Hamilton-Soules House
Star, Mills County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Thomas Edgar Hamilton (1878-1933) moved with his family to Mills County in the early 1890s. In 1898, he wed Nettie Ethaline Sargent (1879-1950), and the couple had four children. They made their home in Star, where he worked in a nearby family cotton gin and as a bookkeeper. He later became a banker and school board member, and was active in bringing an electric plant to the town. Daughter Maurine wed rancher John B. Soules in 1918, and they moved into the family home in 1937. The c. 1900 house represents a late Victorian transitional style and has long been a focal point for social and community activities and events. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 2004
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Thomas Edgar Hamilton came to Mills County as a boy in the early 1890s and built his life in the small town of Star, working a family cotton gin before rising to banker and school board member. He and his wife Nettie raised four children in this late-Victorian transitional house, built around 1900, and Hamilton even helped bring an electric plant to town. When daughter Maurine married rancher John Soules, the couple carried the home into a new generation.
Why it matters
The house reflects the ambitions of small-town Texas at the turn of the century, where a cotton-gin bookkeeper could help wire his community for the modern age.
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Related people
- · Thomas Edgar Hamilton
- · Nettie Ethaline Sargent
- · John B. Soules
Themes & tags
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