Grimes County presented by Genealogy Trails

Grimes county was created in 1846 by the First Legislature of the state of Texas as a result of a petition from the people of western Montgomery county praying for separation and the formation of a new county. The petition embraced a request that the new county be named ''Grimes," in honor of Jesse Grimes who was at that time serving as senator from Montgomery county. The petition was granted and an act was passed, April 6, 1846, creating the new county of Grimes with metes and bounds as follows:

"Beginning at the southwest corner of the county of Walker thence in a southwardly direction to the northeast corner of a league of land granted to W. Montgomery; thence to the southeast corner or same; thence, due south to the Harris county line, thence with said Harris county line, to the head of Spring creek, and from the head of Spring creek to the head of Pond creek; thence by a straight line to the mouth of Beason's creek on the Brazos river; thence, up said stream to the mouth of the Navisoto, and up the Navisoto to the crossing of the San Antonio road; thence, with said road to the northwestern boundary line of Walker county, and down the said county line to the place of beginning.

A lively controversy developed in the new county of Grimes over the location of the county seat. Henry Fanthorp, then a prominent business man and land owner at Alta Mira (now Anderson) offered to donate land for the site; but, as several communities were contending for the honor, the Legislature ordered that an election be held to determine the location. There followed an interesting campaign. On the day of the election, each of the contesting communities prepared a free dinner and provided other forms of amusements for the voters. The majority of the voters registered their preference for the Fanthorp location. A townsite was surveyed a little north of the old town of Alta Mira.   The new town was named "Anderson" in honor of Kenneth L. Anderson, the last Vice-President of the Republic of Texas, who had died recently at the Fanthorp hotel in Alta Mira and was buried in the Fanthorp cemetery nearby.   It is said that an oak tree on the Fanthorp premises served for a time as the first court house in Grimes county. The county government was soon organized and the following officers were elected: Graves, probate judge; Albert G. Perry, chief justice; Anderson Buffington, district clerk; Daniel E. Harper, county clerk; Guilford M. Mooring, sheriff; F. Brigance, tax collector and assessor; David C. Dickson, representative to the Legislature; and George Lester, coroner. The new county of Grimes with Walker and Montgomery counties constituted the fifteenth senatorial district (January 16, 1850) with the chief justice of Montgomery county designated to receive election returns and to issue a certificate of election to the senator-elect. Grimes county alone was to constitute the thirtieth representative district and was entitled to one representative.

INDIAN POPULATION OF GRIMES COUNTY AND ITS VICINITY Bedias.—The region to become Grimes, ac the time of the arrival of the American sealers, was inhabited by scattered Indian settlements, the population of which seems to have consisted of mere remnants of former tribes. The writer finds some evidence to indicate that several tribes were represented in the Indian population of Grimes county, namely: Bedias, Kickapoo, and Cushattee. Those Indians belonging to the Bedias tribe were the most numerous and best known. The name "Bedias" means brushwood in the language of the Caddo Indians to which stock the Bedias are supposed to have belonged. The Bedias villages were scattered over a wide territory but principally along the Trinity river. A number of geographical names derived from this tribe survive in this region.   The town of Bedias, located in the northern portion of Grimes county, is situated between two creeks, the South Bedias, and the Big Bedias.   These creeks combine before they reach the Trinity river to form the Bedias creek which flows into the Trinity river and forms a part of the boundary line between Walker and Madison counties.   These Indians, according to their tribal traditions, were the oldest inhabitants of this region. During the latter part of the eighteenth century they were the chief intermediaries between the French and the Apaches in the trade of fire arms. As a result of the later political controversy between the French and the Spanish, and due to their own inter-tribal wars, and to the introduction of new diseases, their tribal organization was broken up and only remnants of their former villages continued. Several such villages were found in what was to become Grimes county by the Americans who settled here following 1821.   The writer finds mention of such a village having been located within a few miles of the present town of Montgomery, Texas. In writing about this Indian village, Anna L. Davis, of Montgomery, Texas, says: Hodge also mentions a village of Bedias Indians as having been about twelve miles from the town of Montgomery. There seems to have been another village of the Bedias Indians in the southern portion of Grimes county, in the vicinity of what came to be known as Grimes Prairie. Mrs. Rosa Groce writes:

"A friendly tribe of Indians "Bidais" lived a few miles from the plantation (Groce Bernardo) and they were constantly coming to the house and begging for a meal and other things."

In the same connection, Mrs. Rosa Groce states that Jared E. Groce at one time gave these Indians cotton sacks, promising to give them meal after the sacks were picked full of cotton. It is said that the Indians did as they were told but that they did not repeat the request. The largest Bedias settlement seems to have been in the northern portion of Grimes county and partly in Madison county, near what was known as Spivey Lake in the region of Black Lake Slough. This camp seems to have served as a tryst for the roving bands that frequented this region. The writer is told that a road crew while cutting a road through from Bedias to Madison-ville found a large collection of Indian skeletons and some equipment, thought to have been buried there after a battle with the Mexicans.0 The writer is told of another Bedias village located on a farm now owned by Andrew Garner, situated between the towns of Anderson and Navasota, about two miles from Anderson.

Kickapoos.—The writer finds mention of Kickapoo Indians as having lived in this vicinity but has been unable to establish definitely when they came to this section.   Hodge makes no mention of any Kickapoos coming into Texas prior to 1852 During this year, he states that a large body of this tribe, with some Potawatomi, left Kansas and went to Texas and thence to Mexico.   W. P. Zuber states that his father, in 1833, occupied huts that had been abandoned by Kickapoo Indians two years previously.   In the same connection, Zuber tells that parties of Kickapoos and Cushattees camped near his fathers' home, in 1833, with whom the Zubers bartered corn for moccasins, deer-skins, venison, and wild turkey.   Judge R. P. Harper of Madisonviile, Texas, tells of Bedias and Kickapoo Indians having lived together on South Bedias creek, east of the present town of Bedias.

Cushattees.-These Indians had villages on both sides of the Trinity river from which they made hunting expeditions into the region now known as Grimes county.10 Zuber makes the following comment regarding the Cushattees:

"Two roads traversed the territory of Grimes county: towit, the La Bahia road and the Cushattee Trace; the latter being a section of the old Contraband road, beaten out and used by smugglers of contraband goods on caravans of pack mules, from Alexandria, Louisiana, to the Rio Grande .... The section between the Neches and the Brazos was called the Cushattee trace, because it was much used by the Cushattee Indians on their hunting expeditions."

The Cushattee Indians seem to have been rather well civilized and, according to Edwards, it was not unusual for them to live in well constructed houses, surrounded with peach trees and well-watered gardens and fields, which were sometimes fenced.   It seems to have been the custom to leave these villages almost wholly unprotected in the autumn while the Indians ranged afar in search of the winter supply of honey, bear meat, and venison.   While on these expeditions they often visited the settlements of the whites with whom they engaged in barter. The number of Cushattee Indians in Texas has been estimated by some at three hundred and fifty.

Relations between Indians and Whites.—The white settlers of Grimes county vicinity seem, for the most part, to have been unmolested by the Indians residing in this territory i.e., the Bedias, Kickapoos, and Cushattees.   At times the Indians were insolent and they were beggarly by nature, but they were restrained by presents and forbearance.   Men like Jesse Grimes had great influence with these tribes and often sat with them in council.   It is said by the old settlers of this section that men of the Bedias tribe served the whites in helping to keep out the more hostile Comanches and Cherokees.

LOCAL INDIAN STORIES AS TOLD BY PIONEER SETTLERS

Indians Visit the T. P. Plaster Home.—Mrs. Margaret Harrison told the writer this interesting story of an experience with a Bedias warrior. One night while Mrs. T. P. Plaster was at home alone with her children, her husband having gone to Houston for supplies, an Indian man quietly pushed open the door and entered the room. The mother was too terrified to speak, but the little Margaret, too small to know danger, toddled up to the big Indian and put her arms around his leg in an effort to pull him over to a chair that was being pushed out by her little twin brother. The Indian reached down and took the little girl in his arms as he sat down in the chair. By this time the mother had gotten control of herself and was attempting to show friendliness. She made some coffee and offered the Indian a cup. He took the coffee but refused to drink therefrom until he had first given a spoonful to each of the children and to Mrs. Plaster. He then let it be known that he wanted another cup. When offered more food, however, he refused and, after a time, left as quietly as he had come.   Subsequently, this same Indian made several visits to the Plaster home, coming at one time when the father was away from home and sitting the whole night in a corner of a room, leaving a little before daybreak. At another time, he came and warned the family of the approach of a hostile band of Cherokees. Upon another visit, he found Mr. Plaster sick in bed. and when Mrs. Plaster indicated that they were short of food, the Indian left to appear soon thereafter with a wild turkey which he threw at the feet of Mrs. Plaster.

Indians Kill Mrs. Taylor.—The writer has heard the old settlers of this vicinity tell many stories about a party of Indians killing a Mrs. Taylor. The story is that a party of Indians were making an attack on the home of Joshua Hadley about the year 18-10. It seems that the community had had some warning of the danger and the people, as was their custom, had hastened to the Hadley home, which was partly fortified. Another party had gathered at the neighboring home of A. D. Kennard. Mrs. Taylor, it seems, was at the Hadley house, while her husband was at the Kennard house. After the Indians had been repulsed from the Hadley house, Mrs, Taylor, who had become greatly excited, insisted upon going across to the A. D. Kennard house with her two children. The Kennard house was situated about a mile from the Hadley house, and in spite of warning, Mrs. Taylor started with her two children (some say two sons and others say a son and a daughter) across an open field toward the Kennard house. She was killed by the Indians within sight of the Hadley house, and the children were captured. The Indians were later pursued and the children recaptured.   One, a boy, was shot through the hand, but the children were otherwise uninjured. They were taken to the home of Henry Fanthorp where they were cared for until their people came for them.   It is said that this was the last person killed by Indians in Grimes county territory.   According to Franklin Brigance, the last Indian raid took place in the winter of 1841. He states that the raiders then escaped through the Roan's Prairie community and that they were pursued by a company of nine men who left the Fanthorp home at about sunrise and pursued the Indians for about twenty miles, when they came suddenly upon them.   The Indians made good their escape by leaving all their equipment in camp.   Brigance, however, makes no mention of the attack on the Hadley home, nor does he mention the recapture of any white children. The writer is here fore, unable to determine whether he is speaking of the same raid as that referred to in the above story.

Indians Kill Kennard's Calves.—

Another story is told of an Indian raid during which Indians killed several calves belonging to A. D. Kennard within sight of the Kennard home. It seems that all the men were away from home when an old negro slave woman discovered the Indians killing the calves in a nearby pasture. The faithful Negress hastened to the house and broke the news to Mrs. Kennard. When Mrs. Kennard made no move to protect her property, the negro woman became vexed and exclaimed, "Missus, what shall we do? What shall we do?" to which Mrs. Kennard replied that they could do nothing but trust in the Lord; at which remark, the Negress retorted, "Dat am mighty pore help, when de Injuns am out dar killing the calves."

Methods of Precaution against Indian Attacks at Night.—

J. W. Blake, now of Houston, Texas, tells of hearing his grandmother, Mrs. John Durst, explain that it was customary to have the Negroes bring the horses and cattle up near the front of the house at night so that they could be guarded against theft by the Indians. She told that on many nights she would sit on the front porch with a gun across her lap to guard the animals while her husband was away, or while he rested after a hard day's labor. Mrs. Margaret Saunders tells of her mother, Mrs. Sarah Mclntire, sleeping on the top of the house in order to be more safe from discovery, in the event of an Indian raid while her husband, Robert Mclntire, was away from home.

Indians Kill Man on Wallace Prairie.—

The story is of a vague nature, but the old settlers tell of a man named Shark who lived on Wallace Prairie near Groce's Retreat, being. killed by Indians in retaliation for the killing of an Indian by whites. Shark, so the story goes, was taken from a sick bed. and killed by the Indians.

Indian Expedition of 1839.—

Franklin Brigance cells of an expedition made against the Comanches in 1839.   He was what a company assembled in the fall of 1839, at Tinnonville, where the old San Antonio and Nacogdoches road crossed the Navasota river. From here they went to Comanche Peak, on the west side of the Brazos river.   Crossing the Brazes river, where Waco now stands, they came upon an Indian village occupied by about one hundred and thirty Indians. An attack was made but all the Indians escaped except one who was killed.   A Mexican was made prisoner.   A number of horses, mules, and some Indian equipment were captured. The company of whites then crossed to the east side of the Brazos river and made their way homeward by way of Wheelock, which was then on the extreme edge of the white settlement.   On the return trip, two officers were killed by Indians.   These officers were riding at some distance ahead of the company and were killed while watering at Richland. creek. The Indians escaped and the bodies of the slain officers were buried at the foot of an oak tree in a nearby prairie.

Military Preparedness against Indians in 1837.—

A fair idea of the precautionary measures used by the pioneer settlers of this vicinity can be had from the following explanation given by W. P. Zuber:

"Our militia company was divided into six platoons, each platoon had a commanding officer appointed. They served by turns, each serving a week at a time. Their service was to cover the woods in search for Indians or Indian trails, in the event any such were found, they were to be driven out." Zuber, in this same connection, states that the Indians, upon learning of such preparedness, ceased to molest the settlements."

Indians Removed from Grimes County.— The United States Government began to remove the Indians from this section to the various Indian reservations about 1854. Old settlers remember the sight of squads of Indians marching through Anderson on their journey to their reservations." By the year I860, only six Indians were listed by the United States Census as then residing within Grimes county. Of these, two were women and four were men.Three Indians were listed as residing in Grimes county in 1870; four in 1880 and none in 1890.

Early History of Grimes County by E.L. Blair M.A. 1930
[Transcribed and Submitted by BZ]