Freestone County, Texas Biographies Biography of Richard W. Swaim (Aug. 5, 1822- Feb. 5, 1899, buried Prairie Grove Cemetery in Mexia, TX.) A Memorial and Biographical History of Navarro, Henderson, Anderson, Limestone, Freestone and Leon Counties, Texas Chicago, The Lewis Publishing Company, 1893; pages 768-769 R. W. Swaim, one of the early pioneers of Limestone county, Texas, was born in Parke county, Indiana, in 1821 [tombstone says 1822], a son of Michael Swaim, who died in 1825. The latter's father was a native of North Carolina, and was a soldier in the Revolutionary war. Michael Swaim married Elizabeth Barnes, also a native of North Carolina, and they removed to Indiana when that State was almost a complete swamp, where the father was killed by a runaway team. The latter came to Texas from Platt and Clay counties, Missouri, in 1844. His health demanded that he seek a milder climate than that of northern Missouri, and he accordingly traveled with his family in a wagon through that State and Arkansas, crossing Red River at Clarksville. He remained one year in Red River county, and in the spring of 1846 made another stop on Chambers creek, Navarro county, Texas; the following year tried Freestone county, and in 1848 landed at old Springfield, the first county seat of Limestone county. Mr. Swaim at once began work at the carpenter's trade, having erected nearly all the first buildings in the place, and for more than twenty years he found Springfield a profitable spot. In 1850 he was elected to the office of Justice of the Peace, and in 1860 he was made County Treasurer, which office he filled acceptably one term. The progress of the county seat having been checked materially by the war and the prospect of a removal to the terminus of the railroad, our subject concluded to try farming, and accordingly purchased his present home, then a wilderness with only four or five families in the community. The settlers were Messrs. Waller, Johnson, McBay and Curley, all but one of whom are now deceased. Mr. Swain plowed, grubbed, made rails, built fences, put up buildings, and his farm now shows the result of all these years of toil. He has contributed liberally to the erection of church buildings in his neighborhood, has aided in many ways the progress of the gospel, and holds the office of Deacon in the Baptist Church. Z. N. Morrell was the first missionary in the county. In 1842, in Missouri, our subject married Phoebe E. Sloan, who was born in 1825, a native of Tennessee. To this union have been born the following children: R. H., William R., Albert M., H. P. M., G. W. B., Fannie (now Mrs. C. W. McElroy), Ella (wife of G. B. Knight, of Dallas), Cary B., R. W., Mary E., Harvey E. and Lee - all deceased.