Cattle raiser James Travis Cleveland lived in Independence and Gonzales, Texas. In the 1850s, Cleveland traveled through Mexico to California in search of gold, and after returning to Texas, he served as the secretary of a local stock raisers association in the 1860s. During the Civil War, Cleveland fought in Hood’s Texas Brigade, Fifth Texas Infantry Regiment, Company C, under the command of Stephen Heard Darden. He was the brother of William H. Cleveland, the husband of Rachel H. Cleveland, and the father of J. Wellington Cleveland and other children.
From the guide to the Cleveland, James Travis and William H. papers 1929., 1850-1864, (Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin)