Naming The 254

March 20, 2025

Bosque Museum celebrates Texas Independence Day 2025 with Dr. Jerry Smith lecture on the history behind naming counties in Texas

CLIFTON – We all know everything is bigger and better in Texas. And there is another consideration to add to the bigger and better list: No other state comes close to having as many counties as Texas.

“The 254,” sounds like a name you would give to a large renegade band of outlaws. But instead it is the name of the Bosque Museum Texas Independence Day lecture at the Bosque Museum March 9, about how Texas counties got their names.

Former First Baptist Church Clifton pastor and avid historian, Dr. Jerry Smith offered a highly informative lecture on how Texas counties got their names. Within the 40-minute time constraint, he offered an amazing amount of background information on as many as he could, often including interesting historic anecdotes.

In her welcome to the about 60 people present, Bosque Museum Executive Director Erin Shields shared that she set herself a goal to visit all 254 Texas counties. After 10 years, she has visited 73 percent, often taking the long way there to add to her “completed” list.

Counties started being formed under Spanish rule from 1685-8821 as municipios around towns and settlements. In 1835, when Texas became a republic, the 23 original municipios became Texas’ first counties in the south and east of the state – where the people were. Everything “out west” was simply Bexar (pronounced “bear”) County, reaching all the way to modern day Wyoming. The main idea on forming the counties, was that nobody should be more than one day’s ride from the courthouse, so as pioneers and settlers moved west, counties were added.

When Texas jointed the United States of America in 1845, within a year 37 counties grew to 67 counties. Then in 1850, Texas sold land to the U.S.A. to become the shape it is today, and the amount of counties kept growing as people moved west, as the Wild West became tamed. The civil war slowed growth dramatically, but during reconstruction, Texas once more became a land of settlers.

Prior to his lecture Smith offered some interesting facts regarding some counties which served as a comparison. Created in 1931, Loving County – against the New Mexico border, west of Midland – completed the list of 254. To date it is the least populated county with just 68 people. In sharp contrast, most populated is Harris County with 4,835,125 people.

With its 6,192 square miles, Brewster County in West Texas on the Rio Grande, with Alpine as the county seat, is the largest county. Rockwall east of Dallas with just 192 square miles is the smallest. Somervell County just north of Bosque County has 192 square miles, is the second smallest. With 1002.5 square miles, Bosque ranks 81st.

Much of Smith’s research came from a rare 17 chapter 1913 book, which was reprinted in 2012. Colored tabs stuck out, earmarks for interesting facts. Texas county names often honor historical figures, geographic features, or Native American tribes, with some also reflecting the state's history and culture.

Of the 254 counties in Texas, 14 were named after their original county seats. Of the remaining 240, 199 were named after people, and 27 were named after geographic features, such as rivers. The other 15 have miscellaneous names in English, Spanish, or Indian languages.

Of the 199 counties named after people: 66 are named after men who fought against Mexico in the Texas Revolution. This includes 11 counties named after 13 men who died at the Alamo - including a trio of brothers. Fifty-eight are named after men who held public office in the Republic of Texas – 18 of those were also soldiers in the Texas Revolution. Fifty four are named after men who held public office in the state of Texas – 27 of those also fought in the Texas Revolution and/or held office in the Republic.

Smith for example elaborated on Borden County, named after Gail Borden Jr (Nov. 9, 1801 – Jan. 11, 1874), an American inventor and manufacturing pioneer. Born in New York state Borden settled in Texas in 1829 (then part of Mexico), where he worked as a land surveyor for Stephen F. Austin, became a newspaper publisher, and food company entrepreneur. Besides creating the pemmican meat biscuit for army rations, in 1853, Borden created the process to make sweetened condensed milk – both foods enabled the otherwise easily decomposing protein foods to be preserved without refrigeration. Borden also helped plan the cities of Houston and Galveston.

Smith also elaborated on Bosque’s northern neighbor Coryell County, named after Texian soldier James Coryell. Texas Ranger under Sterling C. Robertson’s command, Coryell and two other rangers were ambushed by Caddo Indians while they were harvesting honey from a bee tree. His companions escaped, but Coryell’s poor health made him an easy target. He was shot and scalped – a warning to settlers in the area.

Loving County, named after trial driver Oliver Loving. Larry McMurtry’s novel Lonesome Dove was loosely inspired by Loving and his trail partner Charles Goodnight and their cattle drives from Texas to markets in the North. Loving died of gangrene in Fort Sumner after being seriously wounded during a Comanche attack. Goodnight made good on his promise to bury his partner in Texas and after a temporary burial in Fort Sumner, Loving’s body was exhumed and buried in Weatherford.

Sixty-six counties are named after people who aren't in the above three groups – this includes Texas Rangers, Confederate soldiers, U.S. presidents and other office holders, figures from Spain or Mexico, businessmen and landowners, and others. Just one woman, Angelina – a Native American girl – had a county named directly after. Two other counties are named for things named after women - the Guadalupe River and Mission Nuestra Señora del Refugio.

Since 2008, several local organizations with main sponsor First State Security Band, have the combined purpose to bring people together throughout the county to honor the State of Texas, its heritage and the forefathers in a Celebrate Texas Independence Week. They feel driven to supply information, especially to young people; to make them aware of their heritage and history. Part of the Celebrate Texas Independence Week is a painting and essay contest for fourth graders and essay contest for seventh graders.