Near Cat Spring in Austin County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)
Elemelech Swearingen
(September 25, 1805 - May 15, 1887)
Photographed by James Hulse, July 19, 2022
1. Elemelech Swearingen Marker
Swearingen built a farm, settling on land near what became the community of Millheim, in present-day Austin County. The Swearingens were among the earliest settlers in this area, where they raised nine children and lived the rest of their lives. Elemelech Swearingen was a leader in Millheim and served as the community's first postmaster. During the Texas Revolution, Elemelech Swearingen served as a second sergeant in the 1st Regiment Infantry, Company B under Captain Amasa Turner. He later served in the ill-fated Mier Expedition.
Angelina Swearingen died in 1883, and Elemelech died in 1887. Their burial site is on their land near their former home. For his military service, Elemelech received a headright of land in Callahan County. Swearingen Road runs through his former Austin County property, near the gravesite. Today, Elemelech Swearingen is remembered as an early Austin County pioneer and as a patriot who fought for Texas Independence.
Erected 2008 by Texas Historical Commission. (Marker Number 14296.)
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Settlements & Settlers • War, Texas Independence. A significant historical date for this entry is September 25, 1805.
Location. 29° 50.733′ N, 96° 16.416′ W. Marker is near Cat Spring, Texas, in Austin County. It is at the intersection of Farm to Market Road 1094 and Swearingen Road, on the right when traveling west on Highway 1094. The marker is located at the northeast side of the intersection.
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Regionally, this marker is in the American South and on the Gulf Coast. Globally, it is in North America, a Gulf of Mexico state, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain, the Republic of Texas, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 8 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Millheim Harmonie Verein (approx. 2.3 miles away); Town of Cat Springs (approx. 3.2 miles away); Cumings Family Vault (approx. 6.3 miles away); Bellville Concordia (approx. 6½ miles away); L.A. and Adelheid Machemehl House (approx. 6.8 miles away); Michael Robert Pilley (approx. 7 miles away); Oak Knoll Cemetery (approx. 7.1 miles away); Joachim H. Hintz (approx. 7.1 miles away).
Also see . . . Old Three Hundred. Wikipedia
The "Old Three Hundred" were 297 grantees who purchased 307 parcels of land from Stephen Fuller Austin in Mexican Texas. Each grantee(Submitted on July 19, 2022, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.)was a family, or in some cases a partnership of unmarried men. By 1825 the colony they established had a population of 1,790, including 443 slaves.Photographed by James Hulse, July 19, 20222. Elemelech Swearingen Marker
The colony encompassed an area that ran from the Gulf of Mexico on the south, to near present-day Jones Creek in Brazoria County, Brenham in Washington County, Navasota in Grimes County, and La Grange in Fayette County. It was the first authorized colony of Anglo-American settlers and African-American slaves in Mexico.
Photographed by James Hulse, July 19, 2022
3. The Elemelech Swearingen Marker along the highway
Photographed by James Hulse, July 19, 2022
4. The view of the Elemelech Swearingen Marker from the street
Credits. This page was last revised on November 29, 2024. It was originally submitted on July 19, 2022, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas. This page has been viewed 986 times since then and 62 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on July 19, 2022, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.
