William L. Bannister - Indian fighter, Texas Ranger & Cattleman of San Saba -
William L. Banister was born September 12, 1856, in Hickory County, Missouri, the son of William L. and Mary Buchanan Banister. (Although the family name was spelled with one "n", he changed it at some point in his life to Bannister.)

His experiences in life began when he was an 11 year old runaway with his 13 year old brother, John, who had a long desire to go to Texas. They spent a number of years with a ranch family near Menard then, as youths, they went up the trail to Kansas where they worked on the cattle range until 1877. Will Bannister then enlisted in Co. E. Texas Rangers and both brothers served in this company in Kimble and San Saba counties. They were present at Round Rock when Sam Bass was killed and saw much service on the frontier against the Indians. Will Bannister was transferred to Capt. Long's Co. B in May 1880 and saw duty in West Texas until November.

On February 24, 1881, he married Virginia R. (Jennie) Daniel, a member of the Dofflemyer family. Following his Ranger service, he became a successful rancher and settled in San Saba County. Besides a few trail drives to the north, they remained in San Saba and raised a family of five children; Willie, Mattie, Jennie, Elliott and Earnest Bannister.

Will Bannister died on January 4, 1921. He is buried in San Saba where he spent many pleasant hours on duty as a Texas Ranger.

San Saba News & Star

Texas Ranger, Indian Wars - Co E and Capt. Long's Co B.

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BANISTER, W. L.
At the commencement of the war, W. L. Banister (the father of the focus of this article) moved from his native State, Missouri, and settled in Johnson County, Texas, where he began the business of farming and stock raising. Previous to his leaving the North he had married Miss Mary Buchanan, a Kentuckian by birth, and his family consisted of two sons: W. L., our subject, and an older brother, J. R. Banister. The father was a hard working man who drew the greater portion of his livelihood from the soil, and his sons were given employment with the plow and hoe as soon as they were old enough to be of help to him in his crops. After a short residence in Johnson, the family removed to Wise County, and it was while living there that W. L. Bannister found himself of age to face the world single-handed, and hired to Colonel Pickett and James Sensabaugh as a cowboy, at the very meager wages paid inexperienced hands at that day. Twenty-five dollars a month was not much in the way of salary, but it was a great deal better than anything he had ever earned before, and, at the same time, the business was much more to his liking than any other that he could secure. Therefore, he followed the example of other cowboys, invested his earnings in the wide-brimmed hat, high-heeled boots and jingling spurs, that are generally considered emblematic of his calling, and began to consider himself the peer of the "old timers" in all save experience.
Daniel Wagoner, one of the veterans of the cattle business, was Mr. Banister's next employer, and he was with him for some little time; then drifting south to Menard County, where he found employment with Mr. Winn, whom he still concedes to have been the best all-round stockman that he has had the pleasure of knowing. He worked for Mr. Winn nearly four years, serving a thorough apprenticeship in the business of practical stockgrowing, and while he made his home at this place, managed to add to his stock of learning by short terms of attendance at the public schools. In 1876 he purchased a small stock of cattle, with the intention of engaging in business on his own account; but, the following year, saw an opportunity to engage in a calling which he thought he preferred, and placed his herd under the supervision of a friend; joining the State Rangers, under the command of N. O. Reynolds. The headquarters of this company was in Kimble County, but their range extended as far east as Austin, through Menard, San Saba and Mason. Life among the Rangers was sufficiently exciting to please any ordinary craving for adventure, and Mr. Banister was contented to remain in the service for three years, during which time he took a hand in many excursions after law-breakers and grew accustomed to the constant presence of danger. Mr. Banister took an active hand in the pursuit of Sam Bass, the celebrated Texan outlaw, whose achievements as a train robber have won him many imitators; and he was a member of the party of Rangers who eventually run the desperado to earth, at Round Rock, and exterminated his band. This occurred in 1879; and since that time Mr. Banister has often been amused by listening to the particulars of the capture told by men who claimed to have been present and made themselves conspicuous by their bravery, none of them knowing that Banister himself had actually been concerned in the event for which they desired to claim the principal credit.
After concluding his service with the Rangers, in 1881, Mr. Banister resumed stock raising, and this time in earnest. Moving to San Saba County, he established his present ranch a year later, and has been handling cattle on a modest scale, but quite profitably, ever since. His holding has at no time exceeded 1,500 head, but by careful attention to business he has been enabled to win a uniform success, and his annual sales are fairly large. Mr. Banister assumed charge, in 1884, of a herd of 3,380 cattle, belonging to J. S. Smith, driving them from San Saba to Dodge City, Kansas. It was a long and tiresome trip, but the returns of five dollars per day were sufficiently satisfactory to prompt a repetition. The next season he took the trail again, this time to Kit Carson, Colorado, and in sole charge of an "outfit" which was composed of 3,000 cattle and 200 saddle horses. It was a difficult herd to manage, making the cowboys a great deal of trouble, and Mr. Banister was almost constantly in the saddle; but he found the work, everything considered, to be no worse than that experienced in the Ranger service, where on one occasion he rode 100 miles without dismounting. The year of his establishment in San Saba County he "clinched" his intention of settling down to a quiet life by entering the state of matrimony. The young lady chosen as his life partner was Miss Jennie Daniel, daughter of John Daniel, an early stockman of Concho County, and the step-daughter of James Dofflemyre, whose interesting biography will be found elsewhere on these pages. They have resided since their marriage in San Saba County, and have five children: Willie L., aged eight; Mattie May, seven; Jennie L., five; Elliott Monroe, four; and Earnest, now an infant. Those who have the hospitality of Mr. Banister's home will subscribe to the statement that there are few more pleasantly located or better managed ranches in all the country tributary to the upper Colorado. His home life is a happy one, and though he is constantly busied in the efforts that are necessary to the care and protection of his cattle interests, Mr. Banister's lot is certainly to be envied. His ranch is his kingdom, and he can here reside in the peaceful enjoyment of all that makes life worth living, while the grazing herds in his broad pastures tell the story of present prosperity and future wealth. (Source: Historical and Biographical Record of the Cattle Industry and the Cattlemen of Texas by James Cox, Published by Woodward & Tiernan Printing Co, St Louis, 1895

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