The Jim Ned Creek, which begins in Taylor County, runs through Coleman and eventually into Brown where it’s dammed to form Lake Brownwood, is named for the Delaware Chief Jim Ned. It’s strange to have a creek in Comanche territory named for a Delaware leader. So who was Jim Ned, what was he doing out here, if in fact he was here, and why is there a creek named for him?

‘Uncle’ B. F. Gholson, a Texas Ranger and early rancher along the Texas frontier, told a tale about Jim Ned that was first published by The Brownwood Bulletin and later reprinted in Frontier Times magazine. Gholson refers to Jim Ned as a Kiowa chief, which is not true. He goes on to say that Ned had his winter quarters above the junction of Hords Creek and the JIm Ned, near where the old Camp Colorado in Coleman County was located. In 1835, according to Gholson, a party of surveyors trespassed into the area, which was protected by treaty, and they were apprehended by Jim Ned and his men. The trespassers were taken to Comanche Chief Santana, AKA Santa Anna, whose headquarters were at Santa Anna Mountain, in order to stand trial. The surveyors were later sent to Nacogdoches for trial by Mexican officials.

Was there any truth to Gholson’s account? Possibly. It is recorded by several historians that Jim Ned, who served as a guide on the frontier for the Republic of Texas and then the State, did indeed have a relationship with Chief Santana. He is referred to as a chief of a branch of remnants of the Delaware Tribe, originally from, of course, Delaware and areas surrounding it on the east coast. This portion of the tribe sought a land grant from the Mexican government, and when the Texas revolution took place, they petitioned the Texans for land in East Texas. The business of scouting for the Texas Army was probably undertaken in the vain hope that the service would eventually result in the land grant being approved. The tribe drifted west with the frontier, its representatives often acting as interpreters and trackers for the Texans.

The Texas Department of Transportation has an article that includes information on Jim Ned. It says in part, “Chief Jim Ned had a village along the Brazos River near Fort Graham (Clifford 2021) and later a village of approximately 65 Delaware Indians in Wise County (England 2021). Near Fort Graham, at least 18 archeological sites have been recorded.” Fort Graham, located just outside the town of Graham, is about 100 miles northeast of Brownwood. TXDOT also notes there is a lookout point named for Jim Ned in Montague County that was rumored to have been used by Ned for reconnaissance purposes.

Jim Ned is repeatedly described in Republic communications regarding the frontier as having a flashpoint temper. He was difficult to work with, had a reputation as a horse thief and was responsible for the deaths of several Delaware tribesmen, presumably in a fit of temper. While he may have been personally hard to get along with, it seems that most of his career, at least what we know of it, was devoted to making peace between adversaries. He worked on several treaties between the Comanche and other tribes and the Republic of Texas, acting as an interpreter in meetings. He also seemed to respect and get along with the Comanche, at least with Chief Santana and his adherents.

Jim Ned was reportedly half African American, which would not be unusual as many African Americans joined Native American tribes before the Civil War. His birth and death dates are unknown, although he may have died on a reservation; whether in Texas or Oklahoma is unclear. There are all kinds of tall tales about Ned’s activities, some saying he regularly rode to Mexico with his band, and perhaps others, to steal horses and wreak general havoc. Maybe he did, maybe he didn’t. If Ned and his tribe lived for a time somewhere along Jim Ned Creek, no reports of that, other than Gholson’s (at least that I have found) remain. Still it seems probable to me that he did have some sort of dwelling here, as the creek was named early on in local records. I kind of doubt it was named Jim Ned out of sentiment.

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Diane Adams is a local journalist whose columns and articles appear periodically on BrownwoodNews.com