The following information was provided by Melanie Hester (Find A Grave #47166608), and it is printed as it was submitted:

Burial: Browns Creek Cemetery-Moved to Restland Cemetery-Gatesville,Coryell County,Texas

Birth: Oct. 4, 1832
Indiana, USA
Death: May 6, 1893
Williamson County
Texas, USA [Edit Dates]
(Note: Dates left as given on cemetery marker and place of death is either Williamson or Coryell Co., Texas--Sherry Lawrence)

"Brice Miller accompanied his parents in a move from Missouri, crossing the Red River into Texas December 1,1851 and arriving in Williamson County before Christmas, in a train of sixteen wagons of relatives and friends.

He and his family appeared in the 1860 and 1870 census returns of Williamson County. During that wild and tumultuous period if the county's history the settlers were frequently subjected to horse-stealing forays by the Indians. The raiders preferred to make their forays at night, but they were deterred by a superstition. Their medicine men warned them that if they were killed at night their spirits could not find their way to the "happy hunting ground." The medicine men further counseled that if they must make their raids at night to pick only moonlit nights so their spirits could find the way about if the met with disaster. Consequently the settlers soon learned to take extra precautions with their livestock on nights with a full moon.

When the moon was full, Brice's sister Betsy (Van Winkle) cox, brought her prized black stallion into the "dog run", an alleyway between the two sections of the house, at night. Once during a full moon the family was awakened by the black stallion making a great commotion, and they could hear other noises in the horse lot. The Comanche were stealing the horses! Betsy insisted that her husband take his rifle and go out into the dark and drive off the Indians, but he declined, stating that he would rather lose the horses than his scalp. The spirited wife took down the rifle and walked out on the porch just in time to see the Comanches making off in the moonlight with every horse the family owned, except the black stallion. Morning revealed that other settlers in the area had also been raided and similarly lost their horses, and a posse was soon organized. Because of the raid the Coxes and the Van Winkles could muster only one horse, Betsy's black stallion which Brice chose to ride. Other horses were borrowed from neighboring settlers and the posse was quickly on the Indians' trail. Later in the day after hard riding the settlers came upon the Indians who were not able to travel fast with their large remuda. The posse pulled up to reconnoiter and make a plan for attack, all except one member. Brice without any hesitation charged, Or rather the stallion did. When the stallion recognized all his mares in the Indian herd he whinnied a greeting and broke into a dead run for the herd without any regard for the rider's reigning or frenzied whoas. The Indians, seeing the lone paleface charging into their midst at full tilt, immediately concentrated their rifle fire and arrows on him and still on came the lone charger, completely oblivious to the danger. Dozens of bullets and arrows whistled around the black stallion and his rider, both of whom came through the hail unscathed. The Comanches assuming that this rider must have some powerful "medicine" began to waver just as the black stallion entered their ranks. At this moment the entire posse surged forward to support their foolhardy comrade,and the Indians scattered like a covey of quail, abandoning their stolen horses. The momentum of the stallion's charge carried him through the horse and into the rear ranks of the fleeing Indians before Brice could turn him and bring him back to the mares he sought to join. Pale and shaken, Brice dismounted and without explanation, accepted the congratulations of the posse as they arrived. Few ever learned that the intrepid charge was the result of the inclination of a romantic steed."


Additional information provided by Sherry Lawrence:
1850 Ozark Co., MO Census--Thomas VanWinkle, age 44, born in NC; Elizabeth VanWinkle, age 42, born in TN; Brice VanWinkle, age 18, born in TN; several other children also listed.
1860 Lampasas Co., TX Census--Brice VanWinkle,age 28, born in IN; Mary A. VanWinkle, age 21, born in MO; David, age 2, born in TX.
1870 Williamson Co., TX Census--B.M. VanWinkle, age 38, born in IN; M.A. Van Winkle, age 30, born in MO; children-David, age 11; William, age 9; Brice, age 6; Mary, age 4; Dedida, age 1--all born in TX.
1880 Coryell Co., TX Census--B.M. VanWinkle, age 49, born in IN; Mary A. Van Winkle, age 38, born in MO; children--David, age 21; Brice, age 16; Mary, age 14; De Ida, age 12; Elizabeth, age 9; Jarret, age 6; Margaret and Catherine, twins, age 3; Harriet, age 11 months--all born in TX.