Thomas Jefferson Foster (1809 - 1901)

Born 23 Dec 1809 in Shelbyville, Bedford, Tennessee, United States

Ancestors

Descendants

Died 3 May 1901 at age 91 in Grapevine, Tarrant, Texas, United States

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Biography

Per official records in the town of Linden in Cass County, Texas, Thomas Jefferson Foster is regarded as the 'father' of Cass County. Sam Houston asked him to do a survey in 1830 to outline boundaries of a possible new county - it became Cass and the same boundaries exist today. Thomas J. Foster moved his family here in 1842. In 1852 he assisted in organizing the town of Linden. He had the first business in this town, which was a sawpit and lumber company.

T.J. Foster was contracted to build the first courthouse in Cass County. The court house was built out of lumber and placed on the location where the court house now stands, the lumber being sawed by means of a saw pit, and the logs being brought to the mill by oxen. A two-story building was constructed from this lumber, and the first court was held in the new court house in about 1852, as up to that time the courts had been held in Jefferson, Texas. After this building had been used for some time it was decided that a brick building should be built. In about May of 1858 a contract was to let T.J. Foster build the brick court house. He burned his brick on the road south of the court house on the James Bateman survey, and built the court house. The building was erected in May 1859 as shown by the records of the Commissioner's Court. I have heard stories that T.J. Foster did not want the wood frame court house torn down, so in 1859 he purchased the old courthouse and donated it for use by the Baptist Church and Masons.

The Cass County Court House, in the year 2001, is the oldest working Texas court house. This means it is the oldest court house still being used today for court cases. Other county's court house has either been torn down or is now used for another purpose such as a museum.

Thomas Jefferson Foster was the first Justice of the Peace in 1852. In 1855 he was a charter member of the first Baptist Church. He owned several hundred acres of land and had 18 children while living in Cass County.

T.J. Foster was married three times and had a total of 24 children. His first wife was Drucilla Lucinda Holcomb, born 1809 and died in 1842 in Cass County. They had 7 children. The second wife was Elizabeth Beaty who was 20 years younger than he. They had 7 children, and she died during the birth of her son John in 1856. The third wife was Sarah Trimble, she died in 1909, and they had 10 children.

The Daughters of the Republic of Texas installed a medallion on his grave in 1984 commemorating the fact he was a citizen of the Republic of Texas.

April 3, 2006 there was a ceremony at the Cass County Court House in Linden for a picture of Thomas Jefferson Foster to be hung in the hall way. I had the honor of being there, as well as about 15 other Foster descendants, including my mother. I am the great-great-great grand daughter.

I have been to Grapevine Cemetery to see Thomas Jefferson Foster's grave. The monument is very tall. The finial on top has been broken off. Sarah Trimble's inscription is on one side of the stone, buried next to her husband.

Sources

• Find A Grave: Memorial #21219931
• http://www.genealogy.com/ftm/p/l/e/David-B-Plexco-TX/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-0790.html