Isham Jones Good

Born in Georgia, Isham Jones Good (1813-1866) came to Texas in 1835 with a group of volunteers to join the Texian forces in their war for independence from Mexico. As a member of the Georgia battalion, Good went to the aid of Col. James W. Fannin, but escaped death or capture in the Goliad Massacre in March 1836.

After an honorable discharge from military service in May 1836, Good married Melissa Trantham (1811-1870) in Alabama. By February 1838, he had returned to Texas and settled near this site in what was then Gonzales County. As a participant in the 1840 Indian battle of Plum Creek, Isham Good helped open the area to further settlement. He served as first postmaster when the Plum Creek postal station was established. A civic leader, entrepreneur, and land speculator, Good was instrumental in the formation of Caldwell County in 1848 and served as its first sheriff.

During the 1850s, Good sold most of his landholdings and moved his family to Bear Creek in Hays County, where he raised cattle until his death. An important local leader during Texas' formative years, Isham Jones Good is buried on his ranch in Hays County.