Near Milam in Sabine County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)

Alfred D. and Martha (Causey) Oliphint

Photographed by James Hulse, December 19, 2025

1. Alfred D. and Martha (Causey) Oliphint Marker

Inscription. Born in Kentucky of Scottish ancestry, Alfred Davenport Oliphint (1799-1880) married Jemima Allen in Mississippi around 1821, and the two became parents to several children. After Jemima's death in 1835, Oliphint married Martha Ann Causey (1817-1897) on the Causey Plantation in Amite County, Mississippi.

In December 1839, Alfred Oliphint applied for a land grant in Sabine County, Texas, fully moving his family to the county in 1840. In February 1843, James Taylor Gaines (1776-1856), an early Sabine County pioneer, sold his second home, now known as the Gaines-Oliphint house, and 81 acres to Martha Oliphint. Some documents suggest they were living in the house, an early example of a "dogtrot" plan, as early as 1842.

Alfred D. Oliphint served as a county commissioner during part of 1845 and Justice of the Peace from December 1845 to February 1846. He was elected and served as Chief Justice (County Judge) of Sabine County from 1849 to 1852. Oliphint was also one of eighty men who met in Milam on March 31, 1845, to draft a resolution for annexation of the Republic into the United States. He was a member of the Jackson Masonic Lodge No. 35 from 1847 until it was terminated in 1857 and the newly formed Sexton Lodge No. 251 from 1860 to his death in 1880.

To celebrate their Scottish ancestry, descendants of

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Alfred and Martha Ann hold an annual Oliphint Scottish Reunion event at the pioneer day at the Gaines-Oliphint House, a celebration of the rich heritage and contributions of the Oliphint family.

Erected 2018 by Texas Historical Commission. (Marker Number 20064.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical month for this entry is February 1843.

Location. 31° 28.027′ N, 93° 45.44′ W. Marker is near Milam, Texas, in Sabine County. It is on Ensign Drive north of Pike Drive, on the right when traveling north. The marker is located at the Gaines-Oliphint House historical site. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 350 Ensign Dr, Milam TX 75959, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the American South,

specifically in the Deep South,

and in the Piney Woods.

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 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: The Gaines-Oliphint House (here, next to this marker); James Taylor Gaines (here, next to this marker); Gaines Memorial Bridge (approx. 0.4 miles away); Site of Historic Crossing on the Sabine River (approx. 0.4 miles away); Site of Sabine River Crossing (approx. 0.4 miles away); Texas Louisiana Boundary (approx. 0.4 miles away); Oliphint Chapel Cemetery (approx. one mile away); Kings Highway (approx. 2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Milam.

Also see . . .

Alfred D. and Martha (Causey) Oliphint Marker (right marker) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by James Hulse, December 19, 2025

2. Alfred D. and Martha (Causey) Oliphint Marker (right marker)

Alfred Davenport Oliphint: Pioneer, Judge, and Masonic Leader in Texas. Texas State Historical Association (TSHA)

Alfred Davenport Oliphint (Oliphant), pioneer and judge, was born on March 10, 1799, in Kentucky and married Jemima Allen in 1821. The couple lived in Mississippi and were the parents of several children. After his wife's death in 1835 Oliphint married Martha Ann Causey in Mississippi, on October 20, 1836, and they had four children. Oliphint probably came to Texas in 1839; he received a third-class headright certificate on December 18, 1839, for land provided by the act of January 4, 1839, "to late emigrants," and obtained his headright on the Neches River in Cherokee County on April 1, 1844. It is not known if Oliphint ever lived, even briefly, on his headright. The family probably was living in the Gaines-Oliphint House near Milam, Sabine County, in 1842.

(Submitted on December 20, 2025, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.)

Photographed by James Hulse, December 19, 2025

3. Alfred D. and Martha (Causey) Oliphint Marker

The view of the Gaines-Oliphint House from the markers.

Credits. This page was last revised on December 20, 2025. It was originally submitted on December 19, 2025, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas. This page has been viewed 52 times since then and 23 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on December 20, 2025, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.