David Greene Templeton

Duane's take

The way the marker tells it, here's the story of David Greene Templeton. Born on August 5, 1815, in North Carolina, Templeton made his way to Cherokee County shortly after the legislature organized it in 1846. Now that's the kind of timing that says something about a man.

The ink on the paperwork barely dry, and David Greene Templeton was already putting down roots. He settled in the Gum Creek Community, a place that would later be known as Old Jacksonville, and he didn't settle quietly. He became a prominent landowner and a civic leader, the kind of man a young county leans on when it's still figuring out what it wants to be.

Then in 1850, Templeton was appointed one of nine original trustees to the Presbyterian College at Larissa, an institution that would later carry the name Larissa College. Nine trustees to help build something from the ground up in the East Texas pines. He was one of them.

He was also active in his local Masonic lodge, and when the Civil War came to Cherokee County, Templeton served as part of the Confederate home guard. He died on June 29, 1871, but the story didn't end there. His descendants went on to serve prominently in the early development of Jacksonville.

That's the thing about a man who arrives right at the beginning of something. He doesn't just live in a place. He becomes part of what it becomes.

What the marker says

(Aug. 5, 1815 - June 29, 1871) Cherokee County pioneer David Greene Templeton arrived in the county shortly after the legislature organized it in 1846. Settling in the Gum Creek Community (later Old Jacksonville), the North Carolina native became a prominent landowner and civic leader. In 1850, Templeton was appointed one of nine original trustees to the Presbyterian College at Larissa (later Larissa College). Active in his local Masonic lodge, he was part of the Confederate home guard during the Civil War. His descendants served prominently in the early development of Jacksonville. Recorded - 2001