Freestone County, Texas Biographies Biography of Judge Richard Henry Waters (Mar. 19, 1851-Dec. 8, 1938, buried Alice Cemetery in Alice, Jim Wells Co., Texas) History of Texas, Together with a Biographical History of Milam, Williamson, Bastrop, Travis, Lee and Burleson Counties. (Chicago, IL: Lewis, 1893), pp. 588-589. Hon. R. H. Waters, ex-Representative of Milam county, a progressive and prosperous farmer residing near Burlington, traces his ancestry to South Carolina, where the line ascending for three generations finds its source, so far as now can be determined, in one Colonel Phil [Philemon] Waters, a gallant soldier who served under Washington in the French and Indian wars, and under the same distinguished soldier in the Revolutionary struggle. Phil [Philemon] Waters bore a conspicuous part in these wars and by his activity incurred the especial hatred of the French and British commanders against whom he served. It is preserved as one of the traditions of the family that at the surrender of Fort Necessity, where Colonel Waters killed two French soldiers and three Indians, a special demand was made on Major Washington, commander of the Colonial troops, by the French commander for Colonel Waters, but that Major Washington refused to honor the demand and Colonel Waters escaped the vengeance of the wrathy Frenchmen to do valiant services for the colonies in their subsequent revolt against the mother country. The military trappings of Colonel Waters are still in existence, being now in the possession of a sister of the subject of this notice, Mrs. T. M. Bragg, residing in Greenville, Alabama. Colonel Waters had among other children, a son named Wilkes Waters, who was born in South Carolina, and who married a Miss Manning, by whom he had three children, the eldest of whom was a son, Phil B. [Philemon Berry] Waters, born in Newberry district in 1808. Phil B. [Philemon Berry] Waters went to Alabama when a young man, locating in Butler county, where he met and married Sarah Ann Womack and became the father of eight children, four sons and four daughters, the sixth of whom, being the youngest son, was Richard H. Waters, the subject of this sketch. Richard H. Waters was born in Butler county, Alabama, in 1851. He was reared in his native county, and educated at the Greenville Collegiate Institute. He came to Texas immediately on leaving school, and took up his residence on the line of Freestone and Navarro counties, where for three years he engaged in farming. Returning to Alabama, he began the study of law under a distinguished lawyer of his native State, and after eighteen months spent in preparation, was admitted to the bar before Judge John Henry. Another year was spent in preparation for the practice of his profession, after which he returned to Texas and located at Fairfield, Freestone county. He shortly afterward became a candidate for the office of County Attorney, of Freestone county, but was defeated. He then abandoned the law, and going to Robertson county, clerked about a year for his brother there in the mercantile business, when, in 1882, he took up his residence in Milam county, where he has since lived. For ten years he has been engaged in farming, stockraising, and merchandising. He now owns an interest in a ranch of about 620 acres lying on the north line of Milam county, and an interest in a mercantile business and gin at Burlington, and in recent years he has been somewhat active in politics. Mr. Waters received the Democratic nomination for the State Legislature from Milam county in 1890, was subsequently elected and served during one session. He made a good representative, and his career met with the general approval of his constituency. He was a member of the following committees: Privileges and Elections, Agriculture Affairs, Stock and Stockraising and Counties and County Boundaries. He favored the railroad commission law, made an effort to rid the State of Johnson grass by introducing a bill declaring it an offense to allow the grass to go to seed on one’s place, and by request introduced a bill providing for the annulment of the marriage bonds in cases of insanity. Mr. Waters has exercised a wide influence in the community in which he resides, giving liberally of his time, means and personal effort to the building of the material, social and morale interests of that community.