Almanac 1857 in AWR 1913 Henderson Co., TX

Athens Weekly Review
Feb. 6, 1913
Henderson County Fifty Six Years Ago

The following letter explains itself Editor Review:

Mr. J. D. Stokes, who has made extensive purchases of land in our county, lent me his old Texas Almanac of 1857 and I copied the report made of our county that\ year by Felix Parks. Thinking it would be of interest to many of the readers of the Review, I herewith hand you the copy and would be glad if you will publish the same. There are many interesting matters in the Almanac which I can copy from time to time if you think they would interest you readers, which I will cheerfully do if Mr. Stokes will let me keep the book for awhile.

Yours truly,
W. L. Faulk.
(We will be glad to have you do as you suggest. Judge, I'm sure it will be interesting -- Ed.)

In this county are cultivated now (1857) about 10,000 acres in cotton, the same in corn; 1000 acres in wheat. On an average, 20 acres are cultivated per hand. We have about 400 farms, about 600 slaves laborers, and 400 white laborers. The whole number of white population is about 2500. There are in this county two deaf and dumb persons, five lunatics and twenty orphans. We have about 20,000 acres of improved land, the average value being $5.00 per acre; unimproved valued at $2.00 per acre. Some of our lands have been cultivated ten years, without failing in productin. We have a variety of soil some light sandy, some that is red and dark sandy. The valley land is mulatto or chocolate color; depth of soil from 18 inches to 2 feet. We have 5341 head of callte, 592 horses, 500 head of sheep; the average value of cattle $6.00; of horses, $50.00; of sheep, $2.00 per head. Athens is the principal town; it was commenced in the fall of 1850. Brownsboro is situated in the northeast portion of the county and was commenced in 1852. Athens is the county seat. Our only public building is a jail. There are two good common schools in Athens; one male, under the management of J. M. McDonald; the other a female school, under the direction of Miss Mary Kerr. There are numerous other common schools in the county. Trinity river bounds this county on the west and the Neches on the east. This county is benerally a high elavated country. It was organized about the year 1847 and takes from Nacogdoches and was reorganized in 1850. The first settlement was made about the the old town of Buffalo on Trinity river. Among the first settlers was Hon. John H. Reagan, Dr. Graham and C. R. Sanders Sr. Our markets are Galveston, Houston and Shreveport . Transportation by wagons and by navagatioin when Trinity river is boatable. We have springs and wells, the water is mostly freestone, and is very wholesome and palatable. Stock water is plenty.

Old Newspaper Articles of Henderson County

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