THIRD GENERATION

22. Thomas Lafayette Rutledge was born on 24 Sep 1820 in Maury County, Tennessee.⁽¹⁰¹⁾ He received a third class land grant from the state of Texas for 320 acres on 20 Mar 1839 in Washington County, Texas. He appeared on the census on 30 Oct 1850 in Grimes County, Texas.⁽¹⁰²⁾ He appeared on the census on 9 Jul 1860 in Pond Springs, Williamson County, Texas.⁽¹⁰³⁾ He inherited 320 acres of Elisha Allen Grant through wife's father J. B. Camp on 29 Jan 1868 in Pond Springs, Williamson County, Texas.⁽¹⁰⁴⁾ He sold 116.5 acres of Elisha Allen grant for $327.00 on 5 Apr 1868 in Pond Springs, Williamson County, Texas.⁽¹⁰⁵⁾ He appeared on the census in Aug 1870 in Pond Springs, Williamson County, Texas. ⁽¹⁰⁶⁾ He sold 1.36 acres of Elisha Allen Grant to form Pond Springs Cemetery for $5.00 on 16 Feb 1877 in Pond Springs, Williamson County, Texas.⁽¹⁰⁷⁾ He appeared on the census on 4 Jun 1880 in JP #2, Pond Springs, Williamson County, Texas. ⁽¹⁰⁸⁾ He sold 203.5 acres of the Elisha Allen Grant for $1,800.00 on 7 Apr 1885 in Pond Springs, Williamson County, Texas. ⁽¹⁰⁹⁾ He bought 320 acres in Burnet County, 17.5 miles NE of Burnet on Rocky Creek on 25 May 1885 in Bachelor's Peak, Burnet County, Texas.⁽¹¹⁰⁾ He died on 13 Oct 1898 in Bachelor's Peak, Burnet County, Texas. ^(101)(111) He was buried in Bachelor's Peak Cemetery, Burnet County, Texas.

Tom Rutledge grew up in Maury County, Tennessee, where his father was a farmer. He followed his older brother, William Pinckney Rutledge, who had moved to Texas between March 2, 1836, and October 1, 1837, to Washington County, Texas where Tom received a 3rd class 320 acre land grant on March 20, 1839. His brother, W. P. Rutledge, received a 2nd class land grant there and became a Captain in the Texas Army, fighting in the Mexican War of 1842.

Tom Rutledge was on the 1840 Republic of Texas census in Washington County. In 1848 he married Helen Camp, daughter of J. B. Camp in Grimes County. Her older sister had married W. P. Rutledge. Tom Rutledge was listed on the federal census of 1850 in Grimes County, living with his father-in-law. Rutledge moved to Pond Springs, Williamson County, about 1852, where he purchased a portion of the Elisha Allen Land Grant through his father-in-law, J. B. Camp (Travis County, 4/42). He was later joined there by his younger brother, Edward Armstrong Rutledge.

At Pond Springs, Tom Rutledge built a store, post office, and blacksmith shop across the road from the log school house at Pond Springs. Rutledge became the first postmaster of Pond Springs on March 16, 1854. His store became a stop on the Austin to Lampassas stage line, and Rutledge built a rock fence on each side of the road, "giving a elegant appearance as the stage approached and passed between the store-post office and blacksmith shop on the west, and the log school on the east". He was residing here in the federal census of 1860.

According to Helen Rutledge's Confederate widow pension #36829, Tom Rutledge served the Confederacy transporting freight for the confederate government between Mexico and Texas. According to the pension record, Fred Peck served with Rutledge, as well as Augustus Horst, and Frank Hale. Peck says in the record that they went out to Eagle Pass and hauled cotton for the Confederacy. Horst also confirmed this in the record.

After the war, Rutledge returned to Pond Springs, and was on the 1867 voting register there (Williamson County, p. __), where he stated that he had been in Texas __ years and in Williamson County __ years. In 1867 J. B. Camp deeded to H. M. Rutledge land (Travis County, 10/507). In 1870 T. L. was on the federal census for Pond Springs. On February 16, 1872, donated a part of his land to become the Pond Springs Cemetery (Williamson County, p. 575).

In the federal census of 1880 he was still in Pond Springs. When the Austin and Northwestern railroad was built in 1882, it bypassed Pond Springs, creating a new village two miles to the northeast. Rutledge's store declined, and on May 25, 1885, he purchased 320 acres of land on the waters of Rock Springs Creek, about 17 1/2 miles northeast of Burnet, Texas (Burnet County, p. 389).

On December 27, 1889, Rutledge and his wife sold their land in Burnet County to their daughters Marion and Cornelia for one dollar. Rutledge lived there until his death in 1898. He is buried in Bachelor's Peak Cemetery, which was near his property. His wife and family continued to live on the family land.

His son W. O. Rutledge, grandson W. M. Preece, and daughter Eliza East relinquished claims to this land in 1905 and 1906. Helen Rutledge moved to Austin about 1911, and lived with her daughters Cornelia Olive and Marion Stanton Rutledge in South Austin. She died in 1922 of the denge, and is buried alongside her husband at Bachelor's Peak.

There must have been a dispute over the disposition on T. L. Rutledge's estate, as William Preece relinquished claims to the Burnet County land for $50 on March 20, 1905 (Burnet County). Eliza East did the same for $50 on August 21, 1905 (Lampassas County), and W. O. Rutledge the same for $100 on April 12, 1907 (Lampassas County). Helen Rutledge also relinquished claims for $10 on May 3, 1910 (Burnet County). T. L. Rutledge's estate was finally processed in Lampassas County, Texas, as a proof of heirship was filed there on December 22, 1910 (volume 49, p. 107).

Information on Thomas Lafayette Rutledge and his descendants was partly contributed by Dawn East <dawn@bluebon.net>, as well as:

Cody Rutledge
4977 FM 2340
Burnet, Texas 78611-5727
(512) 756-8410

He was married to Helen Mariah Camp (daughter of John Banks Camp and Eliza Lane Noland) on 21 Dec 1848 in Grimes County, Texas.⁽¹¹²⁾ Helen Mariah Camp was born on 4 Apr 1831 in Tuscaloosa, Tuscaloosa County, Alabama. ⁽¹⁰¹⁾ She appeared on the census on 30 Jun 1900 in Precinct #7, Burnet County, Texas.⁽¹¹³⁾ She appeared on the census on 9 May 1910 in Precinct #7, Burnet County, Texas. ⁽¹¹⁴⁾ She appeared on the census on 2 Jan 1920 in Burleson Road, JP No. 6, Travis County, Texas.⁽¹¹⁵⁾ She died on 2 Dec 1922 in Austin, Travis County, Texas. ⁽¹¹⁶⁾ She was buried in Bachelor's Peak Cemetery, Burnet County, Texas.

Helen Camp was the daughter of John Banks Camp, who was born in 1806 in Clark County, Georgia, son of Cecillius Camp and Mary Margaret "Polly" Williams. Helen's mother was Eliza Lane Noland, daughter of William Noland and Elizabeth Whitman. Eliza married J. B. Camp in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, in 1825. J. B. Camp held Land Grant #444, Rusk-3-105 in the Republic of Texas. He lived in 1850 in Grimes County, Texas.

From the Lampasas Record, December 7, 1922:


MRS. RUTLEDGE DIED IN AUSTIN


The remains of Mrs. Tom Rutledge, Sr., were brought home from Austin on Sunday morning's train and carried to Bachelor Peak cemetery, in Burnet County, where interment was made Sunday afternoon. Mrs. Rutledge died in Austin Saturday night after a week's illness with dengue.

The Rutledge family formerly lived here but all except Mr. A. G. Rutledge moved to Austin some years ago, and they still have many friends in this section, as evidence by the large and sympathetic assembly at the burial service.

Mrs. Rutledge was 92 years of age and a good part of her life was spent in this section. She leaves two sons, two daughters and other relatives to mourn her death.

Mr. and Mrs. Tom Rutledge, Jr., Mrs. East and son, Jasper, and Miss Marion Rutledge constituted the funeral party that came from Austin to attend the funeral, which was conducted by Elder Noble of Tow Valley.


Thomas Lafayette Rutledge and Helen Mariah Camp had the following children:

+131 i. Anna Melissa Rutledge.
+132 ii. John Camp Rutledge.
+133 iii. Eliza Camp Rutledge.
+134 iv. William Obed Rutledge.
135 v. Laura Rutledge was born on 13 Nov 1857 in Pond Springs, Williamson County, Texas.⁽¹⁰¹⁾ She died in 1860 in Pond Springs, Williamson County, Texas.
136 vi. Susan Rutledge died in 1859 in Pond Springs, Williamson County, Texas. She was born on 4 May 1859 in Pond Springs, Williamson County, Texas. ⁽¹⁰¹⁾
+137 vii. Marion Stanton Rutledge.
+138 viii. Cornelia Olive Rutledge.
139 ix. Iraola Rutledge was born on 4 Apr 1869 in Pond Springs, Williamson County, Texas.⁽¹⁰¹⁾ She died in Aug 1879 in Pond Springs, Williamson County, Texas.⁽¹¹⁷⁾ She was buried in Pond Springs Cemetery, Williamson County, Texas.
+140 x. Ammi Givens Rutledge.
+141 xi. Thomas Lafayette Rutledge Jr..