Oliver H. Pegues
Longview, Gregg County, Texas
Marker Inscription
(November 27, 1847 - March 30, 1937) Descendant of a Huguenot family who migrated to america in 1736, Oliver H. Pegues came to Texas with his parents from his native Mississippi in 1850. He moved to Longview in 1871 and became the town's first postmaster, Jan. 27, 1871. Pegues served as Gregg County Treasurer, 1875-1900. A merchant and banker, he was an early leader of the First Baptist Church. He was married first to Henrie Dyer (d. 1887) and later to Emma Overton (1856-1929), and had 8 children.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Descended from a Huguenot family that reached America in 1736, Oliver H. Pegues came to Texas as a child and moved to Longview in 1871, becoming the new town's first postmaster that same January. Over the following decades he served as Gregg County treasurer, built a career as a merchant and banker, and helped lead the First Baptist Church. His long life stretched from the antebellum era to 1937.
Why it matters
Figures like Pegues—postmaster, banker, church founder—were the connective tissue of a growing railroad town, embodying how one civic-minded settler could help shape a community's institutions.
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