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.
The Marrs Post Office was established 28 Feb 1898, and had two postmasters: Robert M. Graham, appointed 28 Feb 1898, and Andrew J. Brown, appointed 18 Dec 1901. The Mars post office was discontinued 2 Jan 1907, and moved to Murchison.
The Texas handbook has this to say about Mars, "Mars in southern Van Zandt County, serves as a retail center for an agricultural community producing cotton, vegetables, fruit, and nursery stock. Originally in Henderson County, the area was settled in 1848, by a group including John and Henry Mars, brothers for whom the settlement was named. The village ha a population of 150 in 1915, and in 1940, only two stores and a population of 50."
On the 1860, Van Zandt County, Texas Census there is a John Marrs listed under the Edom Post Office as family #252 with real estate valued at $1,440 and personal property valued at $1,200. John Marrs is shown as head of the household at 57 years of age, born in Kentucky with farming listed as his occupation. Also in the home is listed all with the surname Mars: Julia, female, age 26, born in Arkansas; A. J. ? ($200), male, student, born in Arkansas; E., female, age 17, born in Missouri, Manerva, female, age 14, born in Missouri. There is one other individual listed in the household. Marrison Beggs, male, age 32, farmer ($50), born in Missouri.
There is no Marrs or Mars family listed on the 1870, Van Zandt County Census leading one to believe the family could possibly have left Van Zandt prior to 1870.
The school at Pleasant Ridge has long since closed, the gin, mill and stores have also disappeared, but the Church is still there and some that attend the worship services there possibly still have memories of this village of Mars.
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