Throckmorton County

Duane's take

Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'll do my best to do it justice. You're rolling through Throckmorton County now, and this ground has got a name worth knowing. It was formed from Fannin and Bosque counties, carved out and created on January 13, 1858.

But here's the thing about this part of Texas, it took its time. The county wasn't organized until March 18, 1879. Twenty-one years between creation and organization?

Well, the frontier waits for no paperwork, but sometimes the paperwork waits for the frontier. Now, the name on this county belongs to a man named Dr. William Edward Throckmorton, born in 1795, died in 1843, a revolutionary soldier.

He never governed anything out here, never rode these plains as far as the record says, but his name got planted in this soil all the same. And here's where the story gets a little richer. Dr.

Throckmorton was the father of James Webb Throckmorton, and that son grew up to become Governor of Texas in 1866. So the county honors the father, and the father gave Texas the governor. The county seat carries the family name too, Throckmorton, sitting right there at the heart of it all.

One name, one family, and a whole lot of wide open Texas sky above it.

What the marker says

Formed from Fannin and Bosque counties. Created January 13, 1858. Organized March 18, 1879. Named in Honor of Dr. William Edward Throckmorton, 1795-1843, a revolutionary soldier. Father of James Webb Throckmorton, who became Governor of Texas in 1866. County seat, Throckmorton