An act to Create the County of Van Zandt — March 20, 1848
Be it Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Texas, That all the territory heretofore comprised within the county of Henderson, and not now comprehended within the counties of Henderson and Kaufman be, and the same is hereby constituted and made a new county to be called Van Zandt. That said county shall be organized in conformity with, “Act for the organization of the several counties in the State.”
Approved 11th day of April, A. D., 1846.
That Jordan’s Saline in said county be the county seat of said county, until otherwise provided by law, and that this act take effect from and after its passage. Kaufman county was created by the same legislature, by act of February 26, 1848, nearly one month before Van Zandt, hence Van Zandt was apportioned all the remainder of Henderson county not apportioned to Henderson and Kaufman counties.
Pursuant to the above act of the Legislature, the county was created in the manner hereinafter described.
On March 20, 1848, by act of the Legislature, Van Zandt County was created from the territory of Henderson County. Prior to this, on April 27, 1846 Henderson County had been created out of the Nacogdoches Municipality and included at the time the territory of the present counties of Henderson, Rockwall, Kaufman, Van Zandt, Wood and the major portion of Rains. By the act of creating it, Van Zandt included what is now Wood county and the major portion of Rains County.
In 1850 Wood and Rains Counties were cut from Van Zandt and made separate counties leaving Van Zandt with its present area. The county was surveyed in 1850, after Wood and Rains counties had been separated from Van Zandt, by E. C. Tinnin, running the south line and R. A. Terrell running the west line and E. C. Tinnin filed the following field notes of said survey “Beginning at N.E, corner of Kaufman county at a stake from which a survey in the name of I. Roarke 320 acres brs. 5, 75 W. 300 vrs; Thence East 11% miles to S.E. corner of Hunt County, from which a survey in the flame of A. W, Lanier No.55 N.E. corner vrs. North 146 vrs.; Thence South 3 miles and 1150 Varas to Sabine River; thence down said River to the N.W. corner of Smith County. Thence South with west line of Smith County to the Cherokee line as run by W. A. Farris;
Thence S. 45 E. to the Neches River, Then down said Neches River to the S.E. corner of the A. Sidney Johnson 1280 acre survey; Thence West 36 miles and 900 varas to corner post from which the N.E. corner of George Waters survey of one League bears north 1500 vrs. and west 1500 vrs; Thence North 32 miles and 1500 vrs. to the place of beginning. E. C. Tinnin, Surveyor.
Van Zandt County has an area of 855 square miles, has an altitude of app. 500 feet average. The county is bounded as follows: On north by Wood, Rains, and Hunt Counties, on the East by Wood and Smith Counties, and the South by Henderson county and on the west by Kaufman County. Her population is estimated to be app. 33,000.
THE FREE STATE OF VAN ZANDT
The folIowing statement to account for the sobriquet, “The Free State of Van Zandt” applied to the county is taken from Manning’s “Some History of Van Zandt County.”
“As above stated, Van Zandt county was created from territory of Henderson county, and had been stigmatized “free territory.” When secession was accomplished it was self evident that war would inevitably follow. Slave owners along the borders at once set about looking out for places of safety for their property. Many slaves were brought to Texas during that contest. For that purpose the owner of a large number of slaves sent a slave driver to Texas to look out a place of refuge for his slaves.
This man came by steamboat to Jefferson; there he secured a horse and saddle and came out on horseback to Gilmer, Quitman, and on to Canton, stopping at the Bivins hotel, the principal hotel in the town. Editor Johnson of the Times heard that a slave driver had blown into town, called upon him at his hotel, and in the run of conversation make bold to ask him if he thought he would bring his slaves to Van Zandt county. H–l no came the reply, I had as soon think of taking them to a free state.
I came all the way from Quitman here and never so much as saw a slave. At that time very few people living in Van Zandt county owned slaves, and as misery loves company, the slave driver felt lonesome in Van Zandt county. Editor Johnson, commenting upon this in a short paragraph said: “Van Zandt county had been free territory since it had been created, and now it had been admitted as a free state.” The war came on and this appellation was carried to the training camps and into the army and was over the whole south and it has grown to be a byword by many who never knew the significance of it.”
Another story coming to us from a different source fixes the origin of the term at the creation of the county as follows: At the time Van Zandt was separated from Henderson County said county of Henderson was heavily involved in debt. Through over-sight, mistakes or design, we know not why; but in the agreement separating Van Zandt from Henderson, no reference was made to this debt, and Van Zandt was not made responsible for any portion of said debt, Van Zandt came to be called “Free Territory” for the reason that she was free of taxation and any responsibility, for the said indebtedness. The term “Free Territory” of Van Zandt soon was changed into the “Free State of Van Zandt,” an appellation it has borne ever since.
Manning’s explanation, as has been seen grew out of the Civil War. The following story to account for the same term, furnished by Mr. M. N. Crestman, also grew out of the War Between the States. We Will let Mr. Crestman tell his own story.