The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 33, July 1929 - April, 1930 Page: 278
344 p. : maps ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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Southwestern Historical Quarterly
Alexander Spencer; Thomas Jouitt for James Garland, who died
May, 1835; Squire Mays for William Womack, who was supposed
to have died in service June, 1836, or to have died on the Sabine
River while returning from service in the army of the Republic
of Texas; William Williams for James Dalton; and John Hart for
Eli Sweeden, who died January, 1836. The majority of the estates
consisted of land certificates, and personal property seems to have
been meager. At the same time the court appointed Nathaniel
Journey as guardian for Peggy and William Bowman, children of
John Bowman, James Blagg for Lucinda Smith, and James S.
Baker for Artelia and Samuel Abel Baker, his sister and brother.21
The commissioners court met for the first time on April 9, 1838,
at Jacob Black's cabin on Red River. The members present were
John G. Jouitt, chief justice, James P. O'Neal, Joseph Swagerty
and Thomas Lindsay, associate justices. The court immediately
proceeded to appoint a committee composed of Wiley B. Merrill,
William R. Baker, John G. Stephens, Sr., William R. Caruthers
and Andrew Thomas to select a county seat site, "keeping in mind
the centre of the county, subsequent sub-divisions, and constitu-
tional size." These men were appointed with the idea of having
each section of the county represented on the board of location.
Merrill lived on North Sulphur near present-day Ladonia, Baker
in Tulip Bend where Elwood is now located, Stephens at the mouth
of Bois D'Arc Creek, Caruthers on Big Mineral just west of the
present site of Denison, and Thomas on the source of Bois D'Arc
between present-day Whitewright and Tom Bean.
The court then established a tax schedule with the rates as
follows: On capital employed in machinery and merchandising,
one-eighth per cent ad valorem; on horses, mules, cattle and negro
property, one-half per cent ar valorem; on stallions and jacks, the
price of one mare's season; for grocery and merchant licenses,
thirty dollars per year; for merchant peddler's licenses, fifty dollars
per year; for clock peddler's licenses, one hundred dollars per
year;22 for ferry licenses, five dollars per year (no ferry to be
located within two miles of one already operating) ; and white male
poll tax, one dollar per year. Panther and wolf scalps were to be
21Probate Court Records of Fanin, County, A, 1-9.
22In this exorbitant license may be discerned the prevalent distaste for
the "Yankee" clock peddler so common in pioneer communities of this
period.278
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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 33, July 1929 - April, 1930, periodical, 1930; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101090/m1/304/: accessed May 6, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.