John Long

Duane's take

Here's how the marker tells it, and I'll do my best to do it justice. Born on May 7, 1792, out of Tennessee, John Long was the kind of man who seemed to show up right where history needed somebody to stand. He served in the War of 1812, and then, somewhere between 1836 and 1842, he loaded up and headed to Texas with his wife Elizabeth.

Texas was young, rough, and wide open, and John Long was exactly the sort of fellow who found that appealing. He and his sons, Samuel and William, were issued land certificates in Houston County, and they put down roots right there. Now, you don't just settle a new county, you build it, and that's precisely what the Long family set about doing.

John himself got involved in the early political and business development of Houston County, and when they needed someone to serve as the second chief justice of the county, well, they looked to John Long. That's county judge, for those keeping score. And if holding court wasn't enough to keep a man busy, he also operated the Long Hotel and a general store right on the courthouse square in Crockett.

Think about that for a second. The judge. The hotelier.

The merchant. All the same man, all on the same square. After Elizabeth passed, John married Emily Cash, and together they raised three children.

He lived out his days in that county he helped shape, and when he died on October 17, 1859, Houston County had already become something worth leaving behind. John Long had seen to that.

What the marker says

(May 7, 1792 - Oct. 17, 1859) Tennessee native John Long served in the War of 1812 before moving to Texas with his wife, Elizabeth, between 1836 and 1842. He and his sons, Samuel and William, were issued land certificates in Houston County and settled here, becoming involved in the early political and business development of the county. John Long served as the second chief justice (county judge) of Houston County and operated the Long Hotel and a general store on the courthouse square in Crockett. After Elizabeth's death, he married Emily Cash, and they were the parents of three children. Recorded - 2002