FIRST PIONEERS of
HAMILTON COUNTY
1854--1860
(Several sources provide information about the earliest
settlers, but unfortunately there is much inconsistency about the dates
among the lists. This is an incomplete list of the first pioneers to
arrive in Hamilton County. 463 people were enumerated in Hamilton County in the 1860
US Census.)
Name, Area of First Location
1854
CARTER, Robert-- Fairview
1855
BLANSIT, Arch Dickerson
BLANSIT, John Chambers (or 1858)
[John Chambers Blansit was born 22 FEB 1827 in Autuaga, Alabama. He
married Eleanor White on 18 Dec 1851 Dekalb County, AL] [Kathy
Beaudry]
BLANSIT, Eleanor "Ellen"
(White)
[John Chambers Blansit married Eleanor White on 18 Dec 1851 Dekalb
County, AL] [Kathy Beaudry]
BROWDER, Capt. Frederick
CARTER, James Atchley, Ohio
GHOLSON, Albert G., Blue Hole Ranch
GRAVES, Francis Marion (or 1859)
GRIFFITH, Jesse J., Primitive Baptist
Preacher and teacher
ELDER JESSE J. GRIFFITH
In 1855, Jesse J. Griffith arrived in the area that would become
Hamilton County. When the first Hamilton County officials were elected,
on August 2, 1858, the 80 qualified voters in the county chose Griffith
to be the first County Treasurer. In 1860, Griffith started a private
school, the 3rd school on record in the county, in his home on the banks
of the Leon River, east of the town of Hamilton. The school was in
existence only a very short time because Elder Griffith was killed not
long after he established the facility.
Griffith may have been the first Primitive Baptist preacher in Hamilton
County. The book "The
History of the Primitive Baptists in Texas, Oklahoma, and Indian
Territory", by J. S. Newman, contains the following account
of Griffith's death from an Indian attack.
"Elder J.C. White, who was known in his day as Uncle Jackie, left
Alabama October 11, 1856, and landed in Coryell County January the
second 1860. At this time the county was sparsely settled and of course
our people were few and widely scattered. A short while after Elder
White settled in Coryell County he heard of an Old Baptist preacher by
the name of Griffith that lived over in Hamilton County on the Leon
River, so Elder White started to hunt Elder Griffith and as there were
Indians in the county at that time. Elder White buckled his six-shooter
around him and his gun to the horn of his saddle with his old saddle
bags containing a hymn book and Bible, so when Elder White found Elder
Griffith he was soon informed that there was a Primitive Baptist Church
over in the northeast corner of Coryell County by the name of Rainey's
Creek. Arrangements were soon made and the two Old Baptist
preachers were on their way to said church, and near where Turnersville
now is, the Indians came upon them wounding both of them, Elder Griffith
died nine days after he was wounded. Elder White's wounds were so severe
that life was despaired of by his family and his brethren. For seven
weeks he was turned on a sheet in his bed. He finally survived, his
wounds got well. He died at Lampasas on February 13, 1884. Thus passed
away one of the best pioneer preachers of Texas. Peace be to his
ashes."
GRIFFITH, Violet (Mrs. Jesse J.)
LANGFORD, Asa, south of Evant
(probably in Lampasas County
MANNING, Ezekiel, the future Hamilton
MANNING, Nancy (Moore) (Mrs. Ezekiel
Manning)
RICE, James
Monroe, Leon
River- 12 miles
east of the future Hamilton--Fall, 1855
RICE, Elizabeth (Standefer) (Mrs. James
Monroe Rice)--Leon River, Fall, 1855
STANDEFER, Henry C., Leon
River-12 miles
east of the future Hamilton--Spring, 1855
1856
ANDERSON, John Quincy, Honey Creek
BARBEE, James Gaston, Honey Creek
BAUGHN, John A.
BEAUCHAMP, William, south of Evant
BOOKERMAN, Henry, south of Evant
CARTER, Henry
Jones, 15 Sept., 1856,
Cowhouse Creek
CARTER, Mary Caroline (Preston), (Mrs.
Henry Jones Carter),
Cowhouse Creek
CRISCO, Noah
FULLER, Henry, Honey Creek
FULLER, James R., Honey Creek
FULLER, M. A., Honey Creek
GENTRY, Frederick Browder, Leon
River
GENTRY, Rebecca Patton (Barnett) (Mrs.
Frederick Browder Gentry), Leon River
GENTRY, Uncle
Alex, Leon
River
GENTRY, Aunt
Mourn, Leon
River
GRIFFITH, R. B.
MALONE, Isaac,
Sr,, Honey Creek
MALONE, Thomas, Honey Creek
MILLER, Andrew--Comanche Co--in 1858
Hamilton Co. line was drawn through his property
MILLER, Hannah Margaret (Shockley) (Mrs.
Andrew Miller)
STEEN, Isaac
Hollingsworth, Honey Creek
1857
HAZZARD, Raleigh taught the first school
in Langford Cove in 1857 or 1858
STANDEFER, Isaac Skelton, settled on a
section of Comanche County which became Hamilton County in 1858 when
Hamilton County was established..
1858
BLANSIT, John Chambers (or 1855)
[John Chambers Blansit was born 22 FEB 1827 in
Autuaga County, Alabama. He married Eleanor White on 18 Dec 1851,
Dekalb County, AL] [Kathy Beaudry]
BLANSIT, Eleanor "Ellen"
(White) (Mrs. John
Chambers Blansit). Ellen was a daughter of John S. White b: 25 Aug.
1813, in South Carolina
and Elizabeth Barrier b: 15 JUL 1815 in Kentucky [Kathy
Beaudry]
BROWN, Ike, before 1858
FOWLER, Jim, before 1858
FULLER, Patilla, before 1858
HOLLAND, John R.
ISABELL, J. H., by 1858
KUYKENDALL, James, before 1858
McELROY, John A.
MORRIS, David M., before 1858
POWERS, A. V., before 1858
SECREST, William Harrison, near Carlton
VAUGHN, John A.
1859
BARBEE, Amelia Carson (
Mrs. John Gaston Barbee)
BARBEE, John Gaston
BOYD, James J., at least by 1859
COTTON, W. F.
DURHAM, John Jefferson, Hamilton
DURHAM, Elizabeth Ann (McCutcheon)`(Mrs.
John Jefferson Durham), Hamilton
LIVINGSTON, Uel, 6 miles east of Hamilton
McBARRON, James A., Hampton post master;
Clerk Commissioners Court, 1859;
MEDFORD, Harvey
MORRIS, Andres
NORRIS, Greenville
RICHARDSON, R. 1859
SNOW, James
WILLIS, John J.
BEFORE 1860
BAGGETT, Joel
BECK, William
BOONE, Jacob H., Jr.,
CARTER, D. J.
CLANTON, N.H.
DOOLEY, L.
FERRELL, Emily J.
FULLER, Ransom A.
GASTON, H. M.
GROOMER, John J.
HACKWORTH, W. W.
HOWARD, Volney "Vol"
HUNTER, James P.
JONES, John Glover
LEE, J. Harvey
KEMP, W. A.
LOYD, Simpson
MASSINGILL, Page M.
MOORE, Eli
OATES, W. W.
PERRY, John
POLLOCK, D. D.
SELF, A. M.
SMITH, Dave
SNELL, William Terrell
STIDHAM, H.
STIDHAM, James
STUBBLEFIELD, Arthur
WALD, C. H.
WITCHER, Adam
WITCHER, J. E.
1860
ALFORD, Dr. John H., Honey Creek
REED, Isaac, Honey Creek
WHITE, John S., LEON RIVER
John S. White was born 25 AUG 1813 in South Carolina [Kathy
Beaudry]
WHITE, Elizabeth (Barrier), LEON RIVER
Elizabeth Barrier was born 15 JUL 1815 in Kentucky [Kathy
Beaudry]
WHITE, George W., LEON RIVER
WILLIAM, Sim, taught a school about 1858/1859 in
Hamilton County
The 1860 US Census revealed that 489 people from 78
families lived in Hamilton County.
FIRSTS in HAMILTON COUNTY
HAMILTON COUNTY. TX
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