Taken from Van Zandt County Texas Biographies 1848-1991 Vol. II. Thanks to Kitty Wheeler for the original information and for permission to use it on the web site. The information that is included in this document is transcribed portions of information that appear in the above referenced book. Additions, corrections, comments, complaints and compliments concerning this page should be submitted to Betty Miller and Patsy Vinson.
Hatton was located a little over six miles southwest of Grand Saline and about eith and one-half miles northeast of Canton. On the application filed for the post office signed by Thomas M. Darnell, an attempt, no doubt, to give his name to the new post office. Someone disagreed with Mr. Darnell for that name was crossed through and next to it was written Hatton.
Today the community is known by the name of the church and cemetery. Located on Fm. Rd. 1255, it is marked with signs stating Corinth.
James Thomas Hatton, a resident of the community, settled in Van Zandt in 1857, as a member of the family of his father, Thomas W. Hatton. Thomas W., was born in 1809 and his wife, Anna Eliza Lake, both born in South Carolina and married there in 1834, came to Texas in 1849, settling in Rusk County for eight years prior to moving on to Van Zandt. Mr. Hatton spent the rest of his life in Van Zandt except for the three years he served in the Confederate Army. James Hatton was born in Alabama 2 Mar 1842, and on 16 Jan 1868, he married Miss Mary C. Young, who was born 1849, in Mississippi. They settled on a farm five miles south of Grand Saline. After becoming the mother of eight children, Mary Young Hatton died 30 Apr 1885. On 5 Oct 1885, James Hatton married M. J. Riddle who lived until 19 Apr 1901. She had two children.
After living on the farm in the Hatton community for thirty-three years, Mr. Hatton moved into Grand Saline. He was widely known as a successful farmer and greatly honored by the people of hit town and country.
Thomas J. Cumbie came to Van Zandt County from Alabama in 1876 with his wife, Sarah Jane Eason, daughter of Andrew and Elizabeth Findley Eason.
They settled in the Hatton Community. A brother of Sarah Jane's, Augustus Jefferson "Jeff" Eason, came to Van Zandt in 1882, and got a job working on tom Darnell's farm.
Jeff purchased land in the community and built a log house for himself and his parents, Andrew and Elizabeth Eason. once a week Andrew would ride a mule into Grand Saline to get the mail for the people of Hatton.
Besides having a post office, Hatton through the years had three general mercantile stores, a blacksmith shop, gin, grist mill, doctor's office, saw mill, a succession of three schools with an Oddfellows Hall on the second floor of the second building and the Corinth Missionary Baptist Church.
One of the well respected citizens of Hatton was John F. Curry born 28 Oct 1837, in Kentucky. his father had been a manufacturer of linen in England, but after immigrating to Kentucky produced rope and bagging. One of nine children and being in poor health, John was not sent to school. Hungry for an education, as a young man he claimed to have spent his money on books instead of whiskey and tobacco, thus educating himself. In later years he would have the best library in Van Zandt County.
On 17 Jan 1861, John F. Curry married Miss Lizzie A. McBrayer. she lived until 18 July 1887. They reared eight children coming to Van Zandt County in 1879, settling on a parcel of land comprised of 1500 acres seven miles south of Grand Saline.
he was honored by his countrymen in an election to the Texas Legislature four times. During those eight years he did not take a drink of whiskey, nor a chew of tobacco. This could be an excellent example for the public servants of today.
John F. Curry was the author of the children's rescue law and also quite a number of valuable amendments to the school laws of the state. he served on the finance committee each of the four terms. He was considered most conservative and careful, and no doubt saved the state many thousands of dollars.
The Corinth Baptist Church and Corinth Cemetery is all that remains of the town of Hatton.
Photographs of interest pertaining to this page
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