First Election in Wood County
Mineola, Wood County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Under a large post oak (300 ft. NW) on Gaines Greer's farm, Aug. 5, 1850, Wood County was organized. Commissioners Reuben Elledge, Joseph Fisher, George Greer, Henry Stout, and Gilbert Yarbrough met with 20 other men to choose site for county seat and elect first officials. Elected were the chief justice, D. O. Norton; county clerk, Ambrose Fitzgerald; treasurer, Henry W. Norton; tax assessor-collector, Gilbert Yarbrough; sheriff, Henry Stout; and county commissioners, Daniel Center, P. M. Gunstream, William Rice, Peter Rozell. Historic oak survived until it was killed by lightning, 1950s. (1973)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
On August 5, 1850, beneath a great post oak on Gaines Greer's farm, a handful of settlers organized Wood County and elected its first officials. Commissioners including Henry Stout and Gilbert Yarbrough met with twenty other men to choose a county seat and fill offices from chief justice to sheriff. The landmark oak that shaded that first election survived until lightning killed it in the 1950s.
Why it matters
The gathering captures grassroots frontier democracy in action — a new county literally organized under a tree by the neighbors who would govern it.
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Related people
- · Gaines Greer
- · Henry Stout
- · Gilbert Yarbrough
- · D. O. Norton
Related events
- · Organization of Wood County (1850)
Themes & tags
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