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- There is an article written about James in "Heroes of Texas". The author is Ben Procter who wrote of James' life and his death at the Alamo in San Antonio, TX in 1836. He descended from a long line of rebels and nonconformists, spirited and inpendent in thought. This article claims the family of Bonhomme (means good man) moved to England from France in the 13th century, all good people, peasants of lower middle class, poor but prolific, eventually becoming Puritans.
Educated in the best local schools, he enrolled at South Carolina College in 1824, where he was considered something of a troublemaker, always championing student grievances. In 1830 he passed the bar exam and opened a law office at Pendleton, SC. In the state militia he was appointed by the govenor of the state of SC to the rank of lieutemant colonel. By 1834, he had opened a law office in Montgomery, AL. In the fall of 1835, a boyhood friend, William Barret Travis ask him to come to Texas. He then became enthralled with the thought of Texas independence from Mexico. On Dec. 20, 1835, he was officially commissioned a Lieutenant of Cavalry in the Texas Army. By Jan 17, 1836 he was marching with Jim Bowie to the Alamo under orders to destroy it and abandon San Antonio. They rest has all been told in books, television, and movies.
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