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Ellis County, Texas
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Waxahachie: Wichita ("waks'ahe:ts'i") - meaning "fat wildcat"
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Towns & Cities
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Area Highlighted in red shows location of Ellis County in the state of Texas.
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Genealogy Trails has further subdivided Texas into Regions, one of which is the Prairie and Lakes Region. This map shows the counties included in this region with Ellis County highlighted to aid in viewing.
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Cities & Towns
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| Cities/Towns | Type | Graphic | Overview
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| Alma (1840-Present) | Community |
| Alma is located in southeastern Ellis County, Texas. Settlers first arrived in the area in the early 1840's. Near a lake called Willow Pond, Thomas Smith bought land upon which a stagecoach station servicing Waxahachie and Marshal was established. About 1881, a post office, named Alma, was established.
[Source: Rachel Jenkins and David Minor, "ALMA, TX," Handbook of Texas Online, accessed February 16, 2011.] |
Alsdorf (1895-Present)
aka: Faulkner (????-1895)
| Community | Located about 5 miles northeast of Ennis in east central Ellis county. | The town was originally named Faulkner after Alsdorf Faulkner, then the name Alsdorf was adopted in 1895 when the settlement received a post office
[Source: David Minor, "ALSDORF, TX," Handbook of Texas Online, accessed February 17, 2011.] |
| Auburn (1877-Present) | Community | Located about 16 miles southwest of Waxahachie in western portion of Ellis County. | In 1852 a caravan of 105 covered wagons from Arkansas passed through the area. A number of these travelers became the first settlers in area. The North Fork of Champers Creek provided a good water supply, the land was suitable for crops and livestock. Rezia (or Rezi) Jarvis Banks, deeded land in 1865
to trustees of the Methodist church for use in building a church, school,and cemetery. The post office under the name of Auburn was established in 1877 and operated until 1906, when mail was rerouted through Maypearl.
[Source: Ubah Stiles, "AUBURN, TX," Handbook of Texas Online, accessed February 12, 2011.] |
| Avalon (1860's-Present) | Community | Located about 14 miles southeast of Waxahachie in southern Ellis County | Avalon is primarily a farming community. Around 1860s, pioneer families including those of John, Taylor, Loyd, Martin, Davis, and Youngblood, settled in the area along Chambers
Creek. William John reportedly named the settlement Avalon. Patrick Alderman served as the first postmaster when it opened on August 3, 1881. Post office was closed on January 2, 1907. A post office was reestablished on January 16, 1937.
Avalon still operates one of the few county cotton gins. Prior to the depression and current through today, Avalon and its surrounding rural farmland produces much of the cotton output for Ellis County. In fact, for a period of time in the 1930's, Ellis County was the top producing cotton county in the world, in large part due to
Avalon's output. The population has fluctuated from 100 in 1890 to 226 in 1900 to 300 in 1940 to abt 130 in 2000
[Source: Laurie E. Jasinski, "AVALON, TX (ELLIS COUNTY)," Handbook of Texas Online, accessed February 14, 2011.]
[Source: Wikipedia - Avalon, Texas] |
| Bardwell (1880-Present) | Community
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| The community was settled in the early 1880s when the town's namesake,John W. Bardwell, built a cotton gin one mile south of the present-day location. A school opened in 1892 and a post office was established in 1893. When the Trinity and Brazos Valley Railway was routed through Ellis County in 1907, the gin and community were moved to the nearest stretch of track. The town had its own telephone system and electricity
supplied by lines from Ennis in 1914. Bardwell prospered throughout the 1920s as a cotton shipping point with three gins and six grocery stores. The population grew to 650 by 1929, but the Great Depression and a subsequent drought severely impacted the community. The main road was rerouted to the new State Highway 34 in the early 1940s and most of Bardwell's businesses either closed or moved to sites along the highway. In 1958, Bardwell's school consolidated with nearby Ennis. After dropping to a low of 277 during
the 1970s, the population began to grow. By 1990, 387 people lived in Bardwell. That figure had grown to 583 by 2000.
[Source: Wikipedia - Bardwell, Texas]
| | Bell Branch (1903-Present) | Community | Located about 10 miles southwest of Waxahachie in southwestern Ellis Count | It is located hear the Bell Branch Lake which was built in 1903 as a water reservoir for the International-Great northern Railroad.Population has remained around 20 since the 1930's.
[Source: Lisa C. Maxwell, "BELL BRANCH, TX (ELLIS COUNTY)," Handbook of Texas Online, accessed February 06, 2011.] |
| Boyce (1872-Present) | Community | Located about 4 miles east of Waxahachie in east central Ellis County |
Boyce was established in 1872 and named for W. A. Boyce. Settlement originally served as a stagecoach service between Waxahachie and Ennis. A post office was established by December 1883 and closed sometime after 1930. Population fluctuated from a high of 250 in 1925 to about 75 in 1990.
[Source: Brian Hart, "BOYCE, TX," Handbook of Texas Online, accessed February 12, 2011.] |
| Boz (1880-1992) | Community | Located 5 miles southwest of Waxahachie in Soutwestern Ellis County |
The Boz settlement was establised sometime in the late 1880's or early 1890's. It's post office existed from 1891 to 1906. Population fluctuated from 75 in 1930's to 15 in 1990 to 1 in 1992.
[Source: David Minor and Paul M. Lucko, "BOZ, TX," Handbook of Texas Online, accessed February 14, 2011.] |
Bristol (1872-Present)
aka: Brockville (1840-1869)
aka: Heelstring
| Community
| Located about 18 miles northeast of Waxahachie in northeastern Ellis County | Joshua W. Brock was among the first settlers to the area in the early 1840's. Post office operated under the name of Brockville from 1854 to 1869. Name changed to Bristol in 1872. The unofficial name for town was Heelstring due to the communities love for dancing. Population fluctuated from 200 in 1890 to 300 in 1933 to 94 in 2000.
[Source: David Minor, "BRISTOL, TX," Handbook of Texas Online, accessed February 14, 2011.] |
Britton (1896-Present?)
aka: Hellandville (????-1896)
| Community
| Located in the northwest corner of Ellis County | Originally called Hellandville in 1895 when post office established. Change to Britton in 1896. Population varried from 300 in 1925 to 30 in 1980-1990. |
Byrd (1905-Present)
aka: Byron (1894-1905)
| Community | Located about 16 miles southeast of Waxahachie and 8 miles southwest of Ennis in Ellis County
| The settlement was orignally called Byron ahd had a post office from 1894 to 1905. It was occupied by William I. Champ, Dan Faulk, the Gensch family, H.L. Parker, and Rube Warren. Settlement was on a stage route from Dallas to the Gulf Coast. When the post office was removed, the citizens renamed town to Byrd in honor
of Charlie Byrd, who donated land for the communiti's firstt
school. Population fluctuated from 50 in 1933 to 15 from 1970-2000.
[Source: Lisa C. Maxwell,"BYRD, TX (ELLIS COUNTY)," Handbook of Texas Online, accessed February 14, 2011.] |
| Cedar Hill (small southern portion)
| City
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| Cedar Hill is a city in Dallas and Ellis Counties in the U.S. state of Texas. It is located approximately sixteen miles southwest of downtown Dallas and is situated along the eastern shore of Joe Pool Lake and Cedar Hill State Park. The population was 32,093 at the 2000 census. A 2009 North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG) estimate placed the population at 45,600. Cedar Hill
is a suburb of Dallas and is part of the Best Southwest area, which includes the nearby cities of DeSoto, Duncanville, and Lancaster. Early in its history, Cedar Hill served as the temporary county seat of Dallas County and lay along a branch of the Chisholm Trail. In 1856, a tornado swept through the town killing nine people and destroying most of its buildings. The seat of the county was moved to Dallas not long after. City is covered here since a small portion of the southern most section of city is actually
included in Ellis County
[Source: Wikipedia - Cedar Hill, Texas] |
| Creechville (1890's-Present)
| Community
| Located about 4 miles east of Ennis in east central Ellis County
| Creechville was established in the late 1890s. Post office operated there from 1899 until 1903. Population has changed very little with 20 in early 1930s to 15 in 2000.
[Source: David Minor, "CREECHVILLE, TX," Handbook of Texas Online, accessed February 15, 2011.] |
| Crisp (1880's-????)
| Unincorporated
| Located 21 miles east of Waxahachie In Ellis County | Crisp is a ghost town located in Ellis County in North Texas, United States. It was the birthplace of country music star Ernest Tubb.
It was named for a Speaker of the House of the U.S. House of Representatives, Charles F. Crisp. Crisp started to utilize the name when the post office opened in 1892; inhabitants had started living there a few years prior to that. The town reached its peak in population in the 1920s. It stayed that way until the 1960s, and then, the population plummeted to just under 100. The post office was discontinued in 1954. Crisp's identity remains in the form of brick. The word is engraved
in the product of a nearby brickyard
and like the nearby towns of Ferris and Palmer, it shows up once in a while, typically in sidewalks of brick collectors.
[Source: Wikipedia - Crisp, Texas] |
| Elva
| Community
| Located about 3 miles north of Red Oak
| Appears as a community or populated place on Hometownlocater
[Source: HomeTown Locator - Elva, TX (Ellis County) |
| Ennis (1871-Present)
| City
| 4
| Ennis is a city in Ellis County, Texas, and a southeastern suburb of Dallas. In 1871, the Houston and Texas Central Railroad (H&TC) purchased 647 acres (300 from David Rose; 347 from W. H. Bundy) of land in Ellis County at a price of $5.00 per acre ($12.4/ha), establishing the line's northern terminus. Capt. W. G. Veale selected the townsite on May 8, 1872, and Theo Kosse mapped it and
laid
out streets and alleys in August. The namesake of the town
was Col. Cornelius Ennis, an early official of the Houston and Texas Central Railroad. Ennis served as Mayor of Houston (1856-57), and as a director
of the Houston Tap and Brazoria Railway and Houston and Texas Central Railway.
Citizens of Burnham responded violently to be bypassed and attacked the new community, killing one man and wounding several others.
The post office opened in 1872 with J.M. Dickson as postmaster.Population ranged from 6,600 in 1914 to 7,069 in 1930 to 11,500 in 1970 to 16,045 in 2000.
[Source: Wikipedia - Ennis, Texas]
[Source: Lisa C. Maxwell, "ENNIS, TX," Handbook of Texas Online, accessed February 15, 2011.] |
| Ensign (1895-????)
| Community
| Located about 4 miles south of Ennis in southeastern Ellis County
| Albert N. Ellison built a small store in the area about1895, and in 1896 the post office opened then discontinued in 1904. Population was abt 20 in 1933, 10 in 1970-1990.
[Source: Lisa C. Maxwell, "ENSIGN, TX," Handbook of Texas Online, accessed February 08, 2011.] |
| Ferris (1870-Present)(largest southern portion located in Ellis County)
| City
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| Ferris is a city in Dallas and Ellis Counties in Texas. Settlement of the area began in the early 1870s. On September 28, 1874, a local family deeded approximately 100 acres (0.40 km2) of land to four trustees for the establishment of a town and railway station. Judge Justus Wesley Ferris of Waxahachie handled the transaction and the community was named for him. Within ten years, Ferris had a population of 300 with a post office, gristmills, cotton gins, four churches, and a
school.
On September 18, 1882, an election was held to incorporate the community. A total of 47 votes were cast – 34 (72%) in favor of incorporation and 13 (28%) against. The results were verified by the Ellis County Judge on September 30 and Ferris officially became a town. By 1900, the town was home to 904 residents. In 1910, that number had increased to 1,233 residents.
Fifty businesses, including six brick plants that benefitted from the area's mineral rich soil, were operating in 1914. The population rose to 1,586 by 1925 but declined during the 1930s and 1940s as a result of the Great Depression and World War II.
Ferris thrived during the early post-war years. Four brick plants operated during the 1950s and was known locally as the "Brick Capital of the Nation". Ferris also has a second nickname – "The City that Bricked the World" – which is still commonly used to date. In 1952, the population had risen to 1,734 and 1,807 by 1964. The Ferris Annual Brick Festival is held every year at the end of April.
The expansion of the Dallas–Fort Worth Metropolitan Area and the construction of Interstate 45 aided the growth of Ferris in the latter half of the twentieth century. Although the number of businesses decreased during the 1980s, the population continued to grow. It stood at 2,212 in 1990 and 2,175 in 2000. A July 1, 2007 United States Census Bureau estimate placed the population at 2,498.
[Source: Wikipedia - Ferris, Texas] |
| Five Points (late 1800s-????)
| Community
| Located about 8 miles southwest of Waxahachie in western Ellis County
| The Five Points settlement is thought of have existed by the late 1800s and is named for its strategic location - where five roads came together along a stage route.
[Source: Laurie E. Jasinski, "FIVE POINTS, TX," Handbook of Texas Online, accessed February 15, 2011.] |
Forreston (abt 1890-Present)
aka: Howe's Settlement (1843-1846)
aka: Chambers Creek (1846-abt 1890)
| Unincorporated | Located about 8 miles south of Waxahachie.
| Forreston is an unincorporated community in Ellis County, Texas, United States. The population was estimated to be 238 in 2008.
The roots of Forreston date back to 1843, when the area was known as Howe's Settlement, after an early settler to the region. In the mid to late 1840s, the community was re-named Chambers Creek and received its first post office in 1846. It initially served as the original county seat of Navarro County until 1850, when the organization of Ellis County placed the town within the new county.
From the early 1850s to the late 1880s, Chambers Creek remained a small farming community, providing a school and a church for local residents and farmers. In 1890, the Katie Railroad was built through the area, and businesses began to spring up along the tracks. It was around this time that the community was renamed Forreston, after Carr Forrest, a local landowner who served as the town's first postmaster and donated the land on which the new rail depot was built. By the 1940s, Forreston
had 3 cotton gins, several
businesses, and a population of 350. Throughout the Twentieth century the town remained a shipping point for local farming and commerce.
The population began to decline by the 1980s, and by 2000 had dropped to its current level of approximately 200 residents.
Forreston gained notoriety by being featured in Texas Monthly's March 1999 "The Best of Small-Town Texas" issue & D Magazine's August 2007 "Shop Vintage with Ken Weber" thanks to Bon Ton Vintage, a shop founded in 1984 by retired jazz musicians Barbra and John Kauffman which proclaims itself as having the "largest collection of vintage clothing in Texas".
[Source: Wikipedia - Forreston, Texas] |
| Garrett
| Town
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| Garrett is a town in east central Ellis County, Texas about twelve miles east of Waxahachie. William Garrett was one of the original landowners in the area, and after whom the settlement was named. The area served as a shippng point for farmers and businessmen of the area. It became the junction for the Houston and Texas Central Railway and the Waxahachie Tap Rode in the early 1870's.
[Source: Teas State Historical Association - Garrett, TX] |
| Glenn Heights (Southern portion)
| City
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| Part of 2 Counties - Dallas and Ellis - only the southern portion is in Ellis. Development of the community dates back to the late 1960s. N.L. 'Moe' Craddock, a Dallas Firefighter, opened a 30-acre (120,000 m2) mobile home park in the area. He helped push for the incorporation of Glenn Heights to prevent his business from being annexed by the city of DeSoto. The town was officially incorporated
on September 16, 1969. Mr. Craddock remained active in Glenn Heights politics, serving on the city council during the 1970s and 1980s. He was appointed mayor in 1985 and was elected to that office in 1988, 1990, and 1992.
There were 257 residents living in Glenn Heights at the 1970 Census. That figure rose to 1,033 in 1980 and more than doubled for a second consecutive decade to 4,564 by 1990. Lying in the path of suburban sprawl, Glenn Heights' population had surpassed 7,000 by 2000. Despite its rapid rate of growth, more than 50 percent of city land remains undeveloped.
[Source: Wikipedia - Glenn Heights, Texas] |
Griffith (????-Present)
&nbp;aka: Griffith Switch (1903-????)
| Community
| Located about 13 miles west of Waxahachie in western Ellis County
| Griffith was named for J. W. Griffith and was known as Griffith Switch when a spur track was taid through the community in 1903 for the International-Great Northern Railroad. Population was estimated at 25 in 1930's and 10 in 2000
[Source: Lisa C. Maxwell, "GRIFFITH, TX (ELLIS COUNTY)," Handbook of Texas Online, accessed February 15, 2011. |
| Howard (late 1880's-Present)
| Community
| Located about 4 miles south of Lake Waxahachie in southeastern Ellis County
| Settlement of Howard may have occurred in the late 1880's. Postal service began in 1896 only to be closed in 1906. Population was about 100 in early 1930's and 26 in 1990.
[Source: David Minor,
"HOWARD, TX (ELLIS COUNTY)," Handbook of Texas Online, accessed February 14, 2011.]
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| Ike (late 1880's-Present)
| Community
| Located about 3 miles north of Waxahachie in central Ellis County.
| Ike was probably settled sometime in the late 1880s or early 1890s near the banks of Grove Creek. Rumors circulated that the area was a favorite hiding place by bankrobbers of stolen goods. Post office was opened in 1898 and closed in 1903. Population was about 25 from 1920-1960's and down to 10 from 1970-2000.
[Source: David Minor, "IKE, TX," Handbook of Texas Online, accessed February 16, 2011.] |
India (1892-Present)
aka: Morgan (1853-1892)
| Community
| Located about 3 miles east of Ferris in northeastern Ellis County
| Settled by A. J. Moyers in 1853; Known as Morgan till 1892 when Post Office operations began and name was changed to India. Post office remained open until 1904. Populatin was about 150 in 1890, dropped to about 85 between 1900-1960 and down to 12 from 1977 to 2000.
[Source: Brian Hart, "INDIA, TX," Handbook of Texas Online, accessed February 15, 2011.] |
Italy (1880-Present)
aka: Houston Creek or Egypt
| Community
| | In 1879, the Aycock brothers built the first house on the present site although other families had settled in area by 1860. Because the Waxahachie postmaster, Gabriel J. Penn, thought the climate was like that found in 'sunny Italy', he named the post office Italy. Population was 500 in 1890, 1,500 in 1925, about 1,230 from 1930-1950, to about 1990 in 2000.
[Source: Robert J. Haaser, "ITALY, TX," Handbook of Texas Online, accessed February 13, 2011.] |
| Lone Cedar (1901-Present)
| Community
| Located about 8 miles southeast of Italy in southern Ellis County
| Lone Cedar had a post office between 1901 and 1904. Population was about 18 between 1986-2000.
[Source: David Minor,"LONE CEDAR, TX," Handbook of Texas Online, accessed February 15, 2011.] |
| Lumkins (aka: Lumpkins)(1874-Present)
| Populated Place
| Located about 10 miles sounth of Waxahachie in southern Ellis County | Lumkin settlement probably began in the late 1800s. It was named for the James W. Lumpkins family who came to the area in 1874. Population unavailalbe between 1930-1980, then reported 20 from 1990-2000
[Source: Laurie E. Jasinski, "LUMKINS, TX," Handbook of Texas Online, accessed February 13, 2011.] |
| Mansfield (South areas)
| City
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| Mansfield is a city with parts extending into 3 countie - Ellis, Johnson, and Tarrant. It is the hometown of civil rights activist John Howard Griffin, author of the award winning book, Black Like Me.
The first wave of settlers arrived in the rolling Cross Timber country of north central Texas in the 1840s. Primarily of Scotch-Irish origins, these pioneer farmers came for the most part, from southern states, following the frontier as it shifted west of the Mississippi. They entered an area where Indians had been living for thousands of years. The roving bands of Comanche posed a serious threat to the settlers, and in 1849, the U.S. Army established Fort Worth to protect the farms along the sparsely populated
frontier.
The area southeast of the fort (and of the Trinity River) was well protected and presumably fairly well settled by the early 1850s. In one well-documented case, eight related families migrated to the area in 1853 from Illinois. Three of the four Gibson brothers in this group established homesteads about four miles (6 km) northwest of present-day Mansfield. This settlement, which became known as the Gibson Community, included a school and a church building by 1860.
When Ralph S. Man and Julian B. Feild arrived around 1856 and built a grist mill at the crossroads that was to become the center of Mansfield, the beginnings of the community probably existed in the oak groves bordering Walnut Creek (originally called Cedar Bluff Creek). The Walnut Creek Congregation of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church had organized itself in 1854. Members met in each other's homes, so it is suspected that there was a cluster of houses
in the area.
In 1856, Julian Feild purchased 540 acres (2.2 km2) in the Mansfield area. Man and Feild completed their three-story brick grist mill sometime between 1856 and 1859. The mill, which produced flour and meal, was the first built in North Texas to utilize steam power and enjoyed patronage as far south as San Antonio and as far north as Oklahoma. The location of the mill in southeastern Tarrant County perhaps reflects the advanced
state of wheat cultivation in the area and the ready availability of wood to feed the
mill's steam boilers.
Feild opened a general merchandise store at the same time as the mill, located across Broad Street. He built a log house for his family, which also served as an inn for travelers and customers. By 1860, the nucleus of the future city existed. The first post office was established that year, with Julian Feild as postmaster.
During the War Between the States, the Man and Feild Mill supplied meal and flour to the Confederate States Army, hauling it to Shreveport, Louisiana, and Jefferson, Missouri. As was common practice, the owners tithed ten percent of the mill's production to the Confederacy. The small community around the mill was unique in Tarrant County in that it prospered throughout the Civil War. "Feild's Freighters", assembled in ox-drawn wagon trains, went as far as Fort Sill, Oklahoma, where a part of the Indian
Wars raged in the southern plains in the late 1860s and 1870s.
Racial Integration became a real issue when in 1956 the school district became the first to receive a court order requiring implementation of program. The disturbance that followed received national attention.
The prospering community which had grown up around the Man and Feild mill took on the name of "Mansfeild", a combination of the names of the founders. Repeated misspellings over the years resulted in the acceptance of the conventional spelling of "Mansfield."
The population fluctuated from 400 in 1884 to 1,000 in 1890 to 527 in 1914, to 28,031 by 2000.
[Source: Wikipedia - Mansfield, Texas]
[Source: Jan Hart, "MANSFIELD, TX," Handbook of Texas Online, accessed February 16, 2011.] |
Maypearl (1903-Present)
aka: Eyrie (1894-1903)
| City
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| The settlement now known as Maypearl was originally called Eyrie. Eyrie was the post office designation from 1894 to 1903. Two officials of the International-Great Northern Railroad had the name changed in honor of their daughters on June 25, 1903. The population has ranged from about 350 in 1925 through the mid-1960s to about 781 in 1990.
[Source: Brian Hart, "MAYPEARL, TX," Handbook of Texas Online, accessed February 15, 2011.] |
Midlothian (1882-Present)
aka: Hawkins' Springs (1800-1877)
aka: Barker (1877-1882)
| City
|
| Midlothian area had settlers as early as 1800, but peace treaties between the Republic of Texas and the Indian habitants were not finalized until 1843 by Sam Houston. The first families to obtain permanent land titles at the site were William Alden Hawkins and Larkin Newton. The area was initially known as Hawkins' Springs. A post office was established in 1877 under the name of Barker, probably for Charles Barker. The
town's name was changed again in 1882 or 1883 to Midlothian as
suggested by a Scottish train engineer after a town in his home country. The population has ranged from 300 in 1888 to abt 700 in 1892 to 7,480 in 2000.
[Source: Randell G. Tarín, "MIDLOTHIAN, TX," Handbook of Texas Online", accessed February 15, 2011.] |
| Milford (1840-Present)
| Community
|
| Milford was initially setted in the 1840s, however in the eary 1850s several men from Cherokee County bought land from Arvin Wright. These landowners arrived with families in 1853. In 1854 the town lots were laid out atop a ridge just south of the creek by Arvin Wright, William R Hudson, and J.M. Higgins. The new community was named Milford after a factory town near Boston that Hudson
had read about. The post office was established that following year with Hudson as the first postmaster..
W. R. McDaniel was the first mayor when town was incorporated in 1888. The population has grown over the years from about 300 in 1888 to 1000 in 1896 to about 5,000 in the 1980's to 7,480 in 20000
[Source: David Minor, "MILFORD, TX," Handbook of Texas Online, accessed February 12, 2011.] |
Mountain Peak (1878-Present)
aka: Singleton's (1878)
| Community
| Located about 5 miles northwest of Waxahachie in northwestern Ellis County
| Mountain Peak settlement was establised in the mid-1870s. It was originally called Singleton's and had a post office in operation under that name for two months in 1878. On the advice of G. J. Penn of Waxahachie, the residents agreed to rename the settlement to Mountain Peak.. Postal service ended in 1906. Population has fluctuated from a high of
about 160 residents in the early 1890's to about
20 in 2000.
{Source: David Minor, "MOUNTAIN PEAK, TX," Handbook of Texas Online, accessed February 07, 2011. |
| Nash (abt 1883-Present)
| Community
| Located about 6 miles south of Waxahachie in south central Ellis County
| Benjamin Reid opened a general store in the early 1880's and shortly thereafter the town was established and named for N. J. Nash, a county attorney.. The post office opperated fom 1883 to 1903. The population has fluctuated from about 75 in 1941 to 125 in 1968 to 25 in 2000.
David Minor, "NASH, TX (ELLIS COUNTY)," Handbook of Texas Online, accessed February 11, 2011. |
| Nelson | Populated Place | Located about 5 miles south of Waxahachie | Appears as a populated place on Hometown Locator
[Source: HomeTown Locator - Nelson in Ellis County TX]] |
| Nena | Populated Place | Located about 5 miles south of Waxahachie; < .1 miles from Nelson
| Appears as a community or populated place on Hometown locater
[Source: HomeTown Locator - Nena in Ellis County TX] |
| Oak Grove (bef 1860-Present)
| Community
| Located about 5 miles south of Ennis in southeastern Ellis County
| John and Mary Humble were the first settlers to this area. They arrived here with their slaves. C.L. Kendal donated land upon which a Methodist church was built and the community established. Population was about 50 between 1900-1990 and decreased to 10 between 1990-2000.
David Minor, "OAK GROVE, TX (ELLIS COUNTY)," Handbook of Texas Online, accessed February 03, 2011. |
| Oak Leaf (1983-Present)
| Community
|
| In August 1983, about 100 members of the Red Oak Creek Homowners Association, agreed to incorporate. Due to the large number of Oak trees in the area, they named town Oak Leaf. Other subdivisions asked to be included so population was increased to 984 by 1990. Population was up to 1,209 residents by 2000
Laurie E. Jasinski, "OAK LEAF, TX," Handbook of Texas Online, accessed February 14, 2011. |
| Onion Creek
| Community
| Located about 7 miles sounth of Ennis in Ellis County
| Population was about 25 during 1930's and 1940's.
Lisa C. Maxwell, "ONION CREEK, TX (ELLIS COUNTY)," Handbook of Texas Online, accessed February 04, 2011. |
| Ovilla (1847-Present) (Largest / Southern portion is in Ellis County)
| City
|
| Ovilla is located in 2 counties, Ellis and Dallas. Ovilla, on upper Red Oak Creek in northern Ellis County, is the oldest town in the county. It began in 1844 as a fortified settlement and grew as settlers arrived in the area to attend brush arbor meetings of the Shiloh Cumberland Presbyterian Church, which was started by Rev. Finis E. King in 1847.
The church met in a brush arbor until 1853, when a log cabin, which served as both church and schoolhouse, was built. A frame church building was finished in 1872; in 1984 about 190 members still met in the structure, which had been enlarged and remodeled. The church was instrumental in moving Trinity University to Waxahachie in 1902 and in establishing a girls' school in the nearby town of Milford.
Although Ovilla was a thriving farming community by the 1850s, it remained unnamed. Mrs. M. M. Molloy, wife of Rev. D. G. Molloy, formed the name from the Spanish word villa. Ovilla continued to grow and by the early 1900s had a post office, a bank, a cotton gin, a pharmacy, a blacksmith shop, and several dry-goods stores. Its post office closed in 1906. Fires in 1918 and 1926 destroyed most of the downtown buildings, and this destruction, together with
the fact that Ovilla was bypassed by railroads and major
highways, led to a decline in growth.
As Dallas grew, however, and people started moving from the city to the suburbs, Ovilla once again began to grow. To escape annexation by DeSoto or any other neighboring city, the town of Ovilla was incorporated in 1963. In the first census after incorporation its population was 339; by 1980 it had risen to 1,067. Its 1984 population was estimated to be nearly 1,300. In 1990 it was 2,027 and the community had extended into Dallas County. The 2000 Census showed a populations of 3,405. Today's population is estimated
to be 4,000.
Boxcar Willie was born in the area surrounding Ovilla (Sterrett, TX); the overpass at Interstate 35E and FM 664 in Red Oak is named in his memory.
[Source: Wikipedia - Ovilla, Texas] |
| Palmer (1872-Present)
| Community
|
| Palmer is named for a Houston physician and stockholder of the Houston and Texas Central Railway, D. S. Palmer. The railroad arrived in the area in 1872 and became a shipping point for area cotton and grain farmers. A post office was established in 1874. The population has grown from 250 residents in 1885, to about 750 in the early 1930's to abt 1,770 by 2000.
[Source: David Minor, "PALMER, TX," Handbook of Texas Online, accessed February 16, 2011]. |
| Pecan Hill (abt 1985-Present)
| City
|
| Pecan Hill is a residential community 9 miles northeast of Waxahachie in northern Ellis County. In the mid-1980's the city was incorporated. Population was about 560 in 1990 and abut 670 in 2000.
[Source: Laurie E. Jasinski, "PECAN HILL, TX," Handbook of Texas Online, accessed February 05, 2011.] |
| Plum Grove | Populated Place | Located about 8 miles South of Maypearl | Appears on Home Town Locator
[Source: HomeTown Locator - Plum Grove in Ellis County, TX] |
Rankin (1900-Present)
aka: Astonia (1879-1900)
| Populated Place
| Located about 15 miles southeast of Waxahachie in southeastern Ellis County
| The first house was built by Thomas F Alson in 1876. A post office was established in 1879 as Astonia. Community changed name to Rankin in March 1900 and established a post office under that name. The town was named for Frederick Harrison Rankin, who had settled on nearby Chambers Creek before 1874. He was one of Stephen F. Austin's original 'Old
Three Hundred' settlers. The population was about
34 in 1933, 75 in 1945 and declied to 12 in 1990-2000. A number of outlaws, including Sam Bass, Bonnie Parker, and Clyde Barrow were said to frequent this area.
[Source: Wikipedia - Rankin (Ellis County), Texas]
[Source: Brian Hart, "RANKIN, TX (ELLIS COUNTY)," Handbook of Texas Online, accessed February 16, 2011.] |
Reagor Springs (1906-Present)
aka: Reagers (1844-1882)
aka: Ray (1882-1906)
| Community
| Located about 5 miles southeast of Waxahachie in central Ellis County
| The Southerland Mayfield family settled in the are in 1844 naming the town Reagers, probably for John Reagor a pioneer of the region. In 1882 a post office was established under the name of Ray only to be changed again in 1906 when the Texas and Brazos Valley Railroad arrived to Reagor Springs. The post office was closed in the same year. Poplulation
of town was 21 in 1933, 90 in 1964 and 45 in
1986-2000.
[Source: Brian Hart, "REAGOR SPRINGS, TX," Handbook of Texas Online, accessed February 11, 2011.] |
Red Oak (1849-Present)
aka: Possum Trot (1844-1849)
| City
|
| James E Patton and family settled on Red Oak Creek a few miles southeast of Billingsley Fort in 1844. Due to the number of possums in the area, the settlement was initially called Possum Trot. It was renamed Red Oak in 1849 for the Creek. Town was incorporated in 1949. Population ranged from 350 in 1950 to 1,882 in 1980 to about 4,300 in 2000.
[Source: Scott Brown, "RED OAK, TX," Handbook of Texas Online, accessed February 11, 2011.] |
Rockett (1852-present)
aka: Liberty (1846-1852)
| Populated Place | Located about 5 miles northwest of Waxahachie in north central Ellis County
| Rockett was settled in 1846, making it one of the oldest settlements in Ellis County. Missourian Hans Smith and his family were among the first settlers in the area. They chose a site along Red Oak Creek, southeast of the present-day community. Other families followed.
Originally known as Liberty, the name was changed to Rockett in 1852 after local store owner John Rockett, who placed the first cotton gin in the area. The community continued to grow and a post office opened in 1894. It remained in operation until January 2, 1907. By 1933, Rockett had an estimated population of 150 and two businesses.
As of 2000, there were approximately 124 people living in the community. In recent years, the building of several new subdivisions has brought more residents to the area. Despite its rural surroundings, Rockett (and all of Ellis County) is considered part of the Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington Metropolitan Statistical Area.
[Source: Wikipedia - Rockett, Texas] |
| Sand Lake
| Community
| Located about 12 miles northeast of Ennis in eastern Ellis County
| Between 1923 and 1931 Sand Lake had a general store and a post office. Population was 25 in 1947; No census figures are available since.
[Source: David Minor, "SAND LAKE, TX," Handbook of Texas Online, accessed February 09, 2011.] |
Sardis (1907-present)
aka: Hurley Station (1886-1888)
aka: Saralvo (1888-1907)
| Community
| Located about 4 miles northwest of Waxahachie in northwestern Ellis County
| Allen Roe settled in the area of Sardis as early as 1845. Captain William Wade Peevey settled on 414 acres in 1858. The post office was established under the name of Hurley Station in Novemeber 1886 then name was change to Saralvo in 1888. In 1907 the post office was closed and residents renamed communitiy Sardis. Population was about 150 in 1904 to 30
in 1947 to 20 in 2000.
[Source: Brian Hart, "SARDIS, TX (ELLIS COUNTY)," Handbook of Texas Online, accessed February 14, 2011.] |
Sonoma (1949-early 1980's)
Now part of Ennis
| Community
| Located on the eastern edge of Ennis city limits at time of incoporation; now part of Ennis
| In Summer of 1949 Sonoma became an incorporated town in an effort by residents to keep a sewage displosal plan from being build near thier homes. Population was abt 200 in 1949, 300 in 1952 and agt 680 in 1980. Voters decided in early 1980's to disincorporate and returned jurisdiction to Ennis.
[Source: David Minor, "SONOMA, TX," Handbook of Texas Online, accessed February 14, 2011.] |
| Sterrett
| Community
| Located 5 miles north of Waxahachie in north central Ellis County.
| The area around Sterrett was settled before 1850 with the county's first recorded marriage performed there. The post office was establised in 1890 and named afte James Sterrett, a pioneer settler of the area. Post office cloased in 1929. Population was reported as about 75 between 1925-1952 and redused to about 28 between 1980-2000. BoxCar Willie was born in
Sterrett
[Source: Brian Hart, "STERRETT, TX," Handbook of Texas Online, accessed February 15, 2011.]
[Source: Wikipedia - Boxcar Willie] |
Telico (1856-abt 1864); (bef 1894-present)
aka: Trinity City (??-1856)
| Populated Place
| Located about 5 miles east of Ennis in east centril Ellis County
| Telico is an unincorporated community in east central Ellis County, Texas, United States. The area that became Telico was settled before 1856. It was first called Trinity City, but was renamed in the mid-1850s to Telico after Telico, North Carolina. In an effort to encourage local growth,
the Telico Manufacturing Company was
established in 1854 by Thomas A. McCray. The Civil War ended both the company's and community's existence. However a new Telico community was established west of the orignial settlement sometime before 1894. A post office was setup in 1894 and continued till 1903. Population
ws about 48 in 1933, 80 between 1950-1960 and abt 95 from 1977-2000.
Telico is the birthplace of Clyde Barrow. For more information on Clyde Barrow see Wikipedia article on Bonnie and Clyde
[Source: Brian Hart, "TELICO, TX," Handbook of Texas Online, accessed February 12, 2011.] |
Trumbull (1904-present)
aka: Switch, Ghost Hill, Makie
aka: Clemma (1886-1904) | Community | Located about 10 miles north of Ennis in northeastern Ellis County | Community was settled in 1872 but went by a number of different names. Originally called Switch, it later was called Ghost Hill after the death of 3 ranchhands who were hit by a train. Then town was known as Mackie and later Clemma which was established in 1886 by Henry Harkey. Clemma post office was established
in 1894. Town change name to Trumbull
on April 20, 1904 in honor of
J. A. Trmbull, a railroad official. Post office was closed in 1905. Population was about 150
in 1925, 60 from 1952-1980, 65 from 1990-2000.
[Source: Brian Hart, "TRUMBULL, TX," Handbook of Texas Online, accessed February 14, 2011.] |
Venus (1888-present)
aka: Gossip (1850's-1888)
| Community
|
| Located in 2 counties - Johnson and Ellis.
It was originally named Gossip, until its development in the late 1880s. A man by the name of J. C. Smythe purchased 80 acres (320,000 m2) of abandoned cornfields in the northeastern corner of Johnson County and began to plat a townsite.
He named his new town Venus, after the daughter of a local doctor. By 1888 the new town had a post office and a population of around ten residents. Being at the junction of two
major railroads, Venus prospered and for a time was one of the fastest growing communities in Johnson County. By the 1920s, Venus had its own schools (including a small college), several businesses, a weekly newspaper (Venus Express), and a population which exceeded 800.
The Great Depression had massive negative impact, however, and in the 1930s the town began to decline. Growth of the D/FW Metroplex just to the north hastened its decline, with many of its residents relocating to the growing urban area in search of work. By 1940 the population had fallen to 200 and the only remaining operating business was the drug store.
Venus began to recover somewhat in the late 1940s however, and the population soon increased back to over 300. Growth was slow but steady throughout the remainder of the 20th century and by 1990, there were 977 residents and the town had spread into neighboring Ellis County. The 2000 census listed the population at 910, but recent estimates suggest that this figure has more than doubled and Venus now has a population of over 2,100; due largely to the southward expansion of the Metroplex.
[Source: Wikipedia - Venus, Texas] |
| Walnut Springs
| Community
| Located about 5 miles east of Ferris in Ellis County | Appears on Home Town Locator
[Source: HomeTown Locator - Walnut Springs in Ellis County TX] |
| Ward | Community | Located about 3 miles south west of Midlothian in Ellis County | Appears on Home Town Locator
[Source: HomeTown Locator - Ward, TX (Ellis County)]
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| Waxahachie (1850-Present)
| City
|
| Emory W. Rogers, a pioneer settler, donated land in August 1850 to establish the seat of the new county, Waxahachie. The first settlment consisted of about 100 residents including Rogers, J. D. Templeton, W. H. Getzendaner, B. F. Hawkins, and J. H. Spalding. Waxahachie was incorporated on April 28, 1871.
For the name Waxahachie, the first syllable is pronounced "wahks", not "wax" as is often the case. Also, the official Native American meaning of the name is "cow creek" or "buffalo creek" and is not the name of a Native American tribe which is a common misconception. Another, much more believable etymology for the name is insisted on by speakers of Wichita, the language of the tribe which used to live in the area but now lives mostly around Anadarko, Oklahoma. Wichitas
claim the name comes from their word "waks'ahe:ts'i" (The apostrophe represents a glottal stop, like the middle sound in "oh oh"; "a" is schwah ("uh"); "e:" sounds almost like the "a" of "hat"; "ts" before "i" in this language often sounds like "ch" to English speaking ears; "i" has the continental value, like the one in English "machine"). It means 'fat wildcat'. Source: Dr.
David S. Rood,
linguist at the University of Colorado, who has been studying the Wichita language since 1965.
Population has fluctated from about 1,350 in 1880 to 3,500 in 1890, to 4215 in 1900 to 7,958 in 1920 to 15,720 in 1968 to 13,452 in 1977 to 21,426 in 2000.
[Source: Margaret L. Felty, "WAXAHACHIE, TX," Handbook of Texas Online, accessed February 13, 2011.]
[Source: Wikipedia - Waxahachie, Texas] |
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