Organization Of Gray County (Cont.) |
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The first election in Gray County was held on May 27, 1902, at John Henry's ranch home near Laketon. Henry, presiding officer of Precinct was the presiding judge of the election. D.C. Davis and P.E. Gragg were the election judges. B.F. and J.W. Talley were the election clerks who tallied the votes.
Voters were W.R. Flowers, A.E. Gething, A.M. Renner, N.A. Gray, J.C. Short, J.E. Williams, Henry Thut, W.R. Holder, F.M. Faulkner, W.T. Wilks, E.N. Lynch, R.H. and G.D. Jahns, Sam Stump, M. McConley, M.A. Lewis, Perry LeFors, J.A. Paris, J.S. Denson, C.F. Sohns, L.E. Glen, J.W. Davidson, J.M. Jackson, G.M. Moon, J.B. Baird, L.O. Boney, S.H. Sohns, W.W. Harrah, J.L. Martin, Hermin Kisenmenger, W.L. Gillis, H.M. Williams, G.H. Saunders, D.C. Davis, B.F. Talley, J.W. Talley, Perry Gragg, J.R. Henry.
A special meeting of the Roberts County Commissioners Court on June 9, 1902, confirmed the first officers of Gray County: George H. Saunders, County Judge; Siler Faulkner, County and District Clerk; J.T. Crawford, Sheriff and Tax Collector; Henry Thut, County Treasurer; L.O. Boney, County Assessor; J.T. Pollard, Court Surveyor; J.J. McCarty, Hide and Animal Inspector; J.M. Jackson, Commissioner, Precinct 1; H.B. Lovett, Commissioner, Precinct 2; S.B. Owens, Commissioner, Precinct 4; J.C. Short, Justice of the Peace, Precinct 1; J.A. Hopkins, Justice of the Peace, Precinct 3; Perry LeFors, Justice of the Peace, Precinct 4.
Since there were two candidates for Commissioner in Precinct 3, and each received the same number of votes, it was declared that no Commissioner was elected in Precinct 3. No Justice of the Peace was elected for Precinct 2.
The county seat of Gray County was elected to be Lefors on 160 acres of the Travis Leach survey. The Supreme Court of Texas had decided that it would take two-thirds of the entire vote cast to locate the county seat at any one point, more than five miles from the center of the county. Lefors is at the exact center of Gray County .
On June 30, 1902, the first Commissioners Court of Gray County convened at Lefors. The first act of the court was to approve T.J. Crawford's bond of $2,208 as Tax Collector, with D.C. Davis, T.J. Roby and L.H. Webb as sureties. Henry Thut was instructed to get the money which had been deposited in the Treasury at Austin while the county was unorganized. The amount was $7,307.98. Siler Faulkner, who was sent to Miami to get the county records, later said that he brought them all back under his arm, as there were only six or seven small deed records.
These early deeds show that distances were measured by varas. A vara (Spanish for "pole") is a Texas unit of length equal to 33.33 inches (84.66 centimeters).
Voters were W.R. Flowers, A.E. Gething, A.M. Renner, N.A. Gray, J.C. Short, J.E. Williams, Henry Thut, W.R. Holder, F.M. Faulkner, W.T. Wilks, E.N. Lynch, R.H. and G.D. Jahns, Sam Stump, M. McConley, M.A. Lewis, Perry LeFors, J.A. Paris, J.S. Denson, C.F. Sohns, L.E. Glen, J.W. Davidson, J.M. Jackson, G.M. Moon, J.B. Baird, L.O. Boney, S.H. Sohns, W.W. Harrah, J.L. Martin, Hermin Kisenmenger, W.L. Gillis, H.M. Williams, G.H. Saunders, D.C. Davis, B.F. Talley, J.W. Talley, Perry Gragg, J.R. Henry.
A special meeting of the Roberts County Commissioners Court on June 9, 1902, confirmed the first officers of Gray County: George H. Saunders, County Judge; Siler Faulkner, County and District Clerk; J.T. Crawford, Sheriff and Tax Collector; Henry Thut, County Treasurer; L.O. Boney, County Assessor; J.T. Pollard, Court Surveyor; J.J. McCarty, Hide and Animal Inspector; J.M. Jackson, Commissioner, Precinct 1; H.B. Lovett, Commissioner, Precinct 2; S.B. Owens, Commissioner, Precinct 4; J.C. Short, Justice of the Peace, Precinct 1; J.A. Hopkins, Justice of the Peace, Precinct 3; Perry LeFors, Justice of the Peace, Precinct 4.
Since there were two candidates for Commissioner in Precinct 3, and each received the same number of votes, it was declared that no Commissioner was elected in Precinct 3. No Justice of the Peace was elected for Precinct 2.
The county seat of Gray County was elected to be Lefors on 160 acres of the Travis Leach survey. The Supreme Court of Texas had decided that it would take two-thirds of the entire vote cast to locate the county seat at any one point, more than five miles from the center of the county. Lefors is at the exact center of Gray County .
On June 30, 1902, the first Commissioners Court of Gray County convened at Lefors. The first act of the court was to approve T.J. Crawford's bond of $2,208 as Tax Collector, with D.C. Davis, T.J. Roby and L.H. Webb as sureties. Henry Thut was instructed to get the money which had been deposited in the Treasury at Austin while the county was unorganized. The amount was $7,307.98. Siler Faulkner, who was sent to Miami to get the county records, later said that he brought them all back under his arm, as there were only six or seven small deed records.
These early deeds show that distances were measured by varas. A vara (Spanish for "pole") is a Texas unit of length equal to 33.33 inches (84.66 centimeters).