Peyton Bland

Born in 1815 in Vermilion Parish, Louisiana, Peyton Bland became a vital figure in Orange County. He migrated to Texas as a young man and at Orange in 1835 enrolled to serve I the Texas Revolution. Bland participated in the Grass Fight and the Battle of San Antonio before being discharged. Later reenlisting, he performed guard duty during the Battle of San Jacinto, among other responsibilities. Bland married Susan (Susannah) Harmon in Beaumont in 1838. The couple moved and settled on an Orange County farm, raising 13 children. Bland built his home on Cow Bayou, north of here, where in addition to farming he ran a local store. Bland also took part in the thriving Texas cattle industry, driving cattle to market in New Orleans. A local resident, later describing Bland, remembered "When he entered the room, he filled the door. He was huge, with pistols on his hips ' he scared us kids to death." Bland once again joined the military when he enrolled in the Orange County Coast Guard in 1862, during the Civil War. This company was attached to the Second Regiment, First Brigade of Texas militia. After the war, he served briefly as an Orange County commissioner. In 1873, Bland died of pneumonia, and his family buried him in a now unknown site near the San Bernard River in Wharton County. Today, Peyton Bland is remembered not only as an important contributor to Orange County and Texas, but also as a pioneer who worked in farming, business and cattle in times of peace and as a military man when called on during times of war. (2007)