The old families, who were not so famous, but were the real stamina of the town down through the ages, when prosperity had passed on to other fields and living was hard—yet they lived on and kept the home fires burning until today Jefferson seems doomed to again come to be, and is known the state over as a promising oil center—with prosperity again in view. These with their children may be numbered by the hundreds. Among them we find:
Dr. B. J. Terry
Dr. T. H. Stallcup
W. B. Stallcup
Ward Taylor
Dick Terry
J. H. Rowell
S. W. Moseley
Shep Haywood
T. L. Torrans
W. P. Schluter
Louis Schluter
R. B. Walker
W. B. Kennon
J. B. Zachery
W. B. Sims
D. C. Wise
A. Urquhart
S. A. Spellings
Capt. Lyon
A. Stutz
T. J. Rogers
W. J. Sedberry
Sam Moseley
W. B. Ward
Sam Ward
J. M. DeWare
B. J. Benefield
J. C. Preston
P. Eldridge
I. Goldberg
M. Bower
J. J. Rives
H. Rives
These with many others have done much for Jefferson and Texas—So “Come to Texas” and be sure you come to Jefferson.
Benj. H. Epperson
Benj. H. Epperson was born in Mississippi in about 1828. He was educated in North Carolina and at Princeton University, New Jersey. He came to Texas and settled at Clarksville sometime in the ’40’s. He studied law, was admitted to the bar and practiced with marked ability and success. He was active Whig politician before and after the war and was the candidate of his party for governor in 1851 at a time when he was below the constitutional age. In 1852 he was at the head of the Texas delegation to the Whig National convention. He served in the Legislature practically from 1858 until his death. He was a personal friend of Sam Houston and was consulted by Houston on numerous affairs of state.
In the controversy over secession Epperson was a Union man, standing substantially with General Houston on that question. After Texas seceded he cast his allegiance with the Confederacy and did a great deal for the cause, giving very liberally of his time and money. He was a member of the first Confederate Congress.
In 1866 he was elected to the U. S. Congress and went to Washington, but as Texas was not recognized as a State, he was not permitted to take his seat.
In the early ’70’s he moved to Jefferson, Texas where he lived until his death in 1878.
Because of his wide personal acquaintance and unusual ability he exercised a wide political influence throughout the State. He was one of the first presidents of East-Line Railroad, and was highly instrumental in the railroad development of Texas.
In 1931 a collection of papers and letters that had belonged to B. H. Epperson were sent to the University of Texas by his son. Among them were letters dealing with affairs in Texas during the Confederate war and Reconstruction periods, also Indian papers saved from the time that Mr. Epperson had represented the Indians in Washington before, or in the early ’50’s, besides many papers pertaining to Railway matters, etc. The Archivist, Mrs. Mattie Austin Hatcher has written that “they are very valuable.” He says that these things are used by historians and also by students in getting material for their thesis.