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The 1850 Census of Kaufman, Henderson, and Van Zandt counties are sometimes puzzling to genealogists, since families who lived in Kaufman county show up in Henderson, some who lived in Van Zandt show up in Kaufman, and some who lived in Henderson show up in Van Zandt. The reason is that the Census was based on the original boundaries of Kaufman and Van Zandt counties which were only in force for about two years. Henderson County was created on 27 April 1846 from Nacogdoches County and consisted of all of present Henderson, Kaufman, Van Zandt, Wood, and Rockwall Counties and most of Rains County (see Map 1). The Texas legislature created Kaufman County on 26 Feb 1848, and Van Zandt County was created on 20 Mar 1848. It is important to note that from the date of their creation till the spring of 1850, Henderson, Kaufman, and Van Zandt Counties did not have their present boundaries. Of importance to us are the southern and eastern boundaries of Kaufman, and the northern and eastern boundaries of Henderson. The original southern and eastern boundary of Kaufman county began at a point eight miles from the southeast corner of Dallas Co. on the Trinity river; thence northeast to a point due east of the southeast corner of Dallas; thence east to a point thirty-six and a half miles from the southeast corner of Dallas; and thence north to the southern boundary of Hunt. The 1848 northern boundary of Henderson followed the southern boundary of Kaufman, but it extended for forty-three miles east of the southeast corner of Dallas; thence the eastern boundary ran south to the northern boundary of Anderson. The original boundaries of Van Zandt County were simply what was left over of old Henderson County (see Map 2). As can be seen in Map 2, Van Zandt County as originally constituted was a very ungainly shaped county. In the spring of 1850, the legislature began altering the boundaries. The boundaries of Henderson were changed by a law passed on 28 Jan 1850, those of Van Zandt on 29 Jan 1850, Wood County was cut off from Van Zandt on 5 Feb 1850, and the new boundaries of Kaufman were defined on 7 Feb 1850. The new northern boundary of Henderson (and therefore the new southern boundaries of Kaufman and Van Zandt) began on the Neches river at the southeast corner of Albert Sidney Johnston's 1280 acre survey and ran due west to the Trinity. The eastern boundary of Kaufman (and therefore the western boundary of Van Zandt) began at the southern boundary of Hunt thirteen and a half miles from Hunt's southwest corner and ran due south to the northern boundary of Henderson. These boundary lines are those that exist today (see Map 3). On 8 May 1850 the Kaufman County Commissioners ordered its new boundaries to be surveyed, and the field notes of the surveys were presented the Commissioners on 8 July 1850. The "census year" for the 1850 Census went from June 1849 to June 1850, and since the new boundaries had not been surveyed during the census year, the Assistant U.S. Marshalls who took the 1850 Census apparently decided to follow the old boundary lines of Henderson, Kaufman, and Van Zandt counties. For example, Wood County was not enumerated as a separate county but was included with Van Zandt. The regions in Kaufman, Henderson, and Van Zandt counties affected by the changes in the boundaries are shown in Map 4. Andrew Sullivan, a pioneer citizen of Van Zandt county, once quipped that he had lived in four counties (Nacogdoches, Henderson, Kaufman, and Van Zandt), yet he had never moved. When looking for a person in the 1850 census, it is necessary to consult Henderson for (southern) Kaufman and (southwestern) Van Zandt countians, to consult Van Zandt for (eastern) Henderson countians, and to consult Kaufman for (northwestern) Van Zandt countians. References: Copyright © 1999 by Justin M. Sanders
File translated from TEX by TTH, version 2.01.
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