The Road To Texas

contributed by Larry W. Smith

Eusebius and Lucy Brown left Jackson County, Tennessee about a month after they were married. The following description of their migration from Tennessee to Texas was passed down by members of the family. Juanita WINDSOR copied the following from the original, with errors.

A Trip from Tennessee to Texas

Facts to be remembered: Left Jackson County, Tennessee on September 29, 1869. The principal towns, Tompkinsville, Scottsville, Franklin, Elkton, Tusselville (Russellville), Hopkinsville, and Princeton, (all these towns are in Kentucky), then to the Ohio River and crossed into Illinois at Tolconda, Vienna, Anna, then crossed the Mississippi River at Greens Ferry into Missouri, Jackson, Fredricktown, Bronton Salem, Houston, Fosythe reached White River, October 15, left the 25th into Arkansas, Carrelton, Huntsville, Ozark crossed the Arkansas River Charleston then in the nation Scalliville, Boggy depot, crossed Red Rive intoTexas at Colberts Ferry, Sherman, McKinney reached Plano at L.W. Oglesby, November the 12, 1869, greenback on hand $68.50. This greenback was worthless.-- Copied from an original record by Juanita WINDSOR.

A Probable Description of Eusebius and Lucy's Route to Texas:

Jackson County, Tennessee (this part is now Clay County, Tennessee) is about half way between Nashville and Oak Ridge and north of Interstate 40. Gainesboro is the county seat. Upon leaving Jackson County on September 20, 1869, Eusebius and Lucy traveled north through Clay County into Kentucky. The first town mentioned on their trip, Tompkinsville is located in Monroe County, Kentucky. There the trip took a westerly turn, taking them through Scottsville which is located in Allen County, Kentucky and on into Franklin in Simpson County, Kentucky. There the towns are listed out of order. The next town on their trip would have been Russellville in Logan County Kentucky, followed by Elkton in Todd County, Kentucky. At Hopkinsville in Christian County, Kentucky, the trip turned to the northwest so that they could get around the area known today as the "Land Between the Lakes," Lake Barkley and Kentucky Lake. They passed through Princeton in Caldwell County, Kentucky and then traveled through Crittenden and Livingston Counties to reach the Ohio River.

They crossed the Ohio River arriving at Golconda in Pope County, Illinois. The route they followed through Illinois follows what is now State Road 146 across the lower tip of the state. This part of Illinois now contains the Shawnee National Forest. Now traveling almost due west, Eusebius and Lucy went through the towns of Vienna in Johnson County and Anna in Union County before reaching the mighty Mississippi River considerably south of the city of Saint Louis. They crossed the Mississippi River at Green's Ferry (which I was unable to locate on a current map). Now in Missouri, they continued west to Jacksboro (which is northwest of Cape Girardeau) in Cape Girardeau County. The route they followed created an arc shape through Missouri following what would be today State Road 72 to State Road 32, then U. S. Route 63, and eventually ending up on State Road 76. This path took them through the Missouri towns of Fredericktown in Madison County, Ironton in Iron County, Salem in Dent County, Houston in Texas County, and Forsyth in Taney County, where they reached the White River on October 15, 1869. Here they rested for ten days before continuing their journey.

On October 25, 1869, they crossed the White River and shortly afterwards left Missouri and entered into Arkansas. They passed through Boone County, Arkansas, reaching Carrollton in Carroll County, Arkansas. Probably following what is now U.S. Route 412, they traveled southwest to Huntsville in Madison County, Arkansas. Here their trip took a decided turn due south, following what are now State Roads 23 and 219, taking them through the Boston Mountains in order for them to reach the town of Ozark in Franklin County, Arkansas. At Ozark they crossed the Arkansas River, where they turned to the southwest in order to reach the next town, Charleston in the southern part of Franklin County, Arkansas.

Leaving Arkansas, Lucy and Eusebius entered the Indian Nation (what is now eastern Oklahoma) southeast of Fort Smith, Arkansas. Just shortly after crossing the frontier boundary, they reached the town of Scullyville in what is now LeFlore County, Oklahoma. Now Lucy and Eusebius followed the well known Butterfield Overland Mail Road. This stagecoach road entered Oklahoma at Fort Smith, angled southwest across the Choctaw Nation by way of Boggy Depot, and crossed the Red River at Colbert's Ferry. The first part of this route was shared with the Texas Road, a famous pre-Civil War road over which many Americans traveled, going to the new Republic of Texas and later the new State of Texas. Part of this route was also known as the California Trail that more than 100,000 gold seekers followed to California. The California Trail was south of the Canadian River and north of the San Boise Mountains in Haskell County, traveling through the Pittsburg County towns of Quinton, Featherston, and near Blocker, continuing to Perryville (which was 3 miles south of present day McAlester).

After crossing the Red River into Texas at Colbert's Ferry, Lucy and Eusebius continued southward through Sherman in Grayson County, McKinney in Collin County, and finally reaching their destination of Plano in Collin County on November 12, 1869. The total trip took the newlywed couple fifty-four days to reach their new beginning. Almost a year to the day later, on November 17, 1870, the first of their twelve children arrived, James Louis BROWN, after they had settled in the Lipan area of Hood county TX.