Henderson Yoakum
Huntsville, Walker County, Texas
Marker Inscription
(September 6, 1810 - November 30, 1856) A graduate of the United States Military Academy (1832), Henderson Yoakum saw duty on frontiers and in the Mexican War. He practiced law and served in the Senate in his native Tennessee, moving to Texas in 1845. In Huntsville he became a civic leader and friend of Sam Houston. Joining fellow citizens in establishing Austin College, he became that school's first librarian and a teacher of law. In 1855, after years of work, he published a comprehensive, two-volume history of Texas. He and his wife Eveline (Cannon) had nine children. Descendants are still active in cultural life of Texas. (1976)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
A West Point graduate who served on the frontier and in the Mexican War, Henderson Yoakum settled in Huntsville in 1845 and became a lawyer, civic leader, and close friend of Sam Houston. He helped found Austin College, serving as its first librarian and a teacher of law, and in 1855 published a landmark two-volume history of Texas. His descendants remained active in the state's cultural life.
Why it matters
Yoakum was among the first serious chroniclers of Texas history, helping a young state understand and preserve its own past.
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Related people
- · Henderson Yoakum
- · Sam Houston
Themes & tags
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