Hopkins County, Texas -- Early History of Hopkins County Texas ***************************************************** This file was contributed for use in the USGenWeb by: Pat Howard USGenWeb Archives. Copyright. All rights reserved http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm ***************************************************** Early History of Hopkins County Texas Biographical sketches and incidents of the early settled families By E. B. Fleming 1902 Chapter VI. A Chapter Full of Incidents The following interesting matter has been gathered here and there over the country and can be relied upon as historical facts without exaggeration. Robert Hargrave built the first blacksmith shop in the county. It was built at old Sulphur Bluff. He made the first plow, it was called the "cary plow" the only plow used at that time. A bar share, a long iron share and a wooden moldboard. When it struck a root or stump or other solid substance, the handles would fly up with a quick jerk and drop back with a vigorous punch. When it came to a root, it gave you no warning at all, but slowly sneaked under the thing so far that you had to back your team to get it out. If the rood was weak and yielding enough it would break and both ends of the broken rood would come ad your defenseless shins with force sufficient to skin them from ankles to knees. This old time plow tested the piety of the old time settler. Corn was plowed five times and about five furrows to the row. A very small amount of cotton was raised in Hopkins County in an early day. The people did a great deal of unnecessary work and in the very hardest way possible. Wheat was raised to a limited extent and cut with a cradle, and then threshed with flails. The way of making flails was simply to cut a hickory sapling long enough for both the handle and the club. At the place where the handle was to end and the club to begin, they beat a section of the sapling a few inches long, with the back of an axe, till it was a mere withe and perfectly flexible. They laid the wheat on the floor of the barn or on a covered pen of rails and pounded it to a mass of chaff, broken straw and wheat. This work was always done in the hottest days of summer. When the wheat was threshed, they sifted through a riddle made for the purpose to separate the wheat from the straw and coarse particles of chaff. In sifting the wheat, all the finer chaff that was small enough to go through the holes in the home made sieve or riddle would remain in the wheat. To separate it from the wheat one man would pour wheat and chaff together, in a small stream, from a vessel held high above his head, while two other men fanned vigorously, with a sheet or bed quilt, as it fell. Within a few years the flail was dispensed with and oxen were used to tramp the wheat. Horses or oxen walked around in a circle upon the wheat, till the wheat straw was thoroughly tramped to pieces and wheat completely threshed. The wheat was then cleaned in a manner as above described. Times have changed since then sure enough. There were no large slave holders in Hopkins County. There were a great many who owned a few slaves they were always fed and clothed well. A few of the old time negroes are here now. They were the happiest people on earth, never had the blues or gave way to despondency. All the world was indeed a stage to them and life was but a comic farce. The old time slave negro has no patience with the partially educated "smart Elick" negro of to-day. The simple customs of these old pioneers began gradually to pass away with the introduction of modern machinery which has wrought a great revolution in our county, but its introduction has not decreased the expense of living. Gallantry among the old pioneers was a leading characteristic. There were no women in the eyes of such men, all females of human kind were ladies. Hospitality was another leading trait in the old timer. The traveler found a hearty welcome in every home, and the wealth of the host was always lavished upon the traveler with a delicacy of taste and sincerity of hospitality such as would insure his comfort and enjoyment. No remuneration was expected, or would be accepted, for such hospitality. The whole social atmosphere was redolent with this generous spirit. J. P. (Uncle Perry) Hargrave, who has linked his name permanently with the history of Hopkins County, was born in the state of Indiana in the year of 1821. he moved to Texas in the section in which he now lives in the year of 1842 with his father William Hargrave and his brother Harvey. J. P. Hargrave married Casanda Clark, a lady who had lived in Texas since the year of 1834 in Red River County, in 1848. They have raised only two children, John C. and Charles J. They are both good and useful citizens, and live near their aged parents. When Mr. Hargrave came into the territory there was only one family living in what is now Hopkins County, a Mr. Bivens, who soon disappeared and nothing was ever heard of him or his family. It was supposed that they were all massacred by the wild tribes of Indians. The territory soon began to be settled by good but adventurous citizens. The last election of the Republic of Texas was held at old Sulphur Bluff. Ned Burleson and Ausen Jones were the candidates. Ausen Jones was the successful candidate. During this time other settlers came into the territory. Billy Barker, Robert E. Mansell and Billy Mathis. Johnson Wren located in the northwestern part of the county and was the first representative in the State Legislature. Capt. M. Brannon came into the district about this time. Nash Cole was the first to locate at Black Jack Grove. The Jordan family moved in about the same time. The county was created in the year 1845, and organized in 1846. Unfortunately there appears to be some misunderstanding in reference to the name given the county. Some of the old timers claim that the county was named in honor of Eldridge Hopkins, while J. P. Hargrave declares that the county was named in honor of the Hopkins family. When the county had been surveyed, which was done by Robert Hargrave, the Legislature of Texas appointed a committee, consisting of Robert Hargrave, Capt. Eli Hopkins, Billy Barker, James Ward and Billy Wilkins, to locate the center of the county for a county site. They began on the southwest corner of Lamar County and ran a line by mathematical calculation, with their surveying equipage to within a few hundred yards of where the old town of Tarrant once stood, and drove in a post. It was therefore finally decided to locate the county site at Tarrant. The day the county site was located which was accomplished by vote, the county officials were chosen. In the year 1843 the wild Indians made a raid on the Birdwell neighborhood, on the south side of North Sulphur creek. Upon information of the Indians being in the county, the male portion of every family in the county left their homes and went in search of the enemy. They simply passed through without doing any serious damage save stealing a horse now and then. On the return from the Indian hunt the men came upon a large black bear near where the ladies, wives and daughters of the gentlemen, were corralled in one small log cabin. When they fired upon the bear, the ladies stampeded and were frightened almost out of their wits. The first hewed log house was built by Glen Hargrave, al the neighbors were invited to aid in erecting this building. On this occasion Eldridge Hopkins came in too late to put in a day’s work. They all combined to court martial Mr. Hopkins, he replied, "I have a good excuse." He was asked to give it at once; he went to his horse and brought up three panther skins; he had shot and killed three panthers on his trip that morning. He was excused of course. In the winter of 1845, in riding from Joe Leright’s place on Clarksville road to where J. C. Brewer now lives, a distance of eight miles, Uncle Perry Hargrave counted one hundred and sixty deer. The same year he stood upon the spot where Harmon Gregg now lives, and counted fifty dear at a sight. Wild horses were to be seen often in droves. They were called mustangs, and were worthless and troublesome. The bear, which were black, lay in the brush, never coming out, except to pass from one point to another. They were the hog’s greatest enemy. Wolves were very numerous and annoyed the settlers by howling in large groups and in many other ways. The panther was dreaded perhaps more than any other animal of the forest. They were vicious and very destructive to everything within their power. They would, with the silent tread of a cat, steal upon their prey and destroy it with great ferociousness. The first marriage that took place in Hopkins County was consummated in October, 1843. The contracting parties were Thos. C. Clark and Elizabeth B. Hargrave. The marriage ceremony was performed by Abner McKinzie, justice of the peace of Clarksville. The first death in the territory was W. W. Hargrave, he was buried at the McFall burying ground. He was the first person buried in this now famous grave yard. Uncle Perry was the first person in the county to arrive at his majority. He attended the first camp meeting, which was held in the brush, and was a great success. Rev. Joe Bishop was the first man to preach in the county. He was a primitive Baptist and could not read print, but his text could always be found "twixt" lids of the Bible, somewhere "twixt" Generations and Revolutions. He was honest and sincere and faithful in the discharge of his duty. SOURCE: Early History of Hopkins County Texas - E. B. Fleming, Publisher 1902 Pp. 47 - 53 Transcribed by Pat Howard The compiler of the above information hereby grants permission to use, reproduce, and/or extract data for any purpose except such data must not be offered for sale in any form. This right may not be restricted by any other organization or individual. Any non-commercial entity has unlimited use of the data. Pat Howard mendocinosunrise@gmail.com