TYLER, Texas — The Smith County Commissioners Court on Tuesday honored the trailblazing first Black families in the county through a proclamation, making Feb. 24, 2023 "First Black Families Day."
The resolution recognized the first "First Black Families" event that was held at Liberty Hall in downtown Tyler Friday night to honor the descendants of formerly enslaved ancestors.
According to the resolution, the ancestors, who were the first Black families, came from the estates of Smith County's early 1836 through 1856 pioneer planters.
Smith County was established in 1846 and Tyler was named the county seat in 1846 with the first towns built being Mount Sylvan, Winona and Whitehouse.
The resolution states because the "names of those trailblazing enslaved individuals who accompanied the early pioneers are not recorded in history, we are here at this place and time to honor their legacies."
The 11 Black family ancestors of Smith County include:
- Cornelius M. Butler Sr.
- Robert Dewberry
- Salome Erwin
- Willis Francis Sr.
- Celia Goodman-Lipscomb
- Samuel Houston
- Tom Kennedy
- Edward King
- Tasco Shackelford
- Thaddeus Snoddy
- Richard Wells
The proclamation also recognizes their several of their descendants.
