Hooker Ridge in Rains County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)

Judge James Hooker

Photographed by James Hulse, July 28, 2025

1. Judge James Hooker Marker - Missing Marker

Inscription. Prominent Hunt County pioneer (1807-1865) Came to Texas 1840. Granted a 640-acre headright by Republic of Texas. Served as commissioner to organize county and locate county seat. First postmaster of Hooker's Mill settlement where he owned area's first steam mill. Town important stop on Clarksville to Austin Road. Represented county in Fourth and Sixth Legislatures. Member of Secession Convention. Buried here on his headright. Recorded - 1966

Erected 1966 by State Historical Survey Committee. (Marker Number 7803.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Cemeteries & Burial Sites. A significant historical year for this entry is 1840.

Location. Marker has been reported missing. It was located near 32° 55.095′ N, 95° 57.951′ W. Marker was in Hooker Ridge, Texas, in Rains County. It was at the intersection of Farm to Market Road 513 and County Road 1624, on the left when traveling north on Road 513. The marker is located in the middle section of the Hooker Cemetery. Touch for map. Marker was at or near this postal address: 795 Farm To Market Rd 513, Lone Oak TX 75453, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally,

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this marker was in the American South

and in the Piney Woods.

Globally, it was in North America,

a Gulf of Mexico state,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it found itself in what was once New Spain,

the Republic of Texas,

and one of the Confederate States of America.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 9 miles of this location, measured as the crow flies: Texas Sharpshooter (here, next to this marker); Hooker Cemetery (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Lake Tawakoni (approx. 2.6 miles away); Lone Oak Baptist Church (approx. 5½ miles away); Lone Oak Methodist Church (approx. 5.6 miles away); Isaac Newton Gresham (approx. 5.6 miles away); Caddo Indians in Hunt County (approx. 8 miles away); Camp Matthew F. Locke, C.S.A. (approx. 8.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Hooker Ridge.

More about this marker. The Texas Atlas database was used to generate the text of the missing primary marker.

Also see . . . James Hooker: Early Texas Legislator and Judge. Texas State Historical Association (TSHA)

James Hooker,
Photographed by James Hulse, July 28, 2025

2. Judge James Hooker Gravestone and Marker
judge and early Texas legislator, was born on May 31, 1807, in Smith County, Tennessee, the son of Thomas and Sarah (Walker) Hooker. He married Mary Elizabeth Kitching on November 22, 1823; they had nine children. Hooker and his family came to Texas from Missouri in 1840 and settled in the area that is now Rains and Hunt counties. The Republic of Texas granted 640 acres of land to him, and he was named to the board of commissioners to choose the county seat for Hunt County. He owned the first steam mill in the area and was postmaster of Hooker's Mill Settlement. Hooker served in the House of the Fourth, Sixth, and Ninth Texas legislatures. He was a member of the Secession Convention and voted to leave the United States in 1861. Hooker died on December 29, 1865, and is buried in Hooker Cemetery in the community of Hooker Ridge. His house, situated on land that eventually became part of Rains County, is now submerged by Lake Tawakoni.

(Submitted on July 30, 2025, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.)

Judge James Hooker Gravestone image. Click for full size.

Photographed by James Hulse, July 28, 2025

3. Judge James Hooker Gravestone

The view of the Judge James Hooker Gravestone and Marker in the cemetery image. Click for full size.

Photographed by James Hulse, July 28, 2025

4. The view of the Judge James Hooker Gravestone and Marker in the cemetery

Credits. This page was last revised on July 30, 2025. It was originally submitted on July 30, 2025, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas. This page has been viewed 163 times since then and 40 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on July 30, 2025, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.

Editor’s want-list for this marker. Clear readable closeup photo of the marker before it was missing • Can you help?