From: Texas Historical Markers in Kaufman County

compiled by: Horace P. Flatt

This book contains many photos and illustrations.

NAME: Mrs. William P. King

LOCATION: North side of courthouse

TEXT: MRS. WILLIAM P. KING
(DONOR, LAND FOR COUNTY SEAT, KAUFMAN)

WIFE OF FOUNDER OF KING'S FORT (IN 1840). FRANCES A. KING PIONEERED WITH GREAT COURAGE AND ENTHUSIASM IN REPUBLIC OF TEXAS. AFTER KING'S DEATH IN 1846, SHE LATER (AS MRS. TABOR) ENTERED AND WON ELECTION OF KINGSBOROUGH FOR COUNTY SEAT OF NEWLY ORGANIZED KAUFMAN COUNTY. IN APRIL 1851 SHE DEEDED 75 ACRES FOR TOWNSITE AND A 75-ACRE TIMBER TRACT TO THE COUNTY COMMISSIONERS, JAMES W. LOVE, J. LARKIN AUSTIN AND JOHN W. TERRELL.

KING'S FORT HAD GROWN INTO VILLAGE OF KINGSBOROUGH. LATER GIVEN SAME NAME AS COUNTY. (1970)

SPECIAL NOTE: It is now known that William P. King died in 1841

LOCATION: 607 North Clay

TEXT: BIRTHPLACE OF CITY OF KAUFMAN, SITE OF KING'S FORT ESTABLISHED WM. P. KING AND 40 PIONEERS HE LED FROM HOLLY SPRINGS, MISS. THIS WAS THEN IN NACOGDOCHES COUNTY, REPUBLIC OF TEXAS. CADDO, CHEROKEE, DELAWARE AND KICKAPOO ROAMED THE AREA. SETTLERS BUILT LOG CABINS INSIDE THE FORT. WHEN THE INDIAN MENACE DECREASED, KINGSBORO (OR EARLY KAUFMAN) BEGAN TO GROW. SUPPLIES CAME FROM SAN ANTONIO IN ARDUOUS YEARLY TRIPS THERE HEARING THE TEXAS REPUBLIC WAS JOINING THE UNITED STATES, KING IN 1846 GOT PATENT TO LANDS AT THE FORT. ALTHOUGH HE SOON DIED, HIS WIDOW CARRIED ON HIS PLANS FOR THE COLONY. (1970)

by: Horace P. Flatt

This book also contains many photos and illustrations.

PREFACE

In November 1846, James S. Laroe helped survey some land in what he called "The Lord's Big Garden." The land was near "King Burrow" in present day Kaufman County. Laroe, like many preceding and following him, had come to the area seeking a better life for himself and his family. Their hope, their expectation, was that through hard work, the land would prove bountiful, supplying all their material needs. For a period of time, this had been a part of the frontier of Texas, peopled sparsely by those accustomed to hardship and death. There was little opportunity for education for the children, and however important it was to them, few chances to gather for religious worship.

We can see the county as it is today. There are towns with fine homes, schools, churches, and stores carrying all sort of merchandise, interstate highways, and homes spread throughout the countryside - most reachable on excellent rural roads. But we can only picture in our mind the county as it appeared to the first surveyors and settlers. In this work, we will try to create images of the county as it was over 150 years ago, with large herds of buffalo and wild horses roaming the lush prairieland. There were no permanent Indian settlements, but there were occasional Indian hunting parties. The only roads were the trails left by the buffalo or the Indians. Deer and turkey were everywhere to be seen; bears lurked in the woods which closely followed the creeks. Fish, snakes, and alligators were in those creeks, while flocks of geese were everywhere. There were also many natural springs to provide water for both man and animal.

The author attended the public schools of Terrell. Those schools provided an excellent preparation for his university studies. However, the author gained no understanding of why there was a city of Terrell , nor why it was named after a man named Terrell. He knew there was a large creek called King's Creek obviously named after someone. But who was King? Why was the creek named in his honor?

These are not momentous questions for a teenager. Yet it is clear that an understanding of local history can give greater depth and meaning to the world in which they live. Teenagers ride buses or drive cars daily to large schools with small classes and excellent facilities without appreciating the fact that some of their grandparents and particularly great grandparents had to walk several miles to one-room schoolhouses every day - and were happy to have even that opportunity. While today we properly ask for increased educational opportunities for our children, we seldom stop to think about how far we have come.

In later life, the author developed a strong interest in history, and, in retirement , it was possible to pursue some of the questions that had existed for a lifetime - and to find some answers to questions that had not been previously asked. He found that there had been only a few scattered studies of local history. Few of the authors took the time to give the sources of the stories they related. Many had some obvious errors, but without the references, it became difficult to know which statements to accept and which to reject. Some stories accepted for over fifty years proved to be nothing more than flights of imagination. In short, it became clear that if students - young or old - wished to learn about local history, there was no single reliable source of information about the early years of Kaufman County.

This work, written as the 150th anniversary of the creation of Kaufman County approaches, provides a documented story of the origins of our county. Where possible, the descriptions left by pioneers of the county are used to create images of the world in which they lived. The history of our county has not changed, but this work adds much that is new for our better understanding of that history. Extensive research has been required to verify some stories and to disprove others. Many references are provided so that the interested reader can decide for themselves the validity of the statements made. We must remember the Apostle Paul's admonition: "... but test everything; hold fast that which is good."'

There is much that is interesting in the history of our county. Among the people attracted to this frontier land was a New Yorker who had been a fur trapper and trader in the Far West before becoming a surveyor in Texas. He was to leave his mark upon our entire area. There was a young man from Tennessee who started as a surveyor in our county and went on to become a United States Senator as well as Postmaster-General of the Confederates States of America. There was also an educated and eloquent lady from Norway who made many observations on life in this county so distant from her native land. These and many others have interesting tales to tell of of the early life in our county. There -are threads that lead back to the earliest days of the settlement of Texas, to people who had fought Indians to protect themselves and their families, and to people who had helped win and keep the independence of Texas.....