CHAPTER XXXIV.

Municipal and Territorial Relations-Act Authorizing Organization, etc.

Shortly after the war the settlements of our territory of the Brazos valley and tributaries, growing out of causes heretofore referred to, were so augmented and the distances to the county sites respectively of Johnson and Erath so great, that the organization of a new county came to be a much felt need. But first, it may be interesting for us to know what has been our municipal and territorial relations in the past. And without trespassing upon the domain of the more general history of our State, we were, as early as 1823 embraced within the municipality of San Felipe de Austin, created by the official act of the Governor of Coahuila and Texas, the northern boundary of which was without other limits than that of said State. We continued within the jurisdiction of this municipality till the establishment of the municipality of Viesca, about 1834, which embraced our territory, and when Texas became a republic this municipality became the county of Milam, with its northern boundary along the Comanche Trail, or road leading to Nacogdoches, which it is understood, passed in a direction from the upper Brazos south of east, through the north eastern part of our present county. Robertson county, created in 1837, embraced that portion of our territory east of the Brazos, and in 1846 Navarro county was created, which embraced the same. In January 1850 McLennan county was created and embraced that part of our territory on the west of the Brazos. In February 1854 Johnson county was created, which took within its bounds the greater part of our present territory with that of Somervell, and in January 1856 Erath county was created, embracing the remainder to the west of Johnson. The boundary between Johnson and Erath, extending from the northwest corner of Johnson at a point ten miles west of the Brazos, where a due west continuing line from the south boundary of Tarrant county would cross the river, and from thence running south 30 degrees east, passed just west of Comanche Peak. That portion of our territory situated to the southwest of the Comanche Trail, from the year 1825, was within the bounds of Leftwicks’s (better known as Robertson’s) Colony Grant, until the lapse by its terms of the colonial contract about 1838; and subsequently a part of our county to the north was from 1842 till about 1852 within the Peters colony grant, while the southeast portion was included within the Mercer’s colony contract. In 1846 our territory east of the river was within Robertson’s Land District, and that to the west Milam: Until 1848 the Land Office of the former was at Franklin, when it was removed to Springfield, Limestone county: and the Milam Land Office seems to have been in Burleson county till January 1850, when it was removed to Cameron, Milam county, and from thence, in 1856, to Belton, Bell county. Thus we have traced the jurisdictional authority which existed over our territory since about the time of the first colonization schemes under the authority of the Mexican government, which were introduced by Austin from the United States. But in point of fact it is not known that any occasion ever arose for the actual exercise of authority here, prior to the period of the location of land certificates; not earlier than about 1845, if indeed, any were located so early. If former governments have ever made grants covering any part of our territory, no evidence thereof has ever come to light.

We now quote from the statute of November 2nd 1866, creating the county of Hood, the following as to its bounds: "Beginning at the north corner of Bosque county on the bank of Brazos river, thence with the north line of Bosque county southwestward to its crossing at the east Bosque; thence northwestward in a direct line to the southeast corner of Palo Pinto county, as now established; thence north to the southwest corner of Parker county, thence east with the south line of Parker county to the northwest corner of Johnson county, as now established; thence south with the west line of Johnson county to Brazos river, at the upper corner of J. Lyon 320 acre survey; thence with Brazos and across the same to beginning." This territory was taken, approximately about two-thirds from Johnson, and the remainder from Erath, with a small portion probably from Palo Pinto, counties. Whether any portion came from Palo Pinto depends upon whether or not by its former boundaries that county elled by a narrow strip around the southwest corner of Parker to the west corner of Johnson, which seems probable, but could only be determined by an actual knowledge of the lines as surveyed upon the ground. The conclusion that a part of the southeast corner of Palo Pinto is included within our limits is strengthened by the fact that the legislature on the same day passed another act defining the boundary lines of Palo Pinto, Erath and Johnson counties, by which Palo Pinto’s east line was made to run due south from the southwest corner of Parker, to its own southeast corner. The law named the new county "Hood, in honor of General J.B. Hood, of the late Confederate army." And prescribed "that the county site of said county shall be located within six miles of its geographical center, and be called Granberry," and further "that Clairborne Arrington, Wm. Manley and C.C. Alexander be, and are hereby appointed commissioners with full power and authority to organize the said county of Hood," with the duty of opening and holding an election for county officers, and to receive donations of lands for public uses, and report their actions when the county should be organized to the county court of said county, and turn over all papers and records to said court. Just when and how this work of organization was completed, rests in the uncertainty of the past, since if any record was ever fully made, it has long ago perished, with the burning of the county records in March 1875.

The name "Granberry" given to the county site was in honor of Gen H.B. Granberry, and by custom the orthography was changed to Granbury. Some controversy has since arisen as to the correct orthography of the original name, which is a matter of little importance, since the latter form now invariably prevails.

2000 HOOD COUNTY TEXAS HISTORICAL DOCUMENT TRANSCRIPTION TEAM