FACTS OF HISTORY AND TRADITION, Smith County, Texas ***************************************************************** Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm Submitted by Susie McFarland Lemin susl@ccms.net 18 May 2001 ***************************************************************** FACTS OF HISTORY AND TRADITIONHON. "Some Biographies of Old Settlers." Historical, Personal and Reminiscent. Volume I By Sid S. Johnson, 1900: Sid S. Johnson, Publisher, Tyler, Texas Chapter XXIV - Pages 129-131 A few reminisences of facts may be of some interest to the reader. It is a matter of tradition that comes down from a past generation of people. The first house built inside the city limits was built by John Loller, near the Ginnan house on north Broadway. In 1848 John M. Patterson bought the property from Loller and lived in the house for years. It was a log house with a shed room made of boards. patterson added some impovements. Not a vestage of the old house is standing now. In 1846, Col. John Dewberry built the first gin house in Smith county, only a mile or so from the town of Bullard. Judge thos. J. Hays was the first county surveyour for Sminth county. He was elected at the first election in 1846. Judge Stephen Reaves, George Adams, and Dr. James McBride are three of the oldest citizens in point of time living in Tyler at this writing. Judge Reaves settled in Tyler in 1847, George Adams in 1848 and Dr. McBride a few months later, the same year. James Oneal, of Winona, and Col. Wm. J. Huggins, of Lindale, are among the earliest settlers in Smith county, now living. Hosea Ramsour and James Seagle brought the first steam engine to Tyler. It was owned by Ramsour & Seagle, who made maony early in the fifties grinding Smith county wheat. Light steamboats plied the Sabine River before the civil war six months in the year to Belzoria, twenty miles from Tyler. Thos. R. Swann was in buisiness there during the times of steamboating. Steamboats could be made to navigate the river now with a small expenditure of money. H. V. Hamilton is the oldest newspaper man in Tyler, dating back to 1854. At this writing the writes a good editorial and can fill his usual place at the case. The first Methodist church organized in Tyler was in a blacksmith shop in 1847. It only enrolled seven names. Tyler now has three white churches and two colored churches of that denomination with a membership of over one thousand. One branch of the Supreme Court of Texas was located in Tyler in 1850. This court was consolidated at Austin since the war. The Criminal Court of Appeals holds it session in Tyler at this time. This court was created since the Civil War. The United States Federal Court was located in Tyler at an early day and remains with us as a fixture, Granville Lewis (with the recollection of "ultimately") was one of the early clerks of the Federal Court. John Fowler was his deputy. Ira Ellis built the first brick dwelling house in Tyler. It is an old landmark and stands with it moss-covered walls on North Broadway. It is a good home now. Its history dates back to 1851-2. Its hospital roof has been a friendly shelter to many people.