William Whitley Wheat
Howe, Grayson County, Texas
Marker Inscription
William Whitley Wheat William Whitley Wheat (1820-1890) was born in Alabama to Samuel and Cynthia (Stinson) Wheat. He married Cynthia Ann Maynard, and the couple came to Texas in 1842 to Peters Colony. They moved three years later to what is now Grayson County, settling and raising ten children near Farmington. Wheat was an early cattle drover to northern markets, and he became a respected and successful farmer. He served for many years as Grayson County Commissioner in the 1870s and 1880s and was first presiding president of the Old Settlers Association of North Texas. As such, he worked to ease local tensions in the post-Civil War years. Recorded - 2002
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
William Whitley Wheat came to Texas from Alabama in 1842, joining the Peters Colony before settling in what became Grayson County, where he and his wife raised ten children. An early cattle drover who pushed herds to northern markets, he prospered as a farmer and served for years as county commissioner in the 1870s and 1880s. As the first president of the Old Settlers Association of North Texas, he worked to calm the frictions of the post-Civil War frontier.
Why it matters
Wheat embodies the pioneer generation that settled North Texas, driving cattle north and knitting a raw frontier into a governed, reconciled community.
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Related people
- · William Whitley Wheat
- · Cynthia Ann Maynard Wheat
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
Jabez and Harriet Haning
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Jabez Haning came to Grayson County with his family in 1846 and, in the following decade, claimed 320 acres through the Peters colony, marrying Harriet Campbell and building a farm. When the Houston & Texas Central Railway pushed a line through their land in the 1870s, the couple donated ground for a town site in 1876. The resulting settlement was named Howe, likely for a railroad official.
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