Jack County, Texas
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Surnames/tags: jack_county, texas us_history
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History/Timeline
Jack county was created in 1856 and organized 1857 from Cooke County. It is named for Patrick Churchill Jack and his brother William Houston Jack, both soldiers of the Texas Revolution. Mesquiteville was named county seat (original name of Jacksboro) as the county seat. Its county seat currently is Jacksboro.[1]
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| Fort Richardson. |
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| Fort Richardson Hospital . |
This county was created from the territory of Cooke County in 1856 and given a county government on July 7, 1857. Young County to the West marked the extreme limit of settlement before the war, and in 1860 Jack County was credited with a population of 1,688. It illustrates the retrogression of the war decade to compare that population with the figures for 1870, at which time the census gave the county a population of 694 inhabitants. All industry came to an end and the majority of settlers retired to the more secure localities within the secondary line of frontier defenses
https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/hcj01
- 1700s Caddo Indians lived to the East and Comanches lived to the west of Jack county.[2]
- Vasquez de Coronado visited but did not settle.
- 1840 Peters Colony (Texan Emigration and Land Company), impresario obtained land grant to bring settlers to the colony. [2]
- 1855 - Settlers began arriving in the future county. Early settlers entering Jack County came from middle South States, Alabama, North Carolina, Arkansas, Missouri and Kentucky.[2]
- 1856 - the first settlement, Keechi, was established. [3]
- Aug 27, 1856 Texas established of the county, in honor of William H. and Patrick C. Jack, participants in the Texas Revolution. It is the only county with that name in the United States.[4] [2]The county was created from Cooke County.[5]
- July 7, 1857- A county government was formed. [5]
- 1860 - Jack County had a population of 1,688.[5]
- 1860 Due to northern isolated position on frontier, plantation economy did not develop. (37 slaves).[2]
- 1861- Newspaper advocated Southern Cause, county voted 76 to 14 against secession. Jack County area was untouched by combat, but the removal of federal troops from the frontier left county defenseless. Indian raids were frequent and residents fled to the East. [2]
- 1866 -The first cattle drive north from Jack County was made. The Butterfield Overland Mail crossed the county. [2]
- 1869 -Fort Richardson, on Lost Creek near Jacksboro, was completed by the US Army. This Northern, Frontier fort established to protect pioneers against Indian Raids. It was abandoned in 1878. Mesquiteville was county seat; later renamed Jacksboro.[2]See Fort Richardson State Historical Park, Jacksboro, Texas[5]
- 1870 the population had dwindled to 694. Federal forces returned to the area after 1865, Indian raids continued. [2]
- May 18, 1871 - the Warren Wagontrain Raid - in neighboring Young County, chiefs Satanta and Big Tree were taken to Jacksboro for trial and sentenced to be executed on Sept 1, 1871. The sentence was commuted to life imprisonment for fear of further Indian uprising.[2]
- mid-1870s the threat of Indian attacks subsided, settlers increased.[2]
- 1890 the population had grown to 9,740. The Chicago, Rock Island and Texas Railway, which reached Jacksboro on August 24, 1898, brought additional growth and provided important access to markets outside the county.[2]
- 1860s, 70s, 80s Cattle ranching dominated the county's economy during its early years. [2]
- 1890 there were 68,756 cattle in the county. After large-scale farming was introduced in the late 1870s, the number of farms grew rapidly, increasing from 945 in 1880 to 1,888 in 1910. The dominant crop in the county's early years was corn, (115,761 bushels harvested in 1880 and (663,490 bushels 1900-1920)[2]
- 1880s and 1890s oats and wheat were introduced, and by 1920 Jack County was a leading producer of grains; in that year county farmers grew 498,250 bushels of oats, 249,643 bushels of corn, and 351,819 bushels of wheat, 6000 bales cotton, Livestock, poultry and eggs. [2]
- 1923 - Oil was discovered near Bryson, set off a small boom. Numerous oilfield workers attracted by the prospects of easy money moved in. [2]
- 1915 forward population of the county as a whole declined steadily after 1915, largely as the result of a series of agricultural busts. [2]
- 1930s Income from oil helped some cash-poor farmers to settle debts and survive the lean years of the Great Depression, but many others were forced to sell their farms and equipment. [2]
- World War II - economy began to recover.[2]
Government Offices
Republican Drew Springer, Jr., a businessman from Muenster in Cooke County, has since January 2013 represented Jack County in the Texas House of Representatives.
Jack county has had four courthouses:1858, 1871, 1886 and 1940.[6]
1st Courthouse, 1858
2nd Courthouse, 1871
3rd Courthouse, 1886 Style - Second Empire, Material - native limestone
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| 1886 Courthouse |
Stones from the 1886 courthouse were used to build Jacksboro City Hall.Bell was removed 1885 from third Jack County Courthouse when building was razed. Mounted here in 1966. Old Courthouse was of native limestone, quarried in Jacksboro. For its day, workmanship and stone of finest quality. Bell is also a relic of the third courthouse. It was part of the mechanism in the building's clock tower, and was mounted in frame here by Jacksboro firemen.
4th Courthouse, 1940 - , Style - Moderne, Material - Stone, Architect Volcker and Dixon.
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| Current courthouse |
Geography
https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/hcj01
- Jack County in north central Texas, is bordered by Clay, Archer, and Montague counties to the north, Young County to the west, Palo Pinto and Parker counties to the south, and Wise County to the east. :Jacksboro - county seat, largest town in the county, is60 miles SE of Wichita Falls and 70 miles NW of Fort Worth.
- Center is at 98°10' west longitude and 33°12' north latitude.
- communities in the county include Bryson, Jermyn, Perrin, Antelope, Wizard Wells, Post Oak, Bartons Chapel, Cundiff, Gibtown, Joplin, Newport (also in Clay County), Truce, and Vineyard.
- Type - Jack County is in the North Central Prairies region.
- Topography - undulating to hilly, with light-colored, loamy soils over very deep reddish clayey subsoils, shale, and sandstone.
- Size - 920 square miles is forested
- Vegetation/Trees - mesquite, live oak, blackjack oak, post oak forests, and pecan, elm, walnut, and cottonwood trees along the waterways.
- Altitude --800 feet to 1,350 feet.
- Rivers/Creeks - West Fork of the Trinity River cuts across Jack County diagonally from NW to SE and provides the main drainage for the county. Other creeks are East Rock, Howard, Lost, Crooked, the North Fork of Crooked, Little Cleveland, the West Fork of Keechi, Two Bush, and Henderson.
- Lakes -Lake Bridgeport and Lake Jacksboro.
- Mineral resources - petroleum, natural gas, and stone.
- Climate is subtropical-subhumid, generally mild and dry.
- Temperature January range from low of 31° F to high of 57° and in July from 73° to 97°.
- Rainfall is 30 inches a year
- Growing season extends for 218 days.
https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/hcj01
Adjacent counties
- Clay County (north)
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| adjacent counties. |
- Montague County (northeast)
- Wise County (east)
- Parker County (southeast)
- Palo Pinto County (south)
- Young County (west)
- Archer County (northwest)
Protected areas
- Lake Bridgeport
- Lake Jacksboro
Demographics
In 2000 there were 8,763 people residing in Jack County with a population density of 10 people/sq. mi. The racial makeup of the county was 88.68% White, 5.55% Black or African American, 0.67% Native American, 0.27% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 3.83% from other races, and 0.97% from two or more races. 7.89% of the population were Hispanic. The median income for a household in the county was $32,500, and the median income for a family was $37,323. The per capita income for the county was $15,210. About 10.10% of families and 12.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.90% of those under age 18 and 13.70% of those age 65 or over.[7]
Economy - The $200 million 110 MW Keechi Wind Farm is being constructed in 2014, financed via a 20-year agreement with Microsoft.
Highways -
- U.S. Highway 281
- U.S. Highway 380
- Texas State Highway 59
- Texas State Highway 114
- Texas State Highway 148
- Texas State Highway 199
Cities
- Henderson-10002, was an early settler in Bryson. Maternal Grandparents and mother, Mildred "Jean" (Armstrong-8409) Henderson with other siblings resided in Bryson also
Census des Place/ Unincorporated Communities
Census-designated place
Formed From
- Cooke County
Resources
- Jack county website
- Genealogy Vital Record search, Newspapers, Tax, Probate, Census, some cemeteries
- Military Records
Census
- 1860 --- 1,000 —
- 1870 --- 694 −30.6%
- 1880 --- 6,626 854.8%
- 1890 --- 9,740 47.0%
- 1900 --- 10,224 5.0%
- 1910 --- 11,817 15.6%
- 1920 --- 9,863 −16.5%
- 1930 --- 9,046 −8.3%
- 1940 --- 10,206 12.8%
- 1950 --- 7,755 −24.0%
- 1960 --- 7,418 −4.3%
- 1970 --- 6,711 −9.5%
- 1980 --- 7,408 10.4%
- 1990 --- 6,981 −5.8%
- 2000 --- 8,763 25.5%
- 2010 --- 9,044 3.2%
- Est. 2015 --- 8,878
Notables
- Frank Shelby Groner (1877-1943). County attorney, and later President of College of Marshall
- Edith Wilmans, first woman elected to the Texas State Legislature, lived near Vineyard, in Jack County
- William Marshall Henderson (1844 - 1925) CSA WIA, KIA
WikiTree Profiles
- William Marshall Henderson (1844 - 1925) CSA WIA, KIA
Cemeteries
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- Gibtown Cemetery
- Cundiff Cemetery
- Wood Cemetery
- Bottoms Family Cemetery
- Morrow Cemetery
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| Cundiff Historic marker Cemetery for Military Veterans |
- Burials in Cundiff Cemetery Historical Cemetery, Historic marker for Military Veterans, Lost Battalion Prisonesrs, Civil War, IWW I, WW II
{https://www.findagrave.com/cemetery/1082555/cundiff-cemetery FindAGrave Cundiff Cemetery]
- Cemeteries of Jack County Gloria Mayfield]
- FindaGrave cemeteries
- FamilySearch Genealogy
Sources
- ↑ https://texasalmanac.com/topics/government/jack-county
- ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 2.14 2.15 2.16 2.17 2.18 2.19 https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/hcj01
- ↑ FamilySearch Genealogy
- ↑ FamilySearch Genealogy
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 http://www.historictexas.net/jack-county/jack-county-texas
- ↑ http://www.texasescapes.com/CentralTexasTownsNorth/Jacksboro-Texas-Jack-County-Courthouse.htm
- ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_County,_Texas
- https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/hcj01
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_County,_Texas
- http://www.jackcounty.org
- Cemeteries of Jack CountyGloria Mayfield]
- FindaGrave cemeteries
- FamilySearch Genealogy
- Jack county website
- Genealogy Vital Record search, Newspapers, Tax, Probate, Census, some cemeteries
- Military Records
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Maternal Grandparents and mother, Mildred "Jean" (Armstrong-8409) Henderson with other siblings resided in Bryson also