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Welcome to Texas Genealogy Trails!
*Volunteers dedicated to putting free data online.*
This County Website is available for adoption.
If interested in joining our group, view our
Volunteer Information Page and
contact Kim.
[Basic webpage design knowledge and a desire to transcribe data is
required]
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Upon an act of the Congress of the Republic of Texas, Rusk County
was formed on January 16, 1843, and was named for Thomas Jefferson
Rusk, who had been secretary of war under President Sam Houston. The
county seat was established as near the center of the county as
possible by the five commissioners appointed to acquire land for the
purpose. |
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Gen. James Smith donated the original townsite of 65.5 acres, and he
later sold 69.5 acres more to the town. Later, William B. Ochiltree
donated five acres north of the town square and in the deed named
the town for his friend James Pinckney Henderson. Settlers
continued to pour into the area during the late 1840s, and by 1850
Rusk County had a population of 8,148, the second largest county
population in the state, surpassed only by Harrison County. |
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In 1860 Rusk County, with a total population of 15,803, was the most
populous county in Texas. It was fifth in total wealth, with the
combined value of its land, slaves, livestock, and property worth
$6,494,175. Twenty-one persons reported estates with an estimated
value of more than $30,000. A considerable proportion of the
county's wealth was invested in its 6,132 slaves, one of the largest
slave populations in Texas. |
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Cities and Towns |
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Easton (mostly in Gregg County) |
Leverett's Chapel (unincorporated) |
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Elderville (unincorporated) |
Mount Enterprise |
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Henderson |
New London |
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Kilgore (mostly in Gregg County) |
Overton (partly in Smith County) |
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Laird Hill (unincorporated) |
Price (unincorporated) |
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Laneville (unincorporated) |
Reklaw (mostly in Cherokee County) |
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Tatum (partly in Panola County) |
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ONLINE DATA |
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State Bird
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