A memorial and biographical history of Navarro, Henderson, Anderson, Limestone, Freestone and Leon counties, Texas from the earliest period of its occupancy to the present time, together with glimpses of its prospects; also biographical mention of many of the pioneers and prominent citizens, Part 25

Author:
Publication date: 1893
Publisher: Chicago, Lewis Publishing Co.
Number of Pages: 954

USA > Texas > Henderson County > A memorial and biographical history of Navarro, Henderson, Anderson, Limestone, Freestone and Leon counties, Texas from the earliest period of its occupancy to the present time, together with glimpses of its prospects; also biographical mention of many of the pioneers and prominent citizens > Part 25
USA > Texas > Freestone County > A memorial and biographical history of Navarro, Henderson, Anderson, Limestone, Freestone and Leon counties, Texas from the earliest period of its occupancy to the present time, together with glimpses of its prospects; also biographical mention of many of the pioneers and prominent citizens > Part 25
USA > Texas > Leon County > A memorial and biographical history of Navarro, Henderson, Anderson, Limestone, Freestone and Leon counties, Texas from the earliest period of its occupancy to the present time, together with glimpses of its prospects; also biographical mention of many of the pioneers and prominent citizens > Part 25
USA > Texas > Anderson County > A memorial and biographical history of Navarro, Henderson, Anderson, Limestone, Freestone and Leon counties, Texas from the earliest period of its occupancy to the present time, together with glimpses of its prospects; also biographical mention of many of the pioneers and prominent citizens > Part 25
USA > Texas > Limestone County > A memorial and biographical history of Navarro, Henderson, Anderson, Limestone, Freestone and Leon counties, Texas from the earliest period of its occupancy to the present time, together with glimpses of its prospects; also biographical mention of many of the pioneers and prominent citizens > Part 25
USA > Texas > Navarro County > A memorial and biographical history of Navarro, Henderson, Anderson, Limestone, Freestone and Leon counties, Texas from the earliest period of its occupancy to the present time, together with glimpses of its prospects; also biographical mention of many of the pioneers and prominent citizens > Part 25

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

198

HISTORY OF NAVARRO, HENDERSON, ANDERSON,

near a wide, boggy marsh, and the finding of some human bones in this marsh by some of the old settlers created the belief that the silver mines were in that neigh- borhood. Mr. Gatewood, living near the pits, was one of the party that found the bones. About the same time G. Scott and F. Ball found some human bones, together with some guns on a bluff of Cedar creek, about five miles west of this place. A good many years ago men hunted dili- gently for the buried silver and the mine. I was well acquainted with several men who hunted for it for years: J. R. Gate- wood and Mr. Henry were among the number. I suppose there are still some men who think there is a silver mine in that neighborhood."

This shows mere conjecture. The prob- able actual explanation of the facts are well given in the following words of an old citizen of Anderson county-W. Y. Lacy -a short time before his death: "In do- ing this," said he, referring to a friend's request to write on Anderson county, " you will please allow me to digress a little from the subject and go back to the first white settlement made in the Indian country, which comprised all of that territory lying east of the Trinity river to the most east- ern waters of the Angelina river, the south- ern boundary being considered to be the old San Antonio or King's highway lead- ing from San Antonio to Red river. The northern boundary was considered to be the Sabine river from its source to a point due north from the most eastern waters of the Angelina river. Within the bounds here given were many tribes of Indians, to-wit: Cherokees, Shawnees, Kickapoos,

Delawares. Caddoes, Ionis and Anadarcoes. In abont the year 1830 a gentleman by the name of Prather settled about the center of the above mentioned territory at a place then called Bean's Saline for the purpose of making salt for supplying the Indian trade. About the same time two trading houses were established at the saine point, one by Chates H. Sims, the other by James Hall, with large quantities of goods adapted to the Indian trade. About the year 1832 an old gentleman by the name of Walker settled near the Saline. His family con- sisted of a wife, three grown daughters and a little boy. In 1833 Dr. E. J. De Bard, who now lives in this city (Palestine), also settled in the same neighborhood, witlı his entire family. In 1834 my father, Martin Lacy, bought the salt works and moved his family there, and about the same time perhaps a dozen other families moved into the same settlement, all within a compass of about six miles. This set- tlement was abont forty miles from any other white settlement and about seventy- five miles from Nacogdoches, and in a center, as we might say, of an entire Indian country, and is about thirty miles north- east from this place (Palestine) and in the southwest corner of Smith county."

This being just across the river from east Henderson county makes it altogether probable that these pits were experiments connected with these settlements.

In 1837 this territory had been included under the jurisdiction of Houston and Nacogdoches counties, so that when the county of Henderson was created, a year after the time of which Mr. Mitcham speaks, there were three chief settlements

199

LIMESTONE, FREESTONE AND LEON COUNTIES.

-Caney creek, Turkey creek and Buffalo -- in the present northwest point. There were Joab Scott, M. D. Blue, Mr. White- head, Mr. Fancher, Mr. Daniels, James Boggs, William Ware, A. M. Cobb, A. J. Hunter, John Rearson, John Damron and a number of other families, with a large number in the upper part, or what is now the two offspring counties to the north.

Buffalo then being the county seat, a considerable population gathered there or in the neighborhood. Indeed it was such a wide-awake settlement that on the even- ing of January 28, 1847, at Buffalo, ac- cording to an old book in the clerk's office at Athens, a literary society was organized, with John H. Reagan presiding. The first members were A. M. Moore, Jas. Stephenson, F. M. Moore, J. D. Scott, A. B. Gordon, P. T. Burford, J. H. Reagan, Jas. Boggs, B. Graham, I. T. Rayel, Jas. Duncan, J. W. Robinson, W. R. Hughes, L. B. Sanders, Sam Jones, Jas. McCane, N. F. Coburn, J. Williamson, F. L. Brown, S. Kirk, R. V. Carlisle, Z. W. Moore, Peter Hill and H1. Moore.

The Mercer colony settlements had some- what to do in adding to population, but that has been more fully noticed in the sketch of Navarro.

In 1848 there was a considerable influx of settlers, many with slaves, so that by 1850 there were eiglity-one slaves in the present territory of Henderson. The in- crease was still greater after 1850, say to 1855, when the number of slaves owned rose to 411. " At this time," said Mr. T. F. Murchison, who came in that year, " there were what might be called about six settlements. Among others at Athens,

which had now become the county seat, John Collins, B. F. Jordan, E. J. Thomp- son, Joab McManus and a few others; in the Stirman neighborhood, from five to eight miles north, were W. B. Stirman, J. W. Slaughter, S. W. Green, Wm. Rich- ardson, W. D. Ratliff and a few more; about the western or Smith settlement were Eli Smith, Wm. Sullivan, Floyd Goodgame-probably others; in the Wild- cat creek neighborhood to the south were James Derden, Rev. Robert Hodge, Dr. W. C. Walker, T. H. Barron and some I do not recall; in the New York settlement to the east were H. D. Morrison, R. S. Hines, John Larkin, Davis Reynolds and others; and about Brownsboro I recall James Carver, Dr. D. M. Wier, Captain Bridges and W. L. McNeil."

At this time Henderson had five post- offices: Buffalo, Brownsboro, Malakoff, Fincastle and Athens.

In March, 1847, Governor J. Pinckney Henderson signed over sixteen labors of land to Henry Jeffrey of Cherokee county.

John H. Reagan surveyed part of the land for Henderson's first town - on the east side of Trinity river. This was named Buffalo and was laid out on March 2, 1847. It was to be nine blocks wide by fourteen blocks long at its longest point. The square was on Main and between Sixth and Seventh streets. In fact it pre- sented a fine appearance-on paper. "The town grew to only a store and clerk's office," says Mrs. Avriett, who came in 1847.

When in 1848 the two counties on the north were cut off, Centerville, up near Goshen on twelve-mile prairie, became

200

HISTORY OF NAVARRO, HENDERSON, ANDERSON,

county seat and just as extensive a town. But in 1850, when Athens was created, these two " towns " became plain land again. They still had to go to Palestine to mill. Malakoff was only a post office, but Brownsboro had a store and a few houses, and likewise Fincastle. These were the only towns before the war. New York arose soon after and the rest came with the railway.

The greatest emigration came from 1855 to 1860, composed of large slaveowners chiefly, so that by 1859 there were 3,585 people in the county, and 827 slaves. The most dense settlements were over about New York. Here there were several saw and grist mills, for there was ninch wheat raised before the high price of cotton drove it out.

Of course during the war the county increased some with refugees, but after that it resumed a slow growth until the last five years, during which the Panhandle region has drawn somewhat largely from its population. In 1870 the population was 6,786, and in 1880 it rose to 9,735, of which 21 per cent was colored. In 1890 it was 12,285, an increase of over 26 per cent, even with the Panhandle influence. This gave 9,277 white, 3,005 colored and 3 Indians.

THE COUNTY AS ORGANIZED.

This old salt-mine Indian forest between the Neches and Trinity above Houston county, was settled up so fast on the admis- sion of Texas to the Union, that Anderson county and, above that, a much larger county reaching much beyond its present limits was created on the 13th of July,

1846. This new county's name was made to celebrate the first State governor -- that of 1846-James Pinckney Henderson, a North Carolinian by birth, and one of those numerous fighters for Texas who came ont from Mississippi, and who rapidly rose in civil, military and diplo- matic service in Texas, as one of her most prominent workers for annexation to the United States, in whose senatorial service he closed his career.

Those were the days of Trinity naviga- tion, and it was natural that the county seat should first locate near this public waterway, especially as a large part of the new settlements were in what is now Kaufman and Van Zandt counties. So William Ware's home was temporarily chosen and organization was at once ef- fected.

The earliest record of the county conrt of Henderson has fortunately been pre- served to ns as follows: "The State of Texas, County of Henderson: Be it re- membered that a special term (it being the first term) of the county court begun and held in conformity with the law at the house of William Ware, on Tuesday, the 4tlı day of Angust, A. D. 1846, present and presiding the Hon. John Damron, chief justice; William Peters, James N. Naudain, and Peter Hill, county commis- sioners; B. Shankle, sheriff, and Albert G. Kimbell, clerk, whereupon the following proceedings were had." Here follow the bonds of the above mentioned men, John E. Chism, assessor; James D. Scott, dis- trict clerk; Nathaniel Dougherty, coroner, and a few lesser officers.

201

LIMESTONE, FREESTONE AND LEON COUNTIES.

The first act of the court was to make James Boggs the election judge for Buf- falo, William Lundy for Warsaw beat, A. M. Cobb for Kingsboro beat, T. Throat for Moore's beat, Mr. Forbes for Saline beat, A. J. Hunter for Four Mile Prairie beat, Mr. Harrison for Bois d' Arc beat, and John Rearson for Neches beat. A new beat was created east of Mr. McBee's house. The county seat still being un- settled, it was to be kept at Mr. Ware's temporarily.

In October, '46, precincts were laid off. No. 1 being to the southwest part of the county, No. 2 being to the northwest, No. 3 to the northeast, No. 4 and No. 5, No. 6, No. 7 and No. 8. John P. Moore was allowed to run a ferry at Buffalo, and the first road was laid out from Ware's to Buffalo. In November, '46, the temporary seat of justice was ordered to William Love's and was ordered to be known as Mount Pleasant, but the name was changed to Waresville. Roads were ordered to the Sabine and the county seat of Anderson county. The next term, in '47, was held at Buffalo as temporary seat of justice. It was "ordered by the court that a notice issue " to the Postmaster General of the United States " informing him that the county seat of Henderson county has been located at the town of Buffalo" and a post office is wanted. In July, '48, the chief justice was empowered to organize Kaufman and Van Zandt counties, and Henderson's precints were organized. On July 13 Mr. Damron declared permanent the new site of Centerville, chosen by the commissioners, to be the county seat by virtue of having received the largest

number of votes. Andrew F. McCarty offered to the court protest that the elec- tion was illegal, but this was not acted upon. A donation of 100 acres of land for the county seat was received from James H. Starr of Nacogdoches. This was from the J. B. Brown league. The first court at Centerville was held in September, 1848. E. Mallard was allowed $50 "for building a cabin " which was to be used as clerk's office and courthouse. C. D. Gibbs, E. Mallard and B. Graham were the locators of this county seat, Gibbs being the sur- veyor and agent of the land. Road pre- cincts were created about this time. The total sales of the Centerville plat reached $277.85. In 1849, however, the town of Buffalo gets the court again.

On May 20, 1850, the court decided to reorganize the county, because of the action of the legislature in re-arranging the bounds of several counties, including Anderson.

The commissioners of location of county seat, appointed by the legislature, were John Brown, S. Huffer (surveyor), J. B. Luker, Thos. Helin, A. Avant, J. S. Led- better, J. U. Sullivan, and Sam. White- head. These met in September at Moses Cavett's and arranged for the site of Athens on the Parmer league, owned by Mat. Cartwright, who gave 160 acres of land, and Cavitt and Walters, who gave 100 acres, including Walter's Big Spring. At the election this site received a majority of twenty-seven votes. E. J. Thompson was appointed agent to sell all the lots and get a courthouse built "in one month!" John Loop built it on the south side of the present square, with dirt-and-stick chimney to it.

202

HISTORY OF NAVARRO, HENDERSON, ANDERSON,

" On the third Monday in August, 1850," says the account of Mr. Mitcham before referred to, " the district and county courts met at Buffalo. After court was called and the judge had taken his seat, Judge Howard, who was then county judge (hav- ing been elected two years before, and that being the last court in his term of office) arose and addressing Judge Roberts (since Governor of Texas) stated that an election had been held to locate the county site and that the center of the county had re- ceived a majority of all the votes cast, and asked him if it would be legal to hold court at Buffalo after it had been decided that the courts should be held at the center of the county. Judge Roberts adjourned district court for the term, but the county court moved down to the center of the county, at this place (Athens), but before it had a name. It was some time after this that the name Athens was given it."

The following are the bounds then made for Henderson connty: " Beginning at the northwest corner of Anderson county, thence with the upper boundary of said connty of Anderson to the northeast corner thereof; thence up the Neches river to the southeast corner of A. Sidney Johnston's twelve hundred and [eighty] acre survey; thence west to the Trinity river; thence down said river, with its meanders to the place of beginning."

"The newly elected county court," says Mr. Mitcham, " opened under the shade of that fine old oak tree that stands on the north side of the present courthouse (the one that burned). That court was com- posed of the following-named gentlemen: J. B. Luker, chief justice; E. J. Thomp-

son, county clerk; James Ball, sheriff; John Brown, R. R. Powers, Joab Mc- Manus, and James A. Mitcham, county commissioners. That court passed various orders, one of which was that the oak tree, under whose shade the court was held, should be preserved and protected for all time to come, and that it should be held sacred for keeping the hot rays of the summer sun off their unprotected heads. At that time there was not a house in less than three miles of this place. But after a while we got strong enough to build a courthouse, so we got up the plans and and specifications of a house and let it to the lowest bidder. I forget the man's name that took the contract, but he fur- nished all the material himself and built the house for $75. This may sound like an untruth, but it is strictly trne, and we passed many orders in that court- house and had a happy time. Of that court there are only two men- - only one now-left to tell of those happy days --- Joel McManus and James A. Mitcham, all the rest having gone to their long home."

This first courthouse was near the site of the livery stable, and the second like unto it was on the site of the present jail and was a log cabin. About 1858-'59 a two-story square frame building was built on the square, the present site, with four rooms below and court-room above, and an observatory above. This is the one that was burned during the February term of court in 1885, by catching fire accidentally from the upper fire-place. The loss was chiefly in district court records then in use, as the present clerk's offices were built about 1881 and are fire-proof, costing about

203

LIMESTONE, FREESTONE AND LEON COUNTIES.

$2,500. The courthouse had cost some- thing like $5,000. The old oak was al- most all burned too, but from the remains of it a gold-headed cane was made and presented to ex-Governor Roberts, who highly prized it.

Scott's hall was used until the winter of 1885-'86, when the present fine two-story brick and stone structure was completed by contractor C. H. Hawn at a cost of about $20,000 cash.

Athens has had three jails, all on the same site, one before the war, one after, and the present one, built about 1881, of brick and stone and remodeled a couple of years later, at a total cost of about $25,- 000, built by Cane Bros., of Tyler. A poor farm was established in 1890.

After the war road improvement began in the middle of the '70s, but it is only in the last few years that the best work has been done, and good wooden bridges con- structed over streams.

In finances, the county is in good con- dition, and now receives and disburses about $15,000 a year. The only bonds it has ever issued have been those placed in the school fund in 1885, to the amount of $17,500 for the courthouse. Only $8,000 remains unpaid. The county's scrip has not been below par since reconstruction days.

In 1885, Henderson had 121,976 acres of assessable land, valued at $197,240; 411 negro slaves, valued at $196,000; 415 horses, at $30,800; and 3,817 cattle, at $23,300. In 1859, she had 827 slaves. In 1890, her valuation, with no slaves, totals the round figures of $2,475,322, of which $365,861 is railway property.

Among the county chief justices, re- called, after Athens began, are J. Luker, S. T. Owen, D. A. Owen, Mr. Bishop, W. L. Faulk, W. B. Stirman, W. R. Dicker- son, and J. R. Blades.

There are two county societies-the Confederate Veterans' Association and a medical society.

THE COURTS.

The first district-court records of Hen- derson county begin in 1849. They are as follows: "Minutes, Fall Term, A. D. 1849. Be it remembered that on the 12th day of November, it being the regular term of the district court to be holden in and for the county of Henderson, and the court- house thereof, there being no judge pres- ent, the sheriff of said county Nicholas H. Gray and William W. Briggs, clerk of said court, by his deputy, James T. Rayel, pro- ceeded to open and adjourn the said court in pursuance of the statute in such case made and provided until to-morrow morning, 9 o'clock, A. M." The next morning Judge Bennett H. Martin was present, and the first grand jury chosen were John Baker, James Duncan, William A. Brown, Julius Barker, J. W. Boone, William Carter, G. B. Mason, Asa Dalton, J. B. White, Isaac Vanhooser, H. T. Moore, Thomas Box, J. L. Gossett, George N. Sanger, Wash. Lovell, G. B. Saunders, with Thomas Box as foreman. The first petit jury was com- posed of J. T. Carter, E. Fench, James Stephenson, T. M. Trebble, Bledsoe Butler, E. C. Tennin, L. Day, E. Gutherie, Ander- son Vanhooser, C. R. Saunders, A. M. Moore

204

HISTORY OF NAVARRO, HENDERSON, ANDERSON,

and James T. Scott. Several assault and battery cases and larceny, with a few minor cases, were all at this termn.

The practice of a district court assumes importance, or at least a condition of inter- est to the public, when it bears certain characteristics. Among these character- istics are the value of lands which make hard-fought civil cases where the title has been tampered with, the feudal nature of the citizens which leads to hard-fought criminal cases, and the ability of the judge- ship or legal talent which leads frequently to interesting features of law or advocacy, though not always.

Among the judges of the Henderson district court Judge Bennett H. Martin was first; Judge Roberts was another. Senator John H. Reagan in his younger days, in 1855, and thereabout was on the bench. Judge R. A. Reeves, now of Dal- las, was another. Judge L. W. Cooper and Judge S. Earle came before the recon- struction judge J. G. Scott. Since the war have followed Judges A. J. Fowler, M. H. Bonner, Felix McCord, F. A. Will- iams and W. Q. Reeves, the present young judge of Palestine.

The ante-bellum members of the Athens bar have left few representatives. Among those who were here in 1855 were W. H. Martin, L, W. Moore, Rufus T. Dunn, P. T. Tannehill, T. B. Greenwood, and before the war came on were G. D. Marrion, and, it is thought, A. B. Norton-possibly a few others. Among the older ones who began practice after the war, and who are still here, are W. L. Faulk, John S. Jones, Dr. J. B. Bishop, M. E. Richardson, and later Paul Richardson, W. R. Dickerson,

A. M. Skaggs, W. T. Eustace, J. N. Starr, E. P. Miller, and Mr. Johnson-a list be- lieved to cover all now in the county-all at Athens.

In the civil and criminal practice the career of the court has been rather un- eventful,-a fact that speaks well for the peacefulness of the county, but not so well for the estimate that has been placed upon her land before the days of fruit-raising and mineral discoveries. On account of these the future will probably be different from the past. Certain it is that, even with all this, the chief practice of interest has been almost entirely land cases, and yet these have not been characterized by any cases that stand out with much more striking features than all the rest.

There has never been but one legal ex- ecution in the history of Henderson county, and this was a recent one. It was about 1887 and bore some remarkable features. A young negro of not very striking intel- lect was involved in the killing and burn- ing np of another negro. The horror of the case in its cremation feature aroused public feeling a good deal, but a good many believed the youth deserved the asylum for imbeciles more than the gallows. Indeed after his conviction of the crime all the departments of the court were inclined to a sentence suited to an imbecile, except the jury, and, they decreed his death, which soon followed in legal manner.

THE CIVIL WAR.

As in litigation Henderson county has been comparatively free from trials and tribulation of one sort and another, so war has troubled her but little. Her people

205

LIMESTONE, FREESTONE AND LEON COUNTIES.

came chiefly after the Indian treaties and were subject to contact only with the more peaceable tribes. It was west of the Trin- ity chiefly that the later Indian troubles were most prevalent.

A few of her citizens were in the Mexi- can war, but she only then fairly began to be settled, so that her warfare was re- served for the great struggle of 1861-'65, and in this she had a large share for so small a population and wealth.

It may be of interest to glance at these two features of wealth and population. In those days negroes were often the main wealth of a county, and as early as 1850 there were 81 within its bounds. Five years later there were 411, valued at over $196,000,-nearly $200,000, and nearly as much as her whole taxable land was val- ued ($197,240). It will be hard to esti- mate what it would have been in 1859, when the number was more than doubled, up to 827, with one free negro. Estimat- ing it at the same rate and you place the slave wealth of Henderson county at the first rumblings of the on-coming war at not far from $400,000, -- more than all the railway property of the county at present. This was owned by a population that scored only 531 voters in 1859, the total popula- tion of the county being 3,585. At this time Athens had 43 votes, with 23 slaves in the village. As the war became more imminent lots of refugees with their slaves came into the county and a large number settled right about and in Athens. N. P. Coleman was probably the largest slave- owner, as he had something like 100.

Of course the excitement that arose over the secession of the Southern States, soon

become an equal reality in Henderson coun- ty, and here as elsewhere in the State Gen- eral Houston's opposition found a few fol- lowers. One Athens lawyer, P. T. Tanne- hill, was the spokesman of this element, which, it must be remembered, was very small indeed. Major W. H. Martin, Rufus Dunn, and T. B. Greenwood were among the more prominent leaders whose elo- quence fired the hearts of the big mass- meeting attendants at Athens, and the vote of the county went overwhelmingly for secession.

Major W. H. Martin at once recruited a company and left for Houston rendez- vous on the 21st of July, 1861, and finally went into Hood's brigade in Vir- ginia. A few -- Thompson, Jordan, and some others-went out before that and joined a regiment made up at Dallas.

Captain George D. Marrion raised the next company, at Athens, and went into Arkansas. Captain Bridges raised a third company and they soon found their way into the Tennessee army. Another com- pany was raised at Athens, to join General Price, by Captain William Payne. One was raised also to go to Velasco, by Captain Al- len Goodgame. In 1862 Athens saw an- other company formed, by Captain J. War- ren, whose first lieutenant was Mr. T. F. Murchison while he served, and this went to Indian Territory. Mr. Murchison was soon made enrolling officer and supply agent at Athens. Of course other recruits were sent out from time to time, but no companies.

Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.

Author: Publication date: 1893 Publisher: Chicago, Lewis Publishing Co. Number of Pages: 954

Author:
Publication date: 1893
Publisher: Chicago, Lewis Publishing Co.
Number of Pages: 954