The early history of Cass County

Cass county was created April 25, 1846, by the first Texas legislature in session after Texas was annexed to the United States The county was named in honor of Lewis Cass, nationally famous military general and statesman, who strongly advocated the annexation of Texas He was U.S. senator from Michigan when Texas became twenty-eighth state of the Union.

The geographic area of Cass county was detached from Bowie county and extended south far enough to include a large part of present-day Marion county. Many events and names mentioned in the very early years of Cass county now belong with Marion county, created in 1860.

The legislature that created Cass county in’ also authorized the Governor of Texas, J* Pinckney Henderson, to appoint temporary officials who would establish boundary lines of the county, locate the center, designate three places to be voted on for the county seat, and hold election of the first officials chosen by popular vote. Those appointed temporary officials included a surveyor, chief justice, and eight commissioners, Jesse Cherry, surveyor, was requested to mark all boundary lines of Cass county, file his description of the boundaries and a map of the county In the office of the Secretary of State of Texas. He was ‘required also to furnish a copy of the survey and map to the Cass county clerk’s office.

The eight appointed commissioners were : Robert Arberry, William N. Bishop, John V« Scott, Colonel Ebenezer Frazior . William Mahone , William P. Hose, Colonel Henry A. Mimms, and William Perry. They were authorized to nominate! three places to be voted on for county seat and to ; superintend the election. One of the places was to be within five miles of the center of said county.

Henry W. Clark was appointed to act as chief justice until one could be elected by the citizens. He was authorized to hold an election at each of the different voting places in Cass county, on the same day as general elections for county officers in this State. On that day, the people of Cass county would elect all civil and military officers which they were entitled to elect. The election was held 13 July 1846, and that date is called the organization date of this county .

Cass county officials elected by popular vote on July 13. 1846 included O.H. King, chief justice; Robert C. Graham, county clerk; John C, Rhea , sheriff; Willis H. Childress, district clerk; Thomas Watson, tax assessor and collector; John C, Everett. county attorney; Thomas Griffin, coroner. The four elected as county commissioners were T.J. Ritchie, John Willson , Robert Arberry, and James Terrell. Seven elected for justices of peace were Janes C. Clements, Jesse Denson, Mathew Powell. Norphlet Gupton, Benj. F. Green, William S. Oats, Joel Hughes, Three constables elected were Jonas Moon , R.W. Warnell, and B.L. Winters.

Some of the elected officials were sworn into office July 23, 1846 when Cass County Commissioners Court held its first meeting at the tavern house of William Perry in Jefferson. Texas. Court was opened by the acting chief justice, Henry W. Clark. Officials who came into open court that day, gave bond, and took the oath required by law were O.H. King, Robert C. Graham, John C. Rhea, Thomas Watson, John C. Everett, Willis H, Childress, Robert Arberry, T.J. Ritchie, John Willson, Jas. C. Clements, Benj, P. Green, Norphlet Gupton,. Joel Hughes, B.W. Warnell , B.L. Winters, Jonas Moon.

Next day, July 24, the court appointed Ennis Ury as notary public for Cass County.

The other officials waited until later dates to be sworn in by the commissioner’s court. Those who took office August 12, 1846 were James Terrell, Thomas Griffin, William S. Oats, Jesse Denson, and Matthew Powell. Home responsibilities or bad travel conditions may have caused the delay. ‘One source mentions that Griffin took office August:29 and Watson. October 12.

The first drawing of names for Jury service’ was held August 12, 1846 for the December term of court; B. Barnes, Charles Graham, Benj, Merrill, J. Hasty, J. Fitzgerald, Squire Frazior, Jas. n. Caldwell, George Smith, T.J. Poster, J.W. Scott, W. V. Hughes, William Smith, Samuel Harrison, M. S. Mullins , James McKinney, W. A. Laken, B, Kimble, W.H. Moor, E. Moor, J. H. Read, K. A. Williamson, J. Levitt, L. Guston, J.W. Withee (Withey), J. W. Green . J. Snider, W. Kitchens, John Gill, F. P. Smith. Five more names were drawn August 29 for Jury duty at the December term : Clark Simmons, John Barnes, Samuel Newby, T. J. White, and Samuel Perkins. Jeptha D. Crawford, first treasurer of Cass County was appointed October 5, 1846. by the county commissioners court. He was reappointed in August. 1848 and allowed 2 1/2 per cent of all money received.

While the county commissioners court was in session August, 1846, it divided Cass County into seven geographic areas and according to population. The areas were known as Beats with Boundary lines designated for political, civil, and military purposes. Each beat had a justice of peace who had been elected July 13, a group of patrols for protective reasons, and one election manager appointed by the court. The man appointed in each beat to conduct elections and report results to county court was called “Returning Officer” and received a fee of two to four dollars per day; more at times.

Patrols in the Beats were supposed to maintain order and protect the people* Sometimes lawbreakers were tried before the justice of peace for that beat. If the crime so required, lawbreakers were taken by one or more patrols to the county seat for trial. At times, the violators were kept within the beat until the sheriff came for them. County records do not list names of all men who served as patrols in the earliest years of the county; but minutes of commissioner’s court for Tuesday, October 12, 1847, show the following : Beat One: Wm. N. Bishop, captain; J. S. O’Hara, Jeptha 0. Crawford, William Russell, William Perry, and John W. Scott.

Beat Two: John Hill, captain; Joseph Reed, Jonathan Kirkland, G. W. Prewitt, and Joel Hughes.

Beat Three: William V. Hughes, captain ; Jesse Moon, David Bruton, and M.N. Hammond.

At the January, 1848 term of court, the commissioners appointed the following men to be election returning officers for the year: Simon Heald in Beat One; D.S. McKay in Beat Two; Robert Arberry in Beat Three; Nelson H. Haney in Beat Four ; L.D. Bryan in Beat Five; Mathew Powell, Beat Six; Norphlet Gupton. Beat Seven. By July, 1848. the county court ordered that Beat One have a voting place at Gertrude as well as Jefferson.

James A, Previtt was appointed returning officer for the elections at Gertrude in Beat One In 1848 A place called Decater was designated by the court to be another voting place in Beat Two with returning officers to be Daniel N. Alley and John S. Mitchell.

Boundary lines of Beats were changed occasionally by the county court; most of the time an area remained with a given Beat. For example, in l851 Jefferson was in Beat One; Alleys Gin in Beat Two; Chalybeate Springs in Beat Three; Monterey was in Beat Sevan. By May 21,1860, the Beats were designated as follows: Linden, No* 1 Chalybeate, No. 2; Unionville (Dalton), No. 3; Douglassville, No.4 ; Cherokee, No. 5 ; North Carolina, No. 6.

Beats were called precincts after the Civil War and the main purpose for them today is voting convenience of the citizens.

According to minutes of the county court, other matters supervised by the commissioners during the early years included establishment of a permanent county seat; transcribing records from Red River, Bowie, and Paschal counties; building and maintaining roads: providing and disbursing county funds: constructing the courthouse and other county buildings; and doing many other things for the well-being of the people.

In 1850 the county population was 4,991. By i860 it had increased to 8,411, During Civil War years, the population growth was quite limited -- census records show 8,875 people in the county by 1870. Home seekers from war riddled states and other persons looking for greener pastures moved into this county between 1870 and 1920 bringing the population up to 30,041. Since 1930 the number of people his varied in each decade with the greatest 33,496 being here in 1940.