LEGACIES

A True Story Of Two Pioneer Families: Wittenburg And Parmer That Come Together As One On July 3 1964. The Two Family'S History And The History Of Texas Melt Together. William Wittenburg Born In 1825 In Westphalia Prussia Was Born After Napoleon'S Army Conquered Most Of Germany Between 1800 & 1812 Seizing The Land And Dispossessing The Landowners. At 23 William Boarded A Ship For America After Serving The Required Three Years In The Prussian Army And Three Years Acquiring A Master'S License In Sheep Husbandry. After Arriving In Baltimore Md. His Story Takes The Reader To The Great State Of Texas Where He Becomes The State'S Most Respected Sheepman. He Eventually Acquires 30000 Acres Of Ranch Land While As A Sheepman He Faces Many Difficulties; Fighting Indians Cattlemen Fence Cutters Barns Burned Grassland Burned Sheep Killed By The Cattlemen Who Hated The Sheepmen. Martin Van Buren Parmer (Ringtail Panther) Born In Charlotte County Virginia On June 4 1778. After Moving To Kentucky In 1798 He Settled In Dickson County Tennessee. About 1816 He Moved To Missouri Where In 1820 He Was Elected To A Two-Year Term In The Missouri General Assembly. He Was Named As A Delegate To The Missouri Constitutional Convention Of 1821. He Then Served A Term In The Missouri State Senate Then Was Chosen Colonel Of The Missouri Militia And Led Four Military Companies Against The Indians. He Moved To Texas In 1825 Settling In Cherokee County Where He Joined Haden Edwards And Fought For Benjamin Edwards In The Fredonian Rebellion. On Nov. 25 1826 He Presided Over The Court-Martial That Tried And Convicted Samuel Norris And His Attorney Jose' Antonio Sepulveda Of Nacogdoches. The Mexicans Feared Colonel Parmer And Mexican Authorities Issued An Arrest Warrant For Parmer. In 1839 Republic Of Texas President Mirabeau B. Lamar Appointed Him Chief Justice Jasper County. Martin Parmer Was A Smart And Tough Man A Signer Of The Texas Declaration Of Independence Parmer'S Body Was Re-Interred In The Texas State Cemetery In 1936 At The Time Of The Texas Centennial. He Died In Jasper County Texas On March 2 1850 On Texas Independence Day. He Is Buried Some Thirty Feet Away From The Grave Of Stephen F. Austin Who Had Opposed Parmer'S Early Attempt To Declare Texas Independent Of Mexico During The Fredonian Rebellion. Martin'S Son Tom Published A Biographical Booklet In 1874 The Old Ringtail Panther Of Missouri. Parmer Appeared As A Major Character In Joseph Alexander Altsheler'S Texas Historical Fiction Series: The Texas Star The Story Of A Great Fight For Liberty (1912); The Texas Scouts The Story Of The Alamo And Goliad (1913); And The Texan Triumph A Romance Of The San Jacinto Campaign (1913). In 1966 Martin Parmer Appeared As A Character In Giles A. Lutz'S Book The Hardy Breed A Historical Fiction About The Fredonian Rebellion. As A Great Great Great Great Great Grandson Of Martin Parmer Richard W. Parmer Son Of Filmore Parmer In 1964 Married Mary Lou Wittenburg Daughter Of Fredrick Gregory Wittenburg And Great Granddaughter Of William Mark Wittenburg. There-In Lies The 60 Year Love Affair Of Two People Who Grew-Up In The Two Families About Which This Story Is Written. The Hardy Breed That Originated From Two Historic Texas Pioneers Martin And William That Fought For Freedom From The Indians Mexicans And British In America Napoleon In Germany As Well As Religious And Ethnic Prejudices.