Hardin County Genealogical Society and Library

Hardin County Genealogical Society and Library Mailing address P. O. Box 383, Kountze, Texas 77625. Hours are Wednesday from 9:00 to 11:00. Library phone # is 409-767-0423. e-mail hardincotxgenealogy@yahoo.com

We are located in the Old Providence Baptist Church, next to the Kirby-Hill House. Extensive collection of books, records, family and county histories, microfilm, and online research materials. Come to a meeting and see what we are all about. If you would like to be a member, the annual dues are $20 for an individual or $25 for a family. Each meeting there is a drawing for members for research on

your family ancestor of choice, one month research if you are not present, and two months research if you are at the meeting. It's a great way to learn more about your ancestors. Occasionally, there are fascinating genealogical or historical presentations by guest speakers. In addition to preserving the old church building that houses the library, HCGS members and volunteers are currently restoring the old 1916 Hardin County State Bank Building which will be home to the new Museum of Hardin County.

07/13/2024

The regular monthly meeting of Hardin County Genealogical Society will be held TOMORROW, Saturday, July 13, 2024, at the Genealogy Library, 220 W. Main St., Kountze, Texas, at 10:00 AM.

Our speaker will be Aubrey Worsley.
Pot luck lunch will be shared after the meeting.
Hope to see you tomorrow.
Lee Farnsworth,
Secretary

06/05/2024

Dear Members of HCGS,
The regular monthly meeting of Hardin County Genealogical Society will be held this Saturday, June 8, 2024, at the Genealogy Library, 220 W. Main St., Kountze, Texas, at 10:00 AM.
A pot luck lunch will be shared after the meeting.
Hope to see most of you there.
Sincerely,
Lee Farnsworth, Sec.

05/05/2024

Dear Members of Hardin County Genealogical Society,
The regular monthly meeting of HCGS will be held NEXT Saturday, May 11, 2024, 10:00 AM, at the Genealogy Library, 220 W. Main St., Kountze. A pot luck lunch will be held after the meeting.
Hope to see you there.
Lee Farnsworth,
Secretary

03/03/2024

The regular monthly meeting of Hardin County Genealogical Society will be held NEXT SATURDAY, March 9, 2024, 10:00 AM, at the Genealogy Library in Kountze.
The speaker will be Jamie Bolich from Beaumont, and her topic will be Molly Brown.
Pot luck lunch will be shared after the meeting.
Please plan to attend.

02/10/2024

The regular monthly meeting of Hardin County Genealogical Society will be held TODAY, February 10, 2024, 10:00 am, at the Genealogy Library, 220 W. Main St., Kountze, Texas.

Speaker for the meeting will be Will Jeter.Pot Luck Lunch will follow the meeting. Hope you can attend.

01/08/2024

The regular monthly meeting of Hardin County Genealogical Society will be held NEXT SATURDAY, January 13, 2024, 10:00 am, at the Genealogy Library, 220 W. Main St., Kountze, Texas.

First item on the agenda will be election and installation of officers for the year 2024.
ALSO: Dues for 2024 are now due - $20 per individual, or $25 per family. for the calendar year.
Speaker for the meeting will be Will Jeter. Pot Luck Lunch will follow meeting.
Hope to see you there!

04/08/2022

The regular monthly meeting of Hardin County Genealogical Society is TOMORROW, Saturday, April 9, at the Genealogy Library in Kountze. Business meeting starts at 10:00am. After the meeting, we will carpool to Silsbee for a guided tour of the Ice House Museum. The museum will provide a space for us to have lunch. Please bring finger foods to share.

03/29/2022

Presidio La Bahía, the site of the Goliad Massacre, photographed in 1912.
Learn more about the historic site here: https://bit.ly/3NkHShh

📸 Source: Austin History Center, Austin Public Library

03/27/2022

On this day in 1836, Texians from the Battles of Refugio and Coleto who had been marched back to Goliad as prisoners of the Mexican Army were split up and escorted away from Presidio La Bahía. The exhausted Texians were completely unaware of what awaited them. Despite an urging for leniency from General Urrea, Santa Anna ordered that no mercy be given. Fannin and other men who were too gravely wounded to walk were killed within the presidio. Less than 50 men escaped or were spared... nearly 350 Texians were shot or bayoneted on that dark Palm Sunday. The Goliad Massacre marked a shift in the reputation of Santa Anna; he had been revered by many as a strategic leader, but this merciless slaughter revealed his cruelty.

In June 1836, Texian General Thomas Rusk and his men came across the site of the massacre and buried the remains with military honors. In the 1930s, historians verified the accuracy of the unmarked grave, and in 1939, this large, pink granite monument was erected in honor of the men who were killed in the Goliad Massacre.

03/09/2022

The regular meeting of HCGS will be held this Saturday, March 12, 10:00am, at the Genealogy Library, 220 W. Main St. in Kountze.

After the regular business meeting, Floyd and Bobee's son, Floyd E. Boyett, will present a program. He is employed by the Army Corps of Engineers to supervise Dam B, Steinhagen Lake, and the parks surrounding the lake. Part of the program will probably be a question and answer session about the history of the dam and the lake. Should be very interesting!

After the program, we will have a pot luck lunch. Please bring your favorite dish to share. Hope to see you Saturday.

03/05/2022

The Arcane Texas Fact of the Day:

In the early 1870s Lampasas was a wild frontier town. In January 1873 Sheriff S.T. Denson was shot while arresting brothers Wash and Mark Short. The district judge sent men to apprehend the Short brothers, but the posse was stopped by Ben, Tom and Mart Horrell and several others. Sheriff Denson and the Justices of the Peace of Lampasas County appealed to governor Edmund J. Davis for the assistance of the state police. On February 10, Governor Davis issued a proclamation prohibiting the carrying of sidearms in Lampasas. On March 14, Captain Thomas Williams and seven state policemen entered Lampasas to enforce the proclamation.

The state police immediately arrested Bill Bowen for carrying a gun in town. Bowen persuaded Captain Williams and two of his men to enter Jerry Scott's Lampasas Saloon. This led to a gunfight between the state police and the Horrell brothers and their associates. Three officers were killed in the saloon and a fourth was fatally wounded while trying to escape. The policemen were buried in Lampasas, but Captain Williams was reinterred in the Texas State Cemetery in Austin.

More state police came to Lampasas and joined forces with the sheriff and Lampasas and Burnet County Minute Men companies to search for the Horrell gang. They arrested four men connected with the incident. In early May the Horrell gang attacked the Georgetown Jail and released Mart Horrell and Jerry Scott from custody. The Horrell gang remained in the Lampasas area until September when they left for New Mexico. In 1874 they returned to Lampasas. In 1876 the Horrell brothers stood trial for the murder of the state police, but were found not guilty.

Seen here is a photo of Sheriff S.T. Denson's grave marker in the Sparks Cemetery in Sparks Crossing, which is in Lampasas County. S.T. was short for Shadarack Thomas. He carried the bullet from Mark Short's gun in his body for 20 years before his death in 1892.

Address

220 W Main Street
Kountze, TX
77625

Opening Hours

9am - 12pm

Telephone

+14097670423

Website

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