Baylor County, TX - History - Baylor County Firsts ************************************************************************************* submitted by Dorman Holub [txarchives@mac.com] Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm ************************************************************************************* -1 First Survey of Lands which now comprise Baylor County was made in 1858 by Dr. J.W. Swindells of Belknap, Young County for the Young Land District. The Young Land District extended from Young County to New Mexico in the west and the Panhandle of Texas. The surveys for Baylor County were the basis of the Peter's Colony Lands or the Texas Emigration and Land Company. -2 County was named for Dr. Henry Weidner Baylor, nephew of Judge Robert Emmett Bledsoe Baylor, who was a lawyer, founded Baylor University and Baptist leader. Dr. Henry Weidner Baylor was a surgeon with the Texas Rangers during the Mexican-American War. He died 4 August 1854 and is buried at Independence, TX -3 Baylor County was organized June 1879. -4 First Baylor County Judge was E.R. Morris. -5 First Baylor County Sheriff was A.C. Tackitt. Andrew Chester "Ches" Tackitt was the son of Rev. James Pleasant and Keziah Frances Bruton Tackitt and early day pioneer of Parker and Young Counties. A.C. Tackitt was commander of the Young County Rangers from January 1874 to February 1874 under the Frontier Battlion. A.C. Tackitt served as Sheriff of Baylor County from 1879 to 1881. A.C. Tackitt served as Knox County's official surveyor by 1887. Andrew Chester Tackitt ws born 15 November 1845 in Dover, Pope County Arkansas and died 8 January 1930 in Girard, Kent County, Texas. His first wife was Louisa Elizabeth Miller who he married at Fort Belknap on 17 July 1864. J.W. Williams, Justice of Peace, Precinct 1 officiated according to the Young County Marriage records Volume 1, Book A Andrew Chester Tackitt married Miss Etta Swan following the death of his first wife. Etta Tackitt is buried beside Andrew Tackitt in the Girard cemetery, near Girard, Kent County, Texas. -6 First Baylor County marriage certificate was issued to Perry Anderson Tackitt and Miss Matilda Hetha Miller on 27 July 1879. The wedding was officiated by E.R. Morris, first Judge of Baylor County, Texas. The certificate was issued and 26 July 1879. P.A. Tackitt was a local blacksmith in Seymour. Perry Anderson Tackitt was born 1 January 1855 in Texas. He was the son of Rev. James Pleasant and Keziah Frances Bruton Tackitt. Matilda Hetha Miller Tackitt was born 1861 in Pendleton Landing, Arkansas and died 12 July 1935. Matilda was the oldest daughter of E.D. and Mary Mariba Shults Miller. -7 Seymour was first organized by a group of 25 families who came from Oregon and settled on Seymour Creek. All supplies were freighted from Graham, Young County, Texas. -8 The first building in present day Seymour was a stone house located near the present Morris and East streets for a home. Newspaper accounts indicate that the home was used for school, church services, merchantile, post office and other public purposes. -9 US Post office records indicate that the application to name the town was Oregon City. Post office records indicate that the name previously existed in Texas. The town was named Seymour. There are numerous theories as to the reason for the name of Seymour. a) - Horatio Seymour, governor of New York at that time b) - J.W. Fullock was one of the members of the 25 settlers and he selected "Seymour" c) - town named for cowboy named Seymour Munday, who had camped on Seymour Creek [the town named for Seymour Munday is referenced from the book: "These Things I Remember", by Foster H. Bunkley, published by Xpress Printing, Hurst, Texas, December 1979] -10 Seymour was first incorporated in 1890. -11 Baylor County records show that in May 1890, the Commissioner's Court dissolved the Seymour incorporation for failure to meet obligations. -11 Seymour was finally incorporated in 1906. -12 The first murder of a Baylor County Judge was County Judge E.R. Morris by Mr. Taylor. -13 The first Baylor County courthouse was in the building located at north Washington and West McLain. The courthouse was used. -14 The first permanent Baylor courthouse was erected in 1884 in the center of the square in Seymour. Pictures show it was three story rock building with a high cupola. The cupola was removed in 1920. -15 First successful election for Baylor County to go "dry" was 1901. -16 The first Baylor County jail was north of the Courthouse. It served as the jail until the three story rock jail was built in 1908. -17 The first Baylor County light plant was installed for the C.C. Milling Company in Seymour in 1901. Customers were charged a flat monthly rate. Milling was the companies' main business. In most early day electric companies, electricity was available in the evenings only. -18 The first Ice plant in Baylor County opened in 1917 and operated in connection with the Light Plant. -19 The first newspaper in Baylor County was started by Judge R.J. Browning in Seymour in 1879. Palo Pinto County Star newspaper explains in their 1879 issue that Judge Browning published a newspaper in Palo Pinto before moving to Seymour. The first Seymour newspaper was the Seymour Cresset. The newspaper office was located on the southwest corner of Morris and East streets.