Hargus Farm

Duane's take

Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'll do my best to do it justice. Now, some families just pass through a place. And some families put down roots so deep the land itself starts to remember their name.

The Hargus family, out in Eastland County, they were the second kind. Larry Hargus was born in North Carolina in 1810, and he spent a good long while on this earth, all the way to 1887. His wife Mary, born a Corder in 1824, outlasted him considerably, living until 1910.

Together they made their way to Eastland County in 1879, and they weren't just passing through. Two years after they arrived, in 1881, they bought the original tract of this very farm from a man named C.U. Connellee, one of the founders of Eastland itself.

So right from the start, the Hargus land was woven into the founding fabric of this county. Now the family didn't just farm and keep quiet about it. They were active in building up a local Methodist church, putting their energy into the kind of community work that holds a place together.

And then there was their son James. James Hargus was a Texas Ranger and a Civil War veteran, which is a combination that tells you something about the kind of family raised him. When Larry Hargus passed, the farm didn't scatter to strangers.

It was inherited by his son Barry, who settled in right here with his wife Mackie, born a Gilbert, and their eight children. Eight. That's not a family, that's a small operation all by itself.

And here's the part that makes you set down your coffee and just nod slowly. As of 1982, when this story was set down in marker form, that land had remained in the Hargus family for over a hundred years. From a North Carolina man who showed up in Eastland County in 1879, to his children, and their children after that.

Some families pass through. The Hargus family stayed.

What the marker says

North Carolina native Larry Hargus (1810-87) and his wife Mary (Corder) (1824-1910) came to Eastland County in 1879. In 1881 they bought the original tract of their farm at this site from C.U. Connellee, a founder of Eastland. Members of the Hargus family were active in the development of a local Methodist church and a son, James, was a Texas Ranger and a Civil War veteran. The family farm was later inherited by Larry Hargus' son Barry, who lived here with his wife Mackie (Gilbert) and eight children. This land has remained in the family for over 100 years. (1982)