportedly ran off or killed the livestock, destroyed the crops and wrecked the Jackson's furniture and belongings. They then took Mrs. Jackson and her children to the fort and placed them in the guardhouse.

The Jackson family was held in the guardhouse for several days until several prominent men from Menard and the surrounding area came to the Fort and pleaded for the family's release. The Jackson family were finally released and returned to their ruined home, where neighbors and friends supplied them with food and some furniture.

Around this same time period, several men of the community were also arrested for suspicion of helping Humpy escape, but none were officially charged and all were eventually released.

The soldiers continued the hunt for Humpy for about two years. To their frustration, they were never close to capturing him again since he had the aid of family and friends in the community.

When "law and order" was eventually restored to Menard, Mr. Jackson turned himself in and was tried in Mason. All charges were dismissed and Humpy returned home. He tried to rebuild his life to the level of prosperity it was before the unfortunate incident, but it's said that this was impossible, since the hardships he had endured while evading the soldiers had taken a severe toll on his health.

Humpy and Elizabeth's children were: Henrietta Elizabeth, Narcissus, Martha A., Sarah Elizabeth, Susan Christine, John Robert
and Josie Lenora Jackson.

Humpy died in 1890 and was buried in Pioneer Rest Cemetery in Menard. Elizabeth Durham-Jackson reportedly died Feb. 27, 1905...though her burial location is not known at this time.

Sources:
Menard County History-An Anthology (pgs 554-556).....corrections: (1) Anthology states Emily Ann Miller as Humpy's wife. DM says this is incorrect. Emily was the wife of Humpy's son, J.M.

Frontier Times Magazine, Vol 4, No. 11 (August 1927) "The Vengeance of Humpy Jackson" by John Warren Hunter

David Murray

NOTE FROM ALICIA: I was recently asked by a descendent why there was nothing on the Menard TXGenWeb site about his ancestor "Humpy" Jackson. While Humpy and his descendents were large contributors to Menard's history and growth, I have been reluctant to work on this since I'm concerned with the accuracy of the articles written on Humpy. As such, I will try to put together a basic story on him and hope his descendents will contact me at a later date to add more information or provide corrections.

NOTE:  While I strive for accuracy in all transcriptions, please be advised that typing errors may be present.  I would suggest you always verify my online information with a copy of the actual record.

All contents of this web site are the property of Alicia Brown unless otherwise noted. You are free to copy or print out pieces of information for your personal genealogical research, but nothing on this site may be used in other ways without my permission.

Have a Question or Comment About My Web Site?

Due to the increasing amount of "spam" I'm receiving from email "harvesters", I only publish my email link in jpg form. I am sorry for any inconvenience this might cause you...but I'm really tired of the "advertising trash" that is filling up my email box..

This Page Was Last Updated On:

Monday, August 3, 2009 10:56 PM

© Alicia Brown 1999-present