Frank Locke shares insight into Rockwall’s earliest settlers through Republic-era land records
Rockwall Pioneers
By Frank Locke
Member, Rockwall County Historical Foundation and Rockwall County Historical Commission
At the Rockwall County Historical Foundation’s Sheri Stodghill Lecture Series on October 10, the evening’s topic was The Settlement of Rockwall County by Original Land Patents. Speaker Frank Locke—member of both the Rockwall County Historical Foundation and the Rockwall County Historical Commission—offered a fascinating look into how early land grants help us understand who settled here and when.
When settlers arrived in Texas before 1836, they soon found themselves caught up in the fight for independence from Mexico. Those who fought for or served the Republic of Texas were rewarded with land certificates known as headrights, typically entitling the holder to about 4,605 acres. With these certificates, settlers could claim and survey unoccupied land across the young Republic.
In 1844, surveyor Daniel Rowlett—who had come to Texas from Kentucky in 1835—was contracted to map the Mercer Colony, which included what is now Rockwall County. During the mid-1840s, hundreds of settlers poured into both the Peters Colony (to the west) and the Mercer Colony, establishing the first wave of permanent settlement in the area.
The earliest known land patent in what would become Rockwall County belonged to Samuel McFadgin, who came to Texas in 1821. His headright, dated February 1, 1838, covered land in the southeastern part of the county. It was surveyed in August 1840, and the official land patent—essentially his deed—was issued by the Republic of Texas on July 11, 1845.
In the far southeast corner of the county, Elizabeth Graves also filed her homestead claim. Her headright, dated just one week after McFadgin’s in 1838, confirmed that she had been a Texas resident since 1825. Her land was surveyed in July 1840, and the patent issued on the same day as McFadgin’s—July 11, 1845. Graves was one of four women to file early land claims in the area.
Joseph Strickland settled where Highway 205 and John King Boulevard intersect today. His headright, dated March 1838, stated that he, too, came to Texas in 1825. His land was surveyed in 1842, and the patent was finalized on November 28, 1845.
Perhaps the first Anglo resident of the county was Lucius B. Outlaw, who settled in the far northwest corner. His headright, dated 1837, notes that he had been wounded during the 1835 capture of San Antonio de Béxar. His land was surveyed in January 1840, but the patent was not issued until December 1, 1845—around the time he sold the property.
Additional patents were granted in 1847 to Edward Teal, Antonio Rodriguez, King Latham, and Joshua Canter for tracts along the southern end of the county. Joseph Rowe and Ruth Peckum received theirs in 1848. However, many settlers associated with the Mercer Colony faced delays: legal disputes before the Texas Legislature stalled those applications until February 1850.
In total, 46 of the county’s original patents were based on headright certificates, and 112 were Mercer Colony grants. Interestingly, many of these early settlers were related to Daniel Rowlett and came from Calloway County, Kentucky—including the families of Reuben Ballard, Nathan Butler, John H. B. Jones, John Heath, and Glover Wells. Arriving in 1845 and 1846, they formed the foundation of what we now recognize as the original settlers of Rockwall County.
Tracing Rockwall’s Roots: The First Families and Land Patents That Shaped Our County added by Editor on
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