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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.
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.
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.
Cities and Towns
Easton (mostly in Gregg County)  Leverett's Chapel (unincorporated)  Elderville (unincorporated) Mount Enterprise  Henderson  New London  Kilgore (mostly in Gregg County)  Overton (partly in Smith County)  Laird Hill (unincorporated)  Price (unincorporated)  Laneville (unincorporated)  Reklaw (mostly in Cherokee County)    Tatum (partly in Panola County)
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Click here to select another county Surrounding Counties Gregg County (north) Harrison County (northeast) Panola County (east) Shelby County (southeast) Nacogdoches County (south) Cherokee County (southwest) Smith County (northwest) Back to the TEXAS GENEALOGY TRAILS Main site Visit the national site of GENEALOGY TRAILS All data on this website is © Copyright 2012 by Genealogy Trails with full rights reserved for original submitters.