Milam County Historical Commission
Milam County, Texas
Milam County, Texas
Rufus Stinnett
#12 - Sheriff Rufus Stinnett was born September 24, 1814 in Warren County, Tennessee and
came from one of the finest families of that section of the state.
He came to Cameron, Milam County, Texas in 1848, engaging in the mercantile business.
When the Civil War came, being a man of intelligence and intense southern patriotism -
he organized a company of Confederate troops, of which he was elected captain of the
12th Regiment, Co. F, Texas Infantry (Young’s).
He served throughout the war period with the Trans-Mississippi department, and was in
the fiercest of the fight.
Peace being declared, he returned to Milam County, where lived until 1870.
He was elected Sheriff on August 2, 1858 and served until August 6, 1860.
He and his family moved to Hamilton County and was the first peace officer in Hico,
Texas.
He also continued his farming interests, having amassed about 360 acres of land.
He married Eliza Spence. She was born in Talladega County, Alabama, and preceded him in
death on January 4, 1876.
They had five children born to them, Thomas (b. Milam County on April 12, 1860), Ella,
Lucia, Web, and Phillip (1848-1905).
After moving to Hamilton County, Texas, on January 1, 1870, former Sheriff Stinnett
served Hamilton County as both a County Commissioner and a Justice of the Peace in Pct.
3 from 1872 until 1894. Incidentally, he held both offices at the same time.
In 1874, Stinnett built a two story house from native rocks high atop a beautiful hill
in the Falls Creek community near Hico which overlooked the Bosque River.
He died on April 24, 1894 and is buried next to his wife at Old Hico Cemetery in
Hamilton County, Texas. He was a devoted Mason.
Sheriffs of Milam County, TX
Researched and written by
Greg Kouba
Milam County TX Sheriff
Rufus Stinnett
tombstone
Rufus Stinnett
tombstone
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