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Texas State Library REFERENCE DIVISION Austin, Texas 78711
798b
THE HISTORY OF HARRISON COUNTY, TEXAS, 1839 to 1880.
By
James Curtis Armstrong, B. A.,
Stephen F. Austin State Teachers College, 1926.
Public Library OCT 10 1983 : Dallas, Texas
A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School of the University of Colorado in Partial Fulfill- ment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts.
Department of History 1930
This Thesis for the M. A. degree, by
James Curtis Armstrong
not proof read, has been approved for the
Department of History
By
ICHBinkley
Date Qua. 27 1930
CTX 83136625 R
Texas State Library REFERENCE DIVISION Austin, Texas 78711 752157
201844 37 8. 788 B ar 5 7 .
CONTENTS
Chapter I. The Geographic Basis. 1-17
1. The westward movement
1
2. Physical features 2
3. Soil and climate
5
4. Natural resources
9
a. Water. 9
b. Plant life 10
c. Animal life 13
d. Minerals
13
5. Accessibility to markets
15
Chapter II. Social and Economic Conditions in Early
Harrison County 18-74
1. The pioneer home
19
a. The house 19
b. The furnishings
22
2. The food supply
24
3. Clothing.
27
4. Social intercourse
31
a. Social gatherings for utilitarian purposes 31
b. Social gatherings for purely social pur- poses. 36
c. Social life in the home
39
5. Early schools 45
a. Establishment of primary schools 45
1
b. Marshall University
46
c. Education of the negroes
55
6. Religious interests
57
a. Early churches
58
b. Camp meetings
59
c. Moral conditions
62
7. Prices
64
8. Industries and transportation
67
a. Farming
67
b. Stock raising
70
c. Manufacturing
73
d. Transportation
72
Chapter III Harrison County Up To The Civil War.
.75-139
1. Historical beginnings
75
a. The land laws of Texas
75
b. The first white settler
78
. c. The creation of the county
80
d. Where Harrison County settlers came from.
83
e. Growth in population
88
f. The creation of the judicial county of
.
Panola.
90
g. The city of Marshall
92
h. The dispute over the location of the
county seat.
94
i. Harrison County Indians
/
97
3. The birth of justice
99
a. The establishment of the Neutral Ground ... 100
b. The Moderator-Regulator War
102
c. Houston intervenes.
113
d. The coming of the law
113
3. The development of transportation
114
&. Early transportation.
114
b. Early trade centers
115
c. Railroads
115
4. The press.
182
a. The Texas Republican
122
b. The Star State Patriot
123
c. The Harrison County Flag
124
d. Other newspapers
124
5. Politics in the county before the Civil War .. 125
a. The annexation of Texas
126
b. The Compromise of 1850
126
o. The Santa Fe crisis
133
d. Slavery
133
e. The election of 1860
136
Chapter IV. Secession, The Civil War, and Recon-
struction
140-216
1. Secession
140
a. The reaction to the election of Lincoln ... 140
b. The selection of delegates to the State
convention.
144
c. Harrison County votes in favor of
secession 149
2. The Civil War
149
a. The raising of troops
150
b. The providing of funds and equipment 153
c. The end of the War
170
d. The effects of the War on Harrison County 174
3. Recons truc tion
181
a. Application of the Johnson plan 182
b. Change to the radical plan
189
c. The problem of restoring order
20 3
d. The activities of the freedmen
209
4. The organization of the Citizen's Party 215 Bibliography
1
Chapter I
THE GEOGRAPHIC BASIS
The westward movement. __ To understand the history of Harrison County, it is necessary to know something of the general westward movement of which it was a part. There is a saying that civilization moves westward; history seems to bear this out. Asia and Africa sent their quotas of immigrants to Europe, and Europe in turn sent hers on further west to America. Our ancestors at first settled along the Atlantic seaboard. Then by successive stages, settlers advanced westward until they reached the eastern part of Texas. It was not until 1821 that Texas began to become a part of this movement. Under
Mexican rule the region embracing what later became Harrison County was within the twenty league border re- serve in which titles to land could not be acquired by foreigners, hence until this restriction was removed through the establishment of Texas independence, the immigration swept by, and the regions to the west were settled by people who had passed on through. But the possibilities of this section were so evident that after 1830 Harrison County received more than its share of settlers with the result that by 1860 most of its desir- able land had been occupied.
There were several factors that made this county attractive to the pioneer as a home. In the first place,
2
while it is true that most of the pioneers who went out to do battle with nature in the opening up of new lands were uneducated from the standpoint of books, yet most of them were shrewd, industrious, and knew what they wanted. If one of them had been asked the difference between Susquehanna clay soil and Orangeburg fine sandy loam, he could not have answered; but he could tell whether or not a soil suited his needs. Thus perhaps the first factor to be considered by the landseeker was the soil. Although he probably did not know the classi. fication of soils, he could, by seeing and feeling the soil, and observing the vegetation growing on it, tell whether it was good or poor. Since there was plenty of land, quite naturally he picked the good land first. Climate was perhaps the second factor that influenced the pioneer in the selection of a home. Other factors were natural resources and accessibility to markets.
Physical features. -- Harrison County lies within the short leaf pine area of the northeastern part of the state of Texas. It is located 150 miles from the Gulf coast, between the thirty-second and the thirty- third parallels of north latitude, and between the ninety- fourth and ninety-fifth meridians of west longitude. It is nearly due north of the Sabine River. This county touches upon six other counties, five in Texas, and one in Louisiana. On the north it is bounded by Marion County; on the east, by Caddo Parish, Louisiana; on the
3
south, by Panola, Rusk and Gregg Counties; and on the West, by Gregg and Upshur Counties. Over one-half of its northern boundary is formed by the Little Cypress Creek, Cypress Bayou, and Caddo Lake; about the same amount of the southern boundary is formed by the Sabine River.
The present area of Harrison County is 872 square miles, or 558, 080 acres. Roughly speaking, the county varies in width from nineteen to twenty- eight miles; its length is about thirty- eight miles. 1 The original county of Harrison embraced most of the present county of Panola, and parts of Upshur and Marion. Its area at that time must have been at least fifteen hundred square miles, or larger than the state of Rhode Island. In 1849, after the county of Panola had been cut off in 1842, its area was 1, 190 square miles, or 761, 600 acres .. Of this amount, it was estimated that only about 61, 000 acres were unsuited for cultivation. 2
Harrison County is neither a plain nor a mountainous area. Its surface is not as smooth as that of several counties to the west and not as rough as that of other counties in the extreme west. The United States Depart- ment of Agriculture conducted a soil survey of Harrison
1. United States Department of Agriculture, Soil Survey of Harrison County, p. 5.
2. Texas Republican, May 26, 1849. A newspaper published in Marshall, Texas, 1849-1869.
4
County in 1913, and assembled its findings in a bulletin entitled Soil Survey of Harrison County. Concerning the topography of this county the report says:
The topography of the upland varies from the slightly rolling to the hilly, the hills being confined to those portions of the county that have gravelly soil. The rougher nature of the area is due to the resistance offered to weathering by the strata of ferriginous sandstones from which occur about four miles northeast of Hallsville, northwest of Eagleton, and a short distance east of Woodlawn. The topography of the northern part of the county is more diversified than that of the southern, and the southeastern part is the smoothest of all. The greater part of the county is rolling. The divides are well defined and comparatively narrow. The drainage basins of the streams are fan-shapped, narrowing as they approach the larger streams, Little Cypress Creek, and Sabine River. The valleys are wide open basins in their upper and middle courses and deeper, with Well defined alluvial flood plains,, in their lower courses. 5
There seems to be some contention as to the elevation of the county. Some authorities place the average eleva .. tion at about 450 feet. 4 The soil survey, above referred to, 'says that the elevation varies between 150 and 450 feet, which seems to be more nearly correct, although local people claim that the highest point in the county is 575 feet. 5
Two rivers eventually receive the drainage of the county. The Red River, forming the northeastern boundary of the state, receives the drainage of the northern and
3. Soil Survey of Harrison County, p. 6.
4. Texas Almanac, 1925, p. 290.
5. The Marshall News-Messenger, February 2, 1930. A news. paper now being published at Marshall, Texas.
5
eastern part of the county, which amounts to approximate- ly two-thirds of the total area. This section is drain. · ed through Little Cypress Creek, and its chief tributar- ies, Carey and Bear Creeks to the north, and Moccasin, Lawrence, Ray, and Gray Creeks to the south; Cypress Bayou, which is formed by the junction of Little Cypress and Big Cypress Creeks, and its tributary, Haggerty Creek; and Caddo Lake and its tributary, Harrison Bayou. Quapou and Cross Bayous drain into Cross Lake in Louisi. ana, and thence into the Red River, while a few streams in the northern end of the county drain into Big Cypress, which flows through Marion County. The remaining third of the county is drained by the Sabine River and its tributaries, from west to east, Hall, Mason, Clark, Hatley, Potter, Eight Mile, and Socagee Creeks. On the average the drainage is adequate, depending upon seasonal con- ditions. 6
Soil and climate. -- In 1873, The East Texas Immigra. tion Society, which had its headquarters at Elysian Fields in the southeastern part of Harrison County, had the following to say concerning the soils of this county:
Our soil is of three kinds. We have some land of gray sandy character, easy of cultiva- tion which does not last long, owing to its light nature. We have some red sandy land, more or less stiff, which lasts a life time without any manure of any kind. We have a gray land usually clothed with hickory, sumac, oak, and dogwood, which produces fairly well
6. Soil Survey of Harrison County, p. 46.
6
and is well suited to be improved, having a clay subsoil. Our creek and branch bottoms are of two kinds: dark stiff, or light sandy, the 7 darker land being considered the most durable.
A more technical discussion would require mention of the fact that Harrison County occupies a portion of the Gulf Coastal Plain which is made up of unconsolidated sands and clays; that it once formed a part of the ocean floor; and that its soils are due mainly to deposits made from older lands to the north and northwest. Accord- ing to the United States Geological Survey, deposits in Harrison County are known as the "Sabine formation of the Eocene Age. #8 3 It mig It might also be stated that the soils of this county may be divided into two divisions: (1) the uplands, or sedimentary, and (2) the low lands, or the alluvial. The sedimentary soils of the upland may be sub-divided into the Susquehanna, the Orangeburg, Norfolk, Ruston, Caddo, and Lufkin series, The alluvial, or the lowland division, may be sub-divided into the Sanders and the Trinity series. The characteristics of the former division are as follows: the Susquehanna series has gray surface soil, red to mottled red, yellow, and gray subsoil; the Orangeburg series, gray surface soil, yellow, sandy clay subsoil; the Ruston series, gray surface soil, buff sandy clay to sandy loam subsoil. The alluvial, or lowland division, has the following characteristics: the Sanders series has a brown to a
7. Texas Almanac, 1873, p. 98. 8. Soil Survey of Harrison County, p. 16.
7
nearly black surface soil, mottled brown, yellow, and gray subsoil; the Trinity series, & black to dark brown surface soil, a mottled yellow and gray subsoil.
.
The different series are further divided into the different loams, clays, and sands. Nearly half of the land of the county, a total of 265, 728 acres, is Susque- hanna fine sandy loam. The surface soil of this series is from eight to eighteen inches deep. It is loose, porous, and easily cultivated. The largest areas of this series are found near Caddo Lake, in the north- eastern end of the county.
Next in importance to the Susquehanna fine sandy loam is the Caddo fine sandy loam. . Fifteen and two- tenths per cent of the total area of the county, or 84, 992 acres, is of this series. The surface soil of this loam is from six to eight inches in depth. Most of the soil of this series is located in the northeastern part of the county. It is, in all probability, one of the best soils of the county, because of its excellent drainage.
Next from the standpoint of area is the Ruston fine sandy loam. 48, 320 acres of the surface soil of Harrison County are of this series. The surface soil of this series is from six to twelve inches deep. It is rather widely distributed throughout the county, but the largest arca of it is found in a belt about four miles wide north of the bottom lands of the Sabine River.
1.4
8
The Sanders silt loam is next in importance. There are 39, 680 acres with soil of this kind in the county. The surface soil of this series is from ten to twelve inches in depth. It is found rather extensively in the bottoms along the middle and lower courses of Mason, Potter, Hatley, Haggerty, Little Cypress, and a few other creeks in the county. This type is practically level, with the banks of the streams being slightly higher than the remainder.
The above mentioned series account for 78.6 per cent of the soils of the county. The other 21.4 per cent is divided among nineteen other series.
In regard to the climate of Harrison County, the East Texas Immigration Society referred to above, has the following to say:
Our summers are long and somewhat enervating. Yet we have no cases of total prostration from heat. They are tempered by breezes from the Gulf that rise about nine in the morning and continue until about four in the afternoon. Our winters are always mild. The ice in our ponds is never. sufficient to bear up the weight of an ordinary man, and in our running water, ice never forms. There is no time in the winter when a man may not labor out doors, except from rain and sleet, which fall more or less in December, January, and February. We never house our cattle, sheep or goats, nor our horses except such as work.
This description seems to be verified by the follow- ing:
Situated as it is between the thirty-second
9. Texas Almanac, 1873, p. 98.
9
and the thirty-third parallels of latitude, the climate is mild and salubrious. The heat of the summer rarely ever goes above 96 degrees, and the cold of the winters below 20 degrees. Cattle and stock never require any attention here to protect them from the cold winds and storms of the winter; while in the north this is a labor and care for six or eight months of the year. 10
From the above sources of information, as well as from personal observation, and from information furnished by people now living in the county, the following con- clusions are offered. The summers are long and hot, not unusually so, but sometimes rising above 100 degrees. The average length of the growing season is eight months, more than ample for maturing crops, and in some instances time enough for two. The range of temperature is from seven below zero to 108 above, with a mean of 49 degrees in the winter, 66 in the spring, 83 in the summer, and 67 in the fall. The mean for the year is 66 degrees, The temperature rarely ever goes as high as 108, while our oldest men can remember only three times when the temperature has gone below zero, once in 1877, another in the nineties, and last, in January, 1930. All in all, the climate of Harrison County was one to attract the early farmer and stockman. .
In the matter of rainfall, also, Harrison County was able to please. The pioneer in search of a home found in Harrison County a climate that suited his needs.
10. French, American Sketch Book, II, 216.
10
The rainfall has a range of 36.6 inches in the dryest year to 47.23 inches in the wettest, or an average of 44.43 inches. The rainfall is fairly evenly distributed throughout the year. More of it comes in the three spring months than during any other season, the mean precipitation being slightly above thirteen inches. Winter ranks next, with a precipition of slightly above twelve inches. Fall and summer come next, each with above ten inches of rainfall. Occasionally there are wet springs that greatly hinder the farmers in their planting; sometimes there are dry summers which cut down the yield. Both of the above are unusual. The East Texas Immigration Society records only two in- stances of crop failures up to 1873, once in 1859, in which year a failure of corn occurred, and in 1872, when there was a cotton failure. There have been other 'failures since, but there never has been, so far as it has been possible to ascertain, a total failure in everything -- not even a failure in the two principal crops, cotton and corn. This is because the conditions that injure one crop do not as a rule injure the others. For instance, a drouth in the late summer .. and this is when it is most likely to come __ hurts cotton, but not corn, as corn is matured by that time. Likewise, much rain in the early spring hurts corn, but not cotton, for the latter is not planted at that time.
Natural resources. -- Harrison County has always
11
boasted of its water. There was a current saying in the early days of this county that once a person had gotten a taste of the water from one of the clear, crystal springs in which the county abounds, he would go no further in his search for a home. It is doubt- ful whether the spring water alone induced any pioneer to settle in the county, but it is likely that the good water which greeted the thirsty traveler as he came into the county must have had its influence in causing him to settle there. The East Texas Immigration Society has the following to say in regard to the water of Harrison County:
Our water is not so cold as that found in the mountainous regions; yet we have good freestone water in the springs and also in the wells. We generally find water by digging from ten to twenty feet. In some few places we find hard lime water, and occasionally water that is too hard and brackish to drink. Yet seven-tenths of our wells are good and suitable to be used in drinking. 11
In reality, the county is well watered. A descrip- tion of the drainage has already been given. There are many fine large springs in the county, but not so many as formerly . Several of these springs are mineral, the two most famous of which are the Rosborough Springs and Hynson Springs. Besides these, there are numerous smaller springs bubbling up in all parts of the county. At this time, there is hardly a farm in this area that
11. Texas Almanac, 1873, p. 99.
12
does not have one or more springs.
One of the effects of this abundant water supply in the county was the plant life, particularly the timber. The early homeseeker was greatly interested in timber, for by its use he was able to build shelter for his family, his stock, and his crops, and at the same time have all the fuel he needed for heating and cooking purposes. Harrison County was at this early period particularly blessed in this respect, and is, for that matter, still blessed. At this early period, it was one of the best timbered counties in the state. 12 Almost
every kind of tree that grows anywhere in the United States, with the exception of the spruce, hemlock, and fir can be found in this county. The uplands of the county, now chiefly cleared up and planted in corn, cotton, peas, and peanuts were once covered with giant pine trees, some of them centuries old. The small creeks were lined with white and burr oak, hickory, cherry, elm, walnut, and maple. Along the courses of the larger streams were found tens of thousands of huge cypress trees, which have since been cut up into millions of feet of lumber and shingles. Other trees found in abundance were the red oak, post oak, sweet gum, black gum, chinquapin, black jack, ash, and willow. The early settlers soon found also that the soil and climate of this county
12. American Sketch Book, II, 225
13
were peculiarly adapted to the growth of peach, apple and other fruit trees.' The East Texas Immigration Society boasts proudly of Harrison County's unsurpassed peaches, apples, figs, and melons. To quote from this article:
"We have not less than ten varieties of figs. Our fig crop has not failed in twenty years. Our apple crop rarely fails. Several varieties of grapes do well, while we have four varieties growing wild, two of which are elegant. "13
They had been transported from the east, and the fact that they Were producing fruit in a few years served as evidence that Harrison County could be develop- ed into a great fruit growing district. However, even the earliest of these pioneers found such wild fruit as the muscadine, plum, persimmon, blackhaw, and grapes. The same was true of black berries, dew berries, and whortle berries. These important sources , of food certainly were not to be overlooked in searching for a home.
Native grasses grew everywhere, if not crowded out by the trees. 14 One type of land, found in this county, known as the meadow, is not suitable for cultivation, due to its being subject to overflow. However, it produces excellent grass, which is used both for past- urage and for hay.
13. Texas Almanac, 1873, p. 99.
14. Soil Survey of Harrison County, p. 46.
BOULDER, COLORADO
14
Aside from the wild fruits and vegetables that grew in profusion during the pioneer stage of the history of this county, there was another life that must have been attractive to the pioneer. This was wild game. Wild game was abundant in Harrison County at this stage. Deer, turkey, duck, opossum, raccoon, minks, and even an occasional bear were a part of the wild life of this county. 15 In the early days, most of the above animals and fowls could be used by the early settler for food, . while others were caught, or killed for their fur, Streams and lakes were full of fish. Cat fish, trout, bass, white, black, and yellow perch as well as many other kind of fish could be had for the taking.
With game of all kind at his very door and wild fruits and vegetables of many kinds growing in abundance only a few steps from his home, it is not likely that the early pioneer suffered for the lack of food, even during his first "lean winter." There is no record of there ever having been a "starving time" in Harrison County; nor can any person now living remember when food was not plentiful.
On the other hand, the county has never been noted for its minerals. The two outstanding minerals in this county are lignite and natural gas. Rather extensive
15. Most of the information contained in this thesis concerning pioneer conditions was furnished by Mr. and Mrs. Ben Hope, Hallsville, Texas. These people settled in the Fort Crawford settlement in 1849.
BOULDER, COLORADO
15
beds of lignite are found near Caddo Lake and on Sabine River. A huge million dollar plant is in operation at Marshall at this time which manufactures a product called "Darco", from lignite. This product is nationally known and is used for clarifying, deodorizing, decoloriz- ing oils, fats, waxes, alcohols, chemicals, sugars, syrups, and solvents. Rather extensive gas fields are found at Waskom and Elysian Fields, both in the south- eastern part of the county. Practically all of the towns and villages of this county cook and heat with this fuel. Clay is another important mineral. There are several brick plants and potteries now operating. Rather extensive deposits of iron are also found. Other minerals of less importance are pearls, sometimes found in Caddo Lake, sand and gravel, of which there is a great supply, silica, and mineral water. Two health resorts in the county have achieved periods of prosperity due to mineral waters, Hynson Springs, now abandoned, and Rosborough Springs, still in a rather flourishing condition.
Accessibility to markets. .. By no means the factor least considered in determining the settlement of a region is its accessibility to markets. Our history is full of the fights made by the West for a way to get its products to market. This section at times re- sorted to the threat of secession unless a way to markets was provided by the federal government. Not
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