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Texas Counties
Texas is divided into two hundred and fifty-four counties, more than any other state. Texas was originally divided into municipalities, a unit of local government under Spanish and Mexican rule. When the Republic of Texas gained its independence in 1836, there were 23 municipalities, which became the original Texas counties. Many of these would later be divided into new counties. The most recent county to be created was Kenedy County in 1921. The most recent county to be organized was Loving County in 1931Kaufman County, Texas
Kaufman County Education, Geography, and History
Kaufman County is a county located in the state of Texas. Based on the 2010 census, its population was 103,350. Its county seat is Kaufman.
Both the county, established in 1848, and the city were named for David S. Kaufman, a diplomat and US Representative from Texas who was the
first Jew to serve in Congress from Texas.
Kaufman County is included in the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, Texas Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Etymology - Origin of Kaufman County Name
David Spangler Kaufman, a Jewish Texas state senator and first Texas Jewish member of the United States House of Representatives
Demographics:
County QuickFacts: CensusBureau Quick Facts
Kaufman County History
Kaufman County is a county located in the US state of Texas. Its seat is Kaufman. Both the county and the city are named for David Spangler Kaufman, a US congressman from Texas who was the first Jewish person to serve in Congress from Texas.
Handbook of Texas Online
Various Indians, Caddoes and Cherokees prominent among them, inhabited the territory that is today Kaufman County
long before American settlers arrived. By the time of the coming of these first settlers, in 1840, the Cherokees had
been driven by the Caddoes into East Texas. The Americans placated the Caddoes with jewelry and trinkets and
consequently experienced few Indian problems. The first Kaufman County settlement was started in 1840 by William P.
King and a group of forty pioneers from Holly Springs, Mississippi, who had
purchased certificates for headrights from the Republic of Texas. The group
built a fort and named it King's Fort in honor of their leader. Because of readily available land grants and because
the land had been praised in eastern towns, the area around King's Fort, or Kingsboro, or Fort de Kingsboro,
attracted settlers rapidly. On July 27, 1846, after the annexation of Texas by
the United States, King patented the survey that included King's Fort with the new state government. The territory
was at that time part of the recently organized Henderson County. Kaufman County was drawn from Henderson County,
established in February 1848, and named for David Spangler Kaufman, a diplomat
and member of the Congress of the Republic of Texas, the legislature of the
state of Texas, and the Congress of the United States. King's Fort was renamed Kaufman and became the county seat in
March 1851, after four elections. The county's northern boundary was reduced by the establishment of Rockwall County
in 1873, and its limits have since remained unchanged. Kaufman County was settled predominantly by natives of the
southern United States, particularly Tennessee, Arkansas, and Missouri. Though slaves were brought to the county,
slavery was never widespread here, perhaps because cotton culture
remained minimal until after the Civil War. The 1860 census counted 533 slaves
(15 percent of the population). More at
Brian Hart, "KAUFMAN COUNTY," Handbook of Texas Online (http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/hck02),
accessed January 24, 2016. Uploaded on June 15, 2010. Published by the Texas State Historical Association.
Geography: Land and Water
As reported by the Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 807 sq mi (2,090 km2). 786 sq mi (2,036 km2)
of it is land and 21 sq mi (54 km2) of it (2.57%) is water.
Neighboring Counties
Bordering counties are as follows:
- Hunt County (north)
- Van Zandt County (east)
- Henderson County (south)
- Ellis County (southwest)
- Dallas County (west)
- Rockwall County (northwest)
Education
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