The Junior Historian, Volume 8, Number 4, January 1948 Page: 9
This periodical is part of the collection entitled: Texas Historian and was provided to The Portal to Texas History by the Texas State Historical Association.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
TIHE JUNIOR HISISTORIAN
THE HISTORY OF RUSK COUNTY
by MARIE GILL
Henderson High SchoolR USK COUNTY is located in the
valleys of the Sabine River and
the Angelina River. It was orig-
inally a part of Nacogdoches County
but was made a separate county in 1843,
and named for General Thomas Jeffer-
son Rusk, secretary of war in Sam
Houston's cabinet. The county seat was
laid off in 1843 on land belonging to
General James W. Smith and named
for James Pinckney Henderson, Gen-
eral Rusk's law partner and later the
first governor of Texas after annexa-
tion.
T'lhe county is one of the oldest settled
parts of the state, having grants going
back to Spanish rule. It was also the
home of the Cherokee Indians, who
were finally driven out in the Indian
War of 1839. Other Indians in the
southern part of the county had been
ministered to by priests from two early
Spanish missions in that region. The
first American land grants were given
in the 1820's to the Elliott and Wil-
liams families who staked their claims
near Lawsonville, which is famous today
as the burial place of Dr. Albert Miles,
the noted physician of Tulane Univer-
sity. Other early grants were near Cam-
den and Mount Enterprise. Several
soldiers of the Texas Revolution were
from Rusk County - Robert Smith,
Henry Chapman, and James Walling.
After the Texas Revolution many
settlers poured in from the Southern
states, so that by 1843 there was suf-
ficient population to form a separate
county. Before the Civil War towns
had grown up at Henderson, Mount
Enterprise, Harmony Hill, Camden,
Millville, Lawsonville, New Salem,
Bellview, Glenfawn, Pinehill, Minden,
and Concord, some of the places having
gotten their names from famous men
of that time.The townsite of Henderson, which
was named in honor of James Pinckney
Henderson, was donated by his friend,
William B. Ochiltree, on condition that
it should bear the name Henderson.
Mo'int Enterprise got its name from
a mountain near its site, plus the energy
displayed in developing the resources
of that section by the Vinson brothers,
who settled there in 1832.
Harmony Hill was the site of a large
tribe of Indians and was settled by the
Martin family. A large number of the
Martins and their relatives still live in
and around there today.
Lanville is said to have been so
called because four lanes converged on
its site.
Tacum was named for Albert Tatum,
son oE a pioneer settler.
-New Salem was named for Oscar
Wilson in honor of his old home in
Victoria County.
Overton was so called for Frank
Over :on, an early settler.
El is Glen is credited with having
killed a fawn on the location of Glen-
fawn, one of the small settlements in
Rusk County.
REklaw was named by the Cherokees,
in honor of Margaret L. Walker. Rek-
law is Walker spelled backwards.
M my plantations came into exist-
ence, and much wealth, in the form of
slaves, was brought into the county.
When the Civil War came, Rusk sent
more soldiers to the Confederate Army
than any other county of comparable
size in the Confederacy.
In 1876 the people of Texas drew up
a new constitution based on white rule,
and peace was again restored to the
state. Conditions grew better slowly,
though real prosperity was never re-
gained.
In 1872 the first railroad was built9
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Periodical.
Texas State Historical Association. The Junior Historian, Volume 8, Number 4, January 1948, periodical, January 1948; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth391365/m1/11/?rotate=270: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Texas State Historical Association.