Notes for: David Hutcheson MCFADIN
David Hutcheson McFadin came to Texas with his father and mother in 1828 when they settled in Liberty Co., TX. (His uncle James' family had arrived in Liberty Co. in 1823, and later settled in adjoining Jefferson Co. in 1829.) Both families were involved in cattle ranching.
David Hutcheson McFadin served in the Texas Revolution in the Battle of San Jacinto in 1836. In February 1842, he resigned as a constable in Jefferson Co. to run for sheriff to fill a vacancy. He won unopposed with 45 votes and served from 7 FEB 1842 until 13 JUL 1846, including being re-elected in JUN 1845.
In 1846, having purchased a 640 acre land grant on the south bank of the San Gabriel River from his cousin William, McFadin moved his young family to the fertile area that would soon become Williamson Co. The small community of Circleville developed one mile west of the McFadin ranch. In 1848, Williamson County was organized from Milam Co. and David Hutcheson McFadin was elected one of its first four county commissioners.
In 1857, together with Christopher Columbus Gillett, he erected the Star (flour) Mill on the north bank of the river ¼ mile west of the community at a site known as Campground Springs.
Cotton farming was introduced to the area in the 1840s. Soon afterward, David Hutcheson McFadden built the McFadin Cotton Gin. By 1877, Williamson Co. was the largest cotton processor in Texas with over 89,000 bales. [email David McFadden 11/27/00]