William had sisters named Sarah Maria/Mariah, and Prudence Jane and a younger brother named Asa/Esahl Lafitte and the youngest in this family was Amanda/Matilda who died young. William was the grandson of Asahel Stark who was the son of Christopher Stark, Jr. who was the son of Christopher Stark, Sr., who was the son of William Stark, Sr. who was the son of the Stark family patriarch, Aaron Stark, who came from England around 1630, settling in New London County, Connecticut.

Until the age of 6 or 7, William lived with his family in Genesee County, New York. They were only a few miles from Niagara Falls and Lake Erie and his grandparents, Asahel and Sarah Stark, lived nearby in Caledonia township and later in Penfield, Ontario County, New York. Probably living with the family was his grandfather, Samuel Hawley, a veteran of the Revolutionary War who had lived in Massachusetts before the war. This western New York region was newly settled when William was born and must have still been quite primitive and wild. Early in the year 1816, the family moved to West Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, a trip of some 750 miles which was most likely made by boat. Imagine the logistics of transporting a family and household goods over such a vast distance around 1816. From Genesee County, one would move over land to the Allegheny River, located just south of the county on the New York and Pennsylvania border. The Allegheny then flows from north to south through western Pennsylvania and comes together with the Monongahela River near Pittsburgh to form the Ohio River, which then flows into the Mississippi and then south down the Mississippi to Louisiana.

The family settled on the west bank of the Mississippi River in a community called Port Allen, located directly across from the growing community of Baton Rouge. Property was purchased by Daniel R. Stark in 1817 which was described as “four acres front to the river Mississippi.”[2] William Hawley Stark’s Uncles named William, Samuel, and John R. were already living in the region when the family arrived and making the trip to Louisiana from New York was his grandfather, Samuel Hawley. The Mississippi River from the Gulf of Mexico to Baton Rouge by 1816 was a fairly well settled region, for Louisiana had been admitted as a State six years earlier and there was considerable commerce up and down the Mississippi River in the early part of the 19^th century.

Tragedy struck the family within fours years of their arrival when Daniel R. Stark died suddenly on June 20^th 1820. With assistance from her father, Samuel Hawley, and brother-in-law, William Stark, William’s mother handled the probate proceedings which provided the names of the children of Daniel R. Stark. This is the first document to be found which shows the relationship of William Hawley Stark and his siblings to Daniel R. Stark and Nancy Hawley which states:

On September 5, 1820, William Stark and his wife, Victoria Betencourt, provided a donation of $2,200 to the children of Nancy Hawley, widow of Daniel R. Stark, with the benefactors of this donation being named William, Muriah, Prudence, Esahl, and Amanda. This document reveals the names of the children of Daniel and Nancy and reveals the children received a substantial amount of money from their Uncle William Stark.[4]

Nancy continued to live in Louisiana and is believed to have married a man named McGowan, although a record of this marriage has not been found; but is suggested in her father’s Revolutionary Pension Application presented in court in 1826.[5] On May 31, 1826, Samuel Hawley, living in Floyd County, Indiana declared; 

From this, if this Nancy McGowan is the same Nancy Hawley Stark in Louisiana, we find she was married to someone named McGowan before this petition was made and note the declaration names the grandchildren of Samuel, which are very similar to the names in the previous two documents. Nancy Hawley probably moved to Indiana to live with her father, presumably after Mr. McGowan died or she obtained a divorce and to be near the Stark family, living nearby in Washington County, Indiana. This document records William’s age as 15 on May 31, 1826. His tombstone records he was born August 22, 1809 which would imply he was 16 years old on the date of Samuel’s testimony.

William lived for some period of time in Floyd County, Indiana with his mother and grandfather, Samuel Hawley, and probably had contact with his grandmother Sarah Stark and his Stark Uncles and Aunts living in nearby Washington County. However, the Washington County Stark family members began to move to Illinois starting in 1828 for Archibald Cass Stark had twin sons born in Indiana in April of 1828 and the next child, Jasper, was born in Illinois in 1830 indicating the family was on the move.

On April 22, 1828, the Mississippi Pension Agency in Natchez, Mississippi wrote a letter to James Barbon, Secretary of War, requesting: 

From this statement, we know a pensioner named Samuel Hawley had been living in Indiana until April of 1827. This document reveals he has moved and is now living in the jurisdiction of the Mississippi Pension Agency. If this is the same Samuel Hawley, then could his daughter and grandchildren have moved with him and where might they have been living? Possible proof of where they were living can be found in the Ouachita Parish, Louisiana Marriage Records. Sarah Mariah Stark, most likely the daughter of Nancy Hawley, married John T. Lewis on December 28, 1828. The Lewis family had moved from Orange County, Indiana to Louisiana at about the same time or earlier and records reveal Samuel S. Lewis, the father of John Taylor Lewis, served as Justice of the Peace in Ouachita Parish.[7]

Around 1830, William Hawley Stark married Elizabeth Zachary, daughter of Benjamin Zachary and Elizabeth Odom of St. Tammany Parish.[8] At about this time, it is believed William Hawley purchased acreage in Ouachita Parish [Could have been Carroll Parish, formed in 1832 from part of Ouachita Parish] most likely using the money he received as a gift from his Uncle William Stark.[9] One would presume he received his share on his twenty-first birthday in August of 1830. His mother, grandfather, and other siblings may have lived with him and his new bride for the Vicksburg Register newspaper (Vicksburg, Mississippi), dated July 2, 1835 reported: 

Since Samuel only had one child, Nancy Hawley, it would probably be correct to speculate from thethe father of John Taylor Lewis, served as Justice of the Peace in Ouachita Parish.[1]

Around 1830, William Hawley Stark married Elizabeth Zachary, daughter of Benjamin Zachary and Elizabeth Odom of St. Tammany Parish.[2] At about this time, it is believed William Hawley purchased acreage in Ouachita Parish [Could have been Carroll Parish, formed in 1832 from part of Ouachita Parish] most likely using the money he received as a gift from his Uncle William Stark.[3] One would presume he received his share on his twenty-first birthday in August of 1830. His mother, grandfather, and other siblings may have lived with him and his new bride for the Vicksburg Register newspaper (Vicksburg, Mississippi), dated July 2, 1835 reported "Another Revolutionary Soldier is no more--Died at the upper settlement on Bayou Macon in the Parish of Carroll, State of Louisiana, on the 4th day of June 1835, Samuel Hawley, aged about 80 years, a native of the State of Massachusetts, and once a soldier of the Revolutionary army. Mr. Hawley was a pensioner and lived for several years back thus secluded and remote with his child and respected by all who knew him."[4] Since Samuel only had one child, Nancy Hawley, it would probably be correct to speculate from the newspaper report he lived with his daughter. The above property sold by William in 1848 was located at the head of Bayou Macon or probably in the area of the “upper settlement on Bayou Macon.”

William Hawley Stark and Elizabeth had children born in Louisiana named Daniel L. Stark [Born in 1833] and Samuel Hawley Stark [Born in 1836] while the first child born in Texas was James Terry Stark in 1839 which reveals the family moved to Texas during or after the year 1836.[5] William H. Stark was elected Justice of the Peace, Sabine Beat 4, of Jasper County on February 4, 1839 and his brother, Esahl “Asa“ Lafitte Stark was elected Constable, Sabine Beat 4 on the same date indicating both were living in the Republic of Texas by early 1839 and before.[6]

After the Texas Revolution, the Texas Congress declared heads of families living in Texas on March 2, 1836 could apply for a square league [4,428 acres] of land with no requirement to live on the land. To encourage settlement, Congress also offered immigrants arriving between March 2, 1836, and October 1, 1837, a grant of 1,280 acres for heads of families and 640 acres for single men.[7] From the amount of land William Hawley Stark first obtained, he would appear to have been living in Texas on March 2, 1836 and the amount of land his brother, Asa, obtained would indicate he was married and immigrated to Texas between March 2, 1836 and October 1, 1837, although he may have been living with his brother for it is believed Asa married Matilda Donaho before July 5, 1838, the day he was granted his 1,280 acres.[8] His headright document records he was a married man and as shown above, single men would have received 640 acres. Therefore, one would have to conclude William Hawley Stark and his family had moved to Texas or had established a presence before March 2, 1836 and probably received a league of land from the Mexican Government before this date.[9]

Texas was admitted into the Union December 28, 1845 and the state legislature marked off Newton County on April 22, 1846, from the eastern half of Jasper County and named it in honor of John Newton, a veteran of the American Revolution. County elections were held July 2, 1846 and the Newton County Commissioners Court met for the first time on August 22, 1846 at the home of Mrs. Nancy Cooper. In the minutes of the September 5^th, 1846 meeting of the Commissioners Court was recorded “List of Jury Certificates received as taxes by George Dougherty agent for Josiah Stevenson.”[1] Listed under Grand Jurors was Wm. H. Stark, $4.50.

On September 30, 1846, Bennett Hiram Zachary recorded Newton County’s first cattle brand, the numeral “7” with the cattle bearing for earmarks a crop and slit on the left ear and a crop on the right ear. Later on that same day, cattle brands were recorded for Asa L. Stark, William Herrin, and William H. Stark.[2] As addressed earlier, Bennett Hiram Zachary was William’s brother-in-law, Asa L. Stark was William’s brother, and William Herrin was William’s brother-in-law married to his sister, Prudence Jane Stark.

January 11^th, 1847, the County Commissioners met and among those listed as competent Jurors in the County were John F. Lewis [Probably John T. Lewis, William’s brother-in-law married to Sarah Mariah Stark], Asa L. Stark, B. H. Zachary, and William Herring [Probably Herrin]. Persons on this list were qualified and liable to serve on Juries in Newton County for the January term of the County Court. On the same day, the County Court passed orders related to roads and overseers of roads within the County. The following entries were made in the minutes of the meeting.[3]

As mentioned earlier, William Herring was William Herrin who had married his second spouse, Prudence Jane Stark, while the Stark family was living in Louisiana. William Herrin had a son from his first marriage named James Herrin [Born in 1826] who would marry Nancy Jane Lewis about 1845, daughter of John T. Lewis and Sarah Mariah Stark.[4] In Road Precinct 5, one can see the interfamily relationships between Asa L. Stark as the overseer and the Herrin’s assigned as members of his road crew. All appear to have lived in close proximity of each other. On July 12^th 1847, the Commissioners Court ordered “Road Precinct No. 4 be omitted and Wm. H. Stark, L. D. Saunders, and T. D. Porter be added to the list of hands on Precinct No. 5.” Therefore, starting in July, William was working on the Road Crew with his brother Asa L. Stark as overseer and brother-in-law William Herrin.

In the Newton County 1847 Tax Records will be found “William H. Stark, agent for Nancy Hardin, taxes on the 640 acres in the David Pool Survey.” In the same tax year will also be found “Nancy Hardin, agent for Napoleon Hardin, 1,481 acres of the Enos Hardin Survey.“ From these records we find there is a Nancy Hardin living in Newton County. Nancy Hawley, William’s Mother, married Enos Hardin after 1838 who then probably died around 1847. Nancy had most likely received a slave named Ann as part of the estate. On December 29, 1847, Nancy Hardin, a resident of Newton County, Texas, declared in a document of indenture [given over to work for], that the slave named Ann was assigned  by this binding contract to work for Nancy's grandchildren  named, “Daniel Lafayette Stark, Samuel Hawley Stark, James Terry Stark, Lewis Miles Stark, Martha Ann Stark, Mary Stark, Elizabeth McFarland Stark, children of William H. Stark and Elizabeth Stark, all of the County and State aforesaid. Witnesseth, that the said Nancy Hardin for and in consideration of the sum of one hundred dollars in hand paid by their next friends and the love and affection which she bears for her grandchildren afore named, doth by these presents…..”[5]

This document revealed Nancy Hardin of Newton County was the grandmother of William Hawley’s children and his mother, as we know her given name was Nancy from the earlier records. In a land record dated October 28, 1848, 160 acres was deeded to Alex Sappington of Carroll Parish, Louisiana by W. H. Stark and his wife Elizabeth and signed in Newton County, Texas in front of a Notary on this date. This document was witnessed by Harriett ?Meritt? and Nancy Hardin.

The sell was recorded November 29, 1848.[1] Recorded on the next day, November 30, 1848 in the same Parish and Conveyance book was the sell of property to the same Alex Sappington by William Herring of Newton County, Texas. A witness to this transaction was John De Hart, married to William’s half-sister, Mary Commander Herring who would move to Newton County, Texas in 1849.[2] These transactions would seem to show William Herring and William Hawley Stark were neighbors in Ouachita Parish, part of which became Carroll Parish after 1832. This would probably be property located near “upper” Bayou Macon.

All of these children were mentioned in the “Slave Ann” document of December 29, 1847 except for Nancy M. who was born later. We now have the “Slave Ann” document and the 1850 census revealing the members of William’s family and their ages. Notice James T. Stark was 13 in 1850 and born in Texas. From this census record we can say William Hawley Stark was living in Texas by or before 1837 and because Samuel Hawley Stark was born in Louisiana in 1835, we can say William was living there in that year. From the amount of land William Hawley Stark first obtained from the Republic of Texas, he would appear to have been living in Texas on March 2, 1836 which would seem to be confirmed by the birth years and places of Samuel Hawley Stark and James T. Stark for William received 4,428 acres which he had obtained from the Mexican Government before the Texas Revolution. [See Survey Map, Fig. 1]

William sold much of his original 4,428 plus acres between the years 1843 to 1859. The following deed transactions totaled 4,300 acres William and Elizabeth sold from the original William H. Stark survey:

All of these transactions recorded W. H. Stark & Elizabeth Stark as the Grantors and were property on the original W. H. Stark survey. The last deed transaction listed above was to Adam Whitman who had moved to Newton County in 1855. He set-up a Mill on Whitman Creek [Known as Davis Creek today] and established Whitman’s Ferry located about a mile below Belgrade on the Sabine River and called by many Salem‘s Ferry. Among his children was a daughter named Martha C. Whitman who became the second wife of William Hawley Stark which will be discussed later in this text.

On March 15, 1854, William, for a consideration of $1,000, purchased the 1,280 acre headright of his brother, Asa Lafitte Stark. On the same day, Asa Lafitte Stark’s spouse, Matilda Donaho purchased the original surveys of F. H. Pollard and Willie Donaho. Each consisted of 177 acres and the southern boundary of the Donaho Survey was common with part of the property Asa sold to his brother.[1] The purchase of Asa’s property gave William Hawley Stark considerable frontage on the Sabine River, which his original Mexican Land grant did not have. This property was located north and east of the Mexican Land Grant and the southwest corner of Asa’s headright was the northeast corner of William’s property. [See map inset, page 108, Fig. 1] Adam L. Stewart and his wife Margaret, the sellers of the Pollard and Donaho properties, stipulated “We reserve from this sale one acre of land so as to include the place known as “Dougherty’s Landing” on the Caney Creek.” [Newton County Deed Book B, page 399.] Willis Donaho, the original owner of the Donaho Survey arrived in Texas in 1832 as a widower with two children. He lived along the Texas-Louisiana border near Bon Weir and ran a ferry across the Sabine River for several years.[2] This was probably the location of the above mentioned Dougherty’s Landing. As we will see, this particular one acre would figure into William Hawley Stark’s future.

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Martha C. Whitman was the daughter of John Adam Whitman and Dorothy Richard, born January 10, 1837, in Perry County, Alabama.[1] John Adam Whitman had bought part of the property belonging to William’s Mexican Land Grant and opened a Ferry named Whitman’s Ferry at the mouth of Davis Creek where it flows into the Sabine River. John Adam was also a Millwright and built a mill on Davis Creek. Her father and mother moved to Alabama from Edgefield District, South Carolina sometime after December, 1835, the month Martha's older brother, Jacob, was born in South Carolina. They lived in Perry County until around 1850. Adam Whitman was recorded as head of the house in the 1840 Perry County census.

In 1850, the family, along with other families from Perry County, moved to Bossier Parish, Louisiana near Shreveport and organized a community named "The Alabama Settlement". While living in this Parish, Adam and Dorothy had twin daughters named Mary Eva and Margaret Ann, born September 7, 1853 and buried a son, William, who died July 1, 1854 at the age of eight years old. In 1855, the family moved across the Sabine River into Newton County, Texas.[2]

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March 15^th, 1854; State of Texas, County of Newton; Book b, page 399¶ Know all men by these presents that we Adam L. Stewart and Margaret Stewart husband and wife and both of the county and state aforesaid for and in consideration of the sum of three hundred and fifty four dollars to us in hand paid by Matilda Stark of the place aforesaid the receipt of us hereby acknowledged and acquitted us grant bargain, sell, release, covey, and transfer unto the said Matilda Stark all our right, title, ?cloices?, interest and demand of us or to the following described tract or parcel of land, to wit: one tract the headright of William Donoho lying on the Sabine River in the county aforesaid adjoins the headright survey of A. L. Stark on the south and the labor of F. H. Pollard on the north also another tract or parcel of land the headright of F. H. Pollard lying on the Sabine River fronting on the same and adjoining the aforesaid tract of W. Donoho on the North each of the said tracts containing one labor or one hundred seventy seven acres. The whole tract here sold containing three hundred and fifty four acres for particular description and field notes reference will be made to the original patents for the source from the state. We reserve from this sale one acre of land so as to include the place known as Wm Dougharty’s Landing on the Caney Creek. To have and hold the premises aforesaid (except the acre above reserved) together with all and singular thoughts privileges and appointances to the same belonging or in any ?wise? Incident or appertaining to the only proper ???? Benefit and be hoof of the said Matilda Stark and her heirs or assigns forever and we will warrant and defend the title to the premises aforesaid from and against the claim or claims of all persons whatsoever legally claiming the same. In testimony of the aforegoing we herein do place our singnatures and (???? Instead of seals) on this the fifteenth day of March A. D. eighteen hundred and fifty four. Signed: Adam L. Stewart, Margaret Stewart. Witness: William his X mark Brailsford, Friend Mc. Stewart.

July 5^th, 1858; Newton County Deed Book C, pages 155 & 156¶ This indenture made the 5^th day of July A. D. 1858 between Asa L. Stark administrator of the Estate of Matilda Stark Deceased of the first part and N. H. Rice of the other part where as said Matilda Stark deceased was in her lifetime by virtue of a title deed from A. L. Stewart the lawful owner of three hundred and fifty four acres of land situated on the Sabine River in Newton County and known as Stewart’s Bluff at the junction of Big Caney with the Sabine River it being granted by Government to F. H. Pollard & Willis Donaho by force virtue of which last recired deed or indenture the said decedent became in her lifetime lawfully seised in her he demesne as of ???? And the premises aforesaid and being so thereof seised died intestate after whose death the said administrator representing unto the County Court of Newton County that there was no personal property belonging to said estate to pay the debts of said decedent whereupon the court granted the administrator and order authorizing him to sell the real estate of said decedent to pay the debts of said decedent therefore the premises aforesaid was sold at public sale at the Court House door in the County of Newton on the first of June for the purposes aforesaid to N. H. Rice for the sum of three hundred and fifty four dollars he being the highest and last bidder which sale on the report therefore made to the said County Court was on the 28^th day of June A. D. 1858 confirmed and ratified by said court in firm and binding forever as by records will show. Now this indenture witnesseth. [Didn’t have page 156]

Steamboat landings, many of which were originally ferry crossings, became important destinations for goods being shipped up the river from Sabine Pass, supported the operation of the steamboats with wood for their boilers, and provided a location for steamboat passengers to embark or disembark. With the purchase of the A. L. Stark, Donaho, and Pollard Surveys, William Hawley Stark now had considerable property fronting on the Sabine River which could serve as both a ferry crossing and steamboat landing. In 1860, William had a fully operational steamboat landing called Stark’s Landing, which was located near the junction of the Sabine River and Caney Creek. William built a warehouse on the river for storing bales of cotton and other items produced in Newton County while waiting for the next steamboat to land and which could hold goods shipped from Sabine Pass until they could be picked up by Newton County residents.

W. T. Block wrote the following about the steamboat era on the Sabine river;[1] “The shrill blast of an approaching steamer was the most welcomed sound that many pioneer East Texans ever knew. Its arrival meant mail and newspapers from Galveston, city "drummers" and other faces in the settlement; new merchandise in the stores, and perhaps a year's cotton crop returning from Galveston in the form of gold coins. Inversely, its sailing signaled the dispatch of mails, the departure of friends; a load of cotton, hides, and other commodities bound for market, and, oftentimes, young lovers en route to a Galveston honeymoon.”

During the days of Spanish and Mexican rule, Stark’s Landing had probably been an important place for crossing the Sabine River. Mule trains loaded with gold and silver would start their journeys in the west at places like San Antonio, Nuevo Laredo, and Piedras Negras, with Nachitoches, Louisiana as their destination. These wagons, loaded with treasure, had to pass through Jasper and Newton Counties and were often attacked by robbers. Many times the men operating the mule trains would hide the treasure they were carrying along the route, intending to come back and retrieve it later. Needless to say, there were many rumors and much speculation about gold and silver being buried in both Jasper and Newton Counties and many a person tried to find this hidden treasure without success. In 1867, however, workmen were building a wharf at Stark’s Landing and while sinking pilings into the Sabine River, discovered bars of silver weighing a total of 214 pounds.[2] This discovery would seem to imply Stark’s Landing may have been on the route taken by the Spaniard and Mexican treasure wagons, perhaps making it’s location an ideal place to cross the Sabine from the very earliest days of exploration in Texas and Louisiana.

William’s two oldest sons married the Dougharty sisters named Amanda Catherine and Julia Cassandra. Daniel L. Stark married Amanda January 12, 1854 while Samuel Hawley Stark married Julia May 8^th, 1856. Amanda and Julia were the daughters of George Dougharty and his spouse, Courtney Caraway.

George Dougharty was born in South Carolina in 1784 and was a surveyor by profession, arriving in Texas in the 1840’s. George and his son, William Hardy Dougharty [Son born in 1819 to first wife of George Dougharty named Elizabeth Sojouner], purchased 1,500 acres from Adam Lackey Stewart September 20^th, 1845.[3] On August 27^th, 1847, George was present at the first meeting of the Newton County Commissioners Court serving as County Clerk and kept the minutes of the meeting. William H. Dougharty had been elected County Commissioner and was present at the same meeting. On January 11^th 1847, George was “appointed to survey ascertain and mark the County line dividing the County of Newton from Jasper.“[4]

George married his second wife, Courtney Caraway, January 1^st, 1835 in Franklin County, Mississippi. This was Courtney’s second marriage, having previously been married to David Ford in the same County and State January 30^th, 1822. From this marriage she had children named; Elizabeth Ann Ford, b. 1826; Hester Ann "Hettie" Ford, b. 1832; and John Harrison Ford, b. 1825 [Was 35 in 1860 Newton County Census.] In the 1850 census for Newton County, George Dougharty was recorded with wife Courtney and had children living in the home named: Francis Bascomb Dougharty, age 20 [was son of Elizabeth Sojouner, first wife of George]; Hester Ann “Ford“, age 18 [Daughter of David Ford] and listed as children of George and Courtney were Marshall Joseph Dougharty, age 15, Amanda Catherine Dougharty, age 13, Julia Cassandra Dougharty, age 11, and Charles Bowman Dougharty, age 7.

Courtney died before September of 1853 and George took out a license February 20, 1854 to marry Harriet Hall, widow of Britton Hall but was killed by an ox on March 28^th, 1855, leaving the younger children still living at home orphans.[5] Asa Lafitte Stark married his second wife, the above mentioned Hester Ann “Hattie” Ford March 26^th, 1857 in Newton County and the 1860 census for Newton County reports Marshall Joseph Dougharty and Charles Bowman Dougharty are living in the home of Asa Lafitte Stark and his second wife, Hester Ann “Hettie” Ford, the half-sister of the Dougharty brothers. By 1860, we find the Dougharty family, Ford family, and Stark family have bonded together through marriage and will find the next generation families created by marriage were living in close proximity to each other in the Newton County Census of 1860.

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W.H. Stark was reported on page 5 of the 1860 census living in dwelling #31 and was family #31 in the census report. Living in dwelling #27 was D. L. Stark and his spouse, “A.” J. H. Ford [John Harrison Ford] was living in dwelling #28 and a document dated in October of 1859 revealed he was the guardian of George Bowman Dougharty, his half-brother.[1] In dwelling # 29 was S. H. Stark and his wife Julia. Next door to W.H. Stark in dwelling #30 was J. A. Whitman, a cousin of William Hawley Stark’s second wife, Martha C. Whitman. On the other side of William Hawley Stark in dwelling #32 lived the widow of William’s brother-in-law, Penelope Zachary, whose husband, Bennett Hiram Zachary, had died in August of 1860. Living at dwelling #35 was George Davis, brother of the above Penelope Zachary, who was married to Sarah Elizabeth Whitman, sister of William Hawley Stark’s wife, Martha. We find these families, all related in various ways, living close to each other, most likely in and around Stark’s Landing. All of the men are listed as farmers and appear to own property accept for J. A. Whitman. Penelope Zachary has no property value listed in the census and has personnel property listed as having a value of $600.

After being admitted into the Union December 28^th, 1845, Texas had enjoyed rapid growth in it’s population, economy, and agricultural production. The 1860 census reported the State of Texas had a population of 604,215 of which 182,566, or 30.2% of the population, were slaves. The total number of families was 76,781 of which 28%, or 21,878 families, owned and average of 8 slaves. From 1850 to 1860, the total number of acres under cultivation had increased from 11 million to 23 million and cotton production from less than 60,00 bales to over 430,00 bales by 1860.[2]

When Texas was admitted to the Union there were 27,555 slaves reported on the tax rolls and by 1860, the slave population had grown by 662% increasing the importance of slaveholders and slavery to the political and economic life of the State by 1860. On the eve of the Civil War, most of the new comers to the State had come from southern states that would secede from Union, slaveholders owned 73% of the state’s real property, and nearly 70% of the state’s political leaders were slaveholders.

In the 1860 census year, Newton County had established a mixed agricultural economy based on corn, potatoes, cattle, hogs, sheep, and horses. Cotton production had jumped from 152 bales in 1850 to 2,091 bales in 1860. Although there were few large planters in the County, the number of slaves was also growing and in 1860 reached 1,103, 34 percent of the county's population total population of 3,244.[3]

On February 2^nd, 1861, a convention of Texas delegates passed and ordinance titled “A Declaration of the Causes which Impel Texas to Secede from the Federal Union” which would dissolve all political connection with the government of the United States and set a date of February 23^rd, 1861 for the voters of Texas to ratify or reject the ordinance. One paragraph in this document stated; “We hold as undeniable truths that the governments of the various States, and of the confederacy itself, were established exclusively by the white race, for themselves and their posterity; that the African race had no agency in their establishment; that they were rightfully held and regarded as an inferior and dependent race, and in that condition only could their existence in this country be rendered beneficial or tolerable.”[4]

The Citizens of Texas voted to secede from the Union on February 23^rd, 1861 and the State of Texas formally seceded from the Union on March 2, 1861 and rather than return to being an Independent Republic, joined the Confederate States of America.[5] Clearly, from the Declaration of Causes for the State of Texas to Secede, the continuation of the institution of slavery was at the heart of the reasons they chose to secede.

Abraham Lincoln , in his Inaugural Address of March 4^th, 1861, tried to reassure the southern States they had nothing to fear from his election and appealed to them to peaceably and lawfully preserve the Union. In the beginning of his address, he said, “Apprehension seems to exist among the people of the southern States that by the accession of a Republican Administration their property and their peace and personal security are to be endangered. There has never been any reasonable cause for such apprehension. Indeed, the most ample evidence to the contrary has all the while existed and been open to their inspection…..”

However, Lincoln clearly warns “that no State upon its own mere motion can lawfully get out of the Union; that resolves and ordinances to that effect are legally void, and that acts of violence within any State or States against the authority of the United States are insurrectionary or revolutionary, according to circumstances.” Therefore, Lincoln was determined to preserve the Union and regard any acts of secession from the Union as acts of rebellion.

In the early morning hours of April 12, 1861, Confederate Artillery fired on Fort Sumter in the harbor of Charleston, South Carolina and after 33 hours of bombardment, the Federal garrison surrendered. On April 15, President Lincoln called 75,000 militiamen into Federal service to put down the rebellion of the seceded States and on April 19 he ordered a naval blockade of the southern states from South Carolina to the mouth of the Rio Grande River.[6]

The Stark family had been participating in the financial expansion from agricultural and steamboat commerce moving up and down the Sabine River by 1860 but the Civil War would change the dynamics of the fortunes of this small population in and around Stark’s Landing for most of the young men would join the Confederacy, leaving families and loved ones behind to run the farms and businesses.

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On April 20, 1861, one-hundred and two men were mustered at Sabine Pass as a militia company serving for 90 days. They called themselves the “Sabine Pass Guard.” During their 90 day enlistment, they build Fort Sabine, obtained four cannon and shot from Galveston and Houston, and studied artillery manuals in preparation for defending Fort Sabine. When their enlistments expired in July, most of the men re-enlisted and were formed into two companies, one artillery captained by James B. Likens which kept the name “Sabine Pass Guard“, and the rest of the men were formed into a cavalry company, the Ben McCulloch Coast Guard, raised by Dr. James H. Blair, a Sabine physician. This enlistment was to be for one year.

In September of 1861, Captain Likens was promoted to Major and authorized to raise Likens’ Sixth Battalion of State Militia. Blair’s Cavalry became Company A, Likens’ Artillery company became Company B, commanded by K. D. Keith, Infantry Company C was recruited from Newton County and commanded by Captain Josephus S. Irvine, and Infantry Company D was recruited from Tyler County and commanded by Captain W. J. Spurlock.

In June of 1862, Major Likens was promoted and authorized to raise a regiment of Texas Cavalry. Captain Spaight was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel of the newly formed 11^th Texas Battalion which became known as “Spaight’s Battalion.”[1] Josephus Irvine was elected Major and executive officer of the Battalion and W. C. Gibbs was elected to replace Irvine as Commander of Company C.

Many of the men from the Stark family and their extended families were recruited by Josephus Irvine and served in Company C. Josephus Somerville Irvine, born in Lawrence County, Tennessee, August 25, 1819, was a veteran of the Texas War for Independence and saw action April 21^st , 1836 in the decisive “Battle of San Jacinto.” Some early Newton County Commissioners Court meetings was held at his home on Quicksand Creek before the community of Newton was selected as the site for the County Government.

He recruited many of William Hawley Stark’s relatives and members of his extended family. The following men served in Company C who were related in some way to the Stark family and William Hawley Stark, those recruited discussed in Chapter 13. Among those recruited were: William's son, Daniel L. Stark; William Zachary, William's nephew; and George Whitman and Joseph Whitman, brothers of William's second wife, Martha C. Whitman. All would survive the Civil War.

John Howell Burnett, Commanding, and Anderson Floyd, second in command, resigned from the Texas Senate in January of 1862 and organized the 13^th Regiment of Texas Cavalry which mustered February 22, 1862 in northeast Texas and March 1, 1862 for the southern counties.[2] Volunteers were recruited from Newton County, Texas by William Blewett who became the first commander of Company H, known as the “Dreadnaughts.” Those recruited related to William Hawely were discussed in Chapter 13. Notables were: George Davis, William's brother-in-law married to Sarah Elizabeth Whitman (sister of William's second wife, Martha C. Whitman); and William's son, Samuel Hawley Stark.

 Samuel Hawley Stark, at the age of twenty-five, was recruited by Captain William Blewett February 20, 1862 in Newton to serve in Company H for a period of 12 months. Samuel and the above men reported for duty in Crockett, Houston County, Texas March 1^st after traveling 115 miles. William Blewett, named command of Company H, was not present at this first muster of the company which was conducted by Captain S. M. Drake. On his arrival in Crockett, Samuel’s horse and equipment were valued at $165. The Thirteenth Texas Cavalry Regiment completed it’s organization May 24^th, 1862 at Porter’s Springs, Houston County and was placed under the command of John Howell Burnett.

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