James Selen Stout
Sulphur Springs, Hopkins County, Texas
Marker Inscription
(August 30, 1818 - July 19, 1897) Born in Arkansas, James Selen Stout was reared in what became northeast Texas. He served three months in the Republic of Texas cavalry in 1836, and in 1838 received a grant of 320 acres of land for his service. His parents, Henry and Sarah Stout, also received a land grant, and their property included the area that became Clarksville, the Red River County seat. A frontier scout and explorer, James S. Stout settled in this vicinity and helped encourage settlement in this area. He served in the Confederate Army during the Civil War. He and his wife Elvira (Richey) were the parents of eleven children. (2000)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
James Selen Stout came of age on the raw northeastern Texas frontier and, still a teenager, rode three months in the Republic of Texas cavalry in 1836 — service that earned him a 320-acre land grant. As a scout and explorer he helped draw settlers into the region, and decades later took up arms again for the Confederacy during the Civil War. He and his wife Elvira raised eleven children on land his family helped open.
Why it matters
Stout's life spans the whole arc of early Anglo Texas — from the revolution that made it a republic to the Civil War — embodying the frontier settlers who turned contested land into permanent communities.
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Related people
- · James Selen Stout
- · Elvira Richey Stout
- · Henry Stout
Themes & tags
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