Pettus and Wallace Families

Members of the Pettus family played a prominent role in the settlement of Texas. William A. Pettus (1781-1844) was one of the original members of Austin's Colony, arriving in Texas with his wife and children and other family members in 1822. His son John Freeman Pettus (1808-1878) served the Texan cause during the Texas Revolution, participating in the Siege of Bexar and the Battle of San Jacinto. He later moved to De Witt County, to the site of the future town of Pettus, later relocating to Goliad County.

James Edward Pettus (1855-1942), one of John Freeman Pettus' eight children, was born in De Witt County. He followed his father into the ranching business and was a participant in early cattle drives. He married Anna Harper Reed (1860-1936) in 1880 and had four children. Pettus was elected sheriff of Goliad County in 1896 and served three terms.

James Pettus's second child, Jessie, was born in Goliad in 1885. She attended Texas Presbyterian College for Girls in 1902, San Antonio Female College in 1903-1904, and Hamilton College in Lexington, Kentucky, in 1904-1905. She married Frank Wallace, Sr. (1883-1908) in 1906. The couple had one child, Frank Wallace, Jr. Mrs. Wallace was active in a number of state and local organizations, including the Goliad chapter of the Texas Historical and Landmarks Association and the Goliad County Historical Society. She also performed a number of duties for the Goliad Presbyterian Church. Mrs. Wallace died in 1978.