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Taken from “The History of Douglassville,
Texas”
Douglassville was named for one of its early settlers, John C. Douglas. John Douglas purchased the land on December 15, 1855 from Williamson Petty for $1,500. This land, consisting of nearly 320 acres was later cut up into parcels and sold to other settlers who came about this same time or later.
Douglassville is one of the oldest towns in eastern Texas and is situated on an old pioneer travel route. This route was traveled by its first inhabitants, the Caddo Indians. Good farming soil, timberland, and cheap land attracted many of it's first settlers coming from Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi prior to and after the Civil War. The Post Office of Douglassville was established July 8th 1854. The first postmaster was James Chappell. It is not known exactly where or when the first stores were established in Douglassville. The 1850 Cass County census lists to a general store operated by a James Patton. Later stores were operated by the Snipes Brothers, the Joe Williams drug store, the R. The R.P. Rutland variety store, and later the Morris and King general merchandise store. Other businesses include a grist mill, cotton gin, blacksmith shop, sawmill, hotel, bank, fast Room, and others.
Dr. Abe Oliver was the town's fifth doctor. Douglassville was his home for 75 years. Abe was born in Alabama June 23, 1839. Abe moved to Texas as a child with his family in 1854. Part of his education he received at the Douglassville Academy, then going on to a medical college further training. Click here for more information.
There were three churches in Douglassville in 1859, two were Methodist churches, one was Baptist. The land for the first Methodist Church was donated July 5, 1856 by Williamson Petty. Land consisting of about 2 acres was purchased for the Methodist parsonage on November 6, 1874. Three hundred dollars was paid for the land in gold . A Baptist church constituted on November 8th 1869 which was named the Olive Branch Baptist Church. After a few years later it was called the Baptist Church of Douglassville. Reverend McLoud was the pastor at the time of the Church.
Farming was the first economic base of Douglassville. Worn out soil in Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi together with Texas Homestead Exemption Acts of 1839 and 1845. This was the main lure of American citizens to move to Texas for a new start. In Texas there was plenty of rain fall to grow cotton, corn, vegetables, fruit and livestock. Land in Eastern Texas was cheap and plentiful.
In the winter of 1869 Lemuel Greene Jr. and his wife Jane Hall Greene came with their children by wagon and team to Douglassville where they stopped to rest. They had traveled earlier from Georgia on to Mississippi, where they stayed for a period of time, then decided to go to the black lands of Texas before settling and building a permanent home. Dallas Texas was their goal in the winter 1869. The children were tired of the long drive, a rough roads and all the discomforts of early travel. Jane noticed the find Academy in Douglassville and the friendliness of its people. Lemuel took notice of the fertile land with its forest in nearby river. They decided on that spot and settled at Douglassville. Land for farming was procured from William Weatherby and John Aaron surveys about two or more miles northeast of the town. There they built their home, tilled the soil and settled down to a life of farming and educating their 10 children.
Some of the earliest settlers coming to Douglasville were foreign born immigrants. Sylvester and Andrew Carlow were such, brothers who came to Alabama from Dublin, Ireland around 1825. Sylvester Carlow married Maria Oliver, he was 21, she was 16 when they married. Sylvester and Maria had 10 children, several of them died at early age. Sylvester’s first trip to Douglasville was in the early 1850's. He bought land to establish a permanent home for his family. However on his return trip to Alabama or shortly there after he died. Sylvester's brother Andrew was administrator of his brother's estate and guardian of his children. Andrew after the estate was settled moved Sylvester's family to Douglasville. Andrew died in Douglasville on March 1, 1866. Several of Sylvester's 10 children served and two killed in the Civil War. One child Billy, died in battle at Mansfield Louisiana and was buried there. His brother Sam recovered his body and brought it back to Douglassville where he is interred.