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This website is intended to provide a brief history of the Hackett, Henry, and Johnson families, including other connecting families. The information contained in this site can be useful to assist family members in locating relatives and/or re-establishing connections. These families were centered in the vicinity of Anderson, Houston, and Leon County, Texas. Their earlier ancestors came from Alabama, Georgia, Florida, North and South Carolina, and Virginia.

The Family Trail Newsletter is published by family members. It contains family histories, family group news, queries, special events, achievements and other family news. Several family reunions have been held in Grapeland and Houston, TX. Family members hosted a Family Reunion in Sacramento, CA in 1988.

The earliest known patriarchs and matriarchs of these families are:
Sebron Hackett and Jane (1st wife), Maria (2nd wife)
Mose Henry and Ann Owens
Isaac Johnson and Emily Hicks
Will Johnson and Lorena Starr

A brief history of the origin of these families Texas have been provided in the website. Various connecting links to these families can be added to the website with permission.

ORIGIN OF THE HACKETT FAMILY IN TEXAS

Sebe Hackett, The Carpenter

Sebron Hackett, Sr., (a.k.a. Sebe Hackett) was a black male born c. May 1830 in Georgia. He became the earliest known patriarch and founder of our Hackett family in Texas. Most likely he was brought to Houston County, Texas as a slave around 1835. More research is needed to identify the slave owner of the Hackett family. No white Hackett families were found living in Houston County during the period of 1850-1870.

1870 US CENSUS RECORD

In the 1870, US Census records for Houston County, Texas, he was listed as "S. Hackett," black, age 41. Included in the family household was a mulatto female, 37, named Jane Hackett who was born in North Carolina. The 1870 records do not give the relationship of persons to the head of household, however, the death record for Sebron Jr., named Jane Hackett as the mother, and Sebe Hackett as the father.

In 1870, there was one girl and three boys included in the family household:
John, 17, born in AL, farm laborer
Kity, 13, born in TX
Charles, 7, born in TX, (listed as Chas.)
Sebron Jr., 2, born in TX (listed as Ceborn)
Joe, 1, born in TX (listed as "J")

Isaac Scot, 23, mulatto male, farm laborer born in Alabama was also listed in the household. No further research by this writer has been done on this person; however, it is suspected he was a relative.

1880 US CENSUS RECORD

Ten years later, in the 1880 US Census records for Houston County, Texas, the family structure had significantly changed. Jane Hackett was not in the family, and it was assumed that she had died. John Hackett was no longer in the family, but he was found recorded a few pages away and had started his own family. Kity Hackett was no longer found in the family, and thus far, this writer has not located her elsewhere in these or other records.

Nonetheless, the 1880 census provided more accurate information as to the actual real names of the Hacketts. Example: S. Hackett was now listed as Sebe Hackett; Charles continued to be shown as Chas; but, Sebron Jr. (previously listed as Ceborn) was shown as Sebe, the same as his father; and the youngest child, "J", was listed as Joe, now ten years old.

Sebron Hackett, Sr. (a.k.a. Sebe Hackett) was now married to a mulatto lady named Maria. She apparently had children of previous unions; thus, there were five other children listed in this family household: a daughter, Fannie Jones, 14; a son, Rufus Jones, 16; a duaghter, Mary Jones, 13; a daughter, Sarah Ward, 9; and a son, Joey Wells, 4.

Sebron Hackett, Sr. undoubtedly was most commonly known as Sebe Hackett, as seen in the 1880 census and later found enumerated in the 1900 census. The 1867 Voter Registration for Houston County, Texas, listed him as Ceborn Hackett. Note the misspelling of the first name; the name of his son, Sebron Jr., was misspelled the same way in the 1870 record.

1900 US CENSUS RECORD

In 1900, Sebe was still living and with Maria. He had acquired a building trade skill and his occupation was listed as 'carpenter.' According to the record, Sebe owned his farmhouse and it was free of mortgage. The record indicated that he was 70 years old and had been married 20 years to Maria; she was the mother of nine children and seven were still living. Except for Sebe and Maria, there were no other Hacketts that were living in the household.

The following is a partially transcribed census record of the Hackett family in the year 1900:
Hackett, Sebe: Hd, b, m, 70, b May 1830
______, Maria: W, b, f, 65, b Mar 1825
Wells, Joe: S/S, b, m, 21, b Aug 1888
Ward, Sara: S/D, b, f, 23, b June 1872
Tarver, Tom: G/S, b, m, 10, b Oct 1889
Williams, Fred: G/S, b, m, 9, b Apr 1891
Lewis, Willie: G/S, b, m, 3, b May 1897

1910 & 1920 US CENSUS RECORDS

Sebron "Sebe" Hackett, Sr. died sometime between 1900 and 1910, most probable in or near the town of Crockett in Houston County. In 1910, Maria Hackett was listed as widowed and was living with 4 grandchildren. In 1920, Maria Hackett was still living in Houston County and was listed as 90 years old. This writer has not found the death dates and burial place of Sebe and Maria Hackett.

Tom Tarver, listed as the grandson of Sebe Hackett, was a son of Maria's daughter, Sarah Ward. The research revealed that both Sara Ward and her son Tom Tarver, must have later assumed the Hackett surname. Thus, Tom Tarver became known as Thomas J. Hackett and attended school in the Crockett Colored School District. He continued his education and became a noted black physician in the Crockett, TX area. Later, he moved and practiced medicine in Houston, Texas. Dr. Thomas J. Hackett married Alexine Walker of Tennessee; she died July 16, 1928, leaving a son, Thomas Hackett, Jr. The name of his second wife was Audrey Hackett. The noted Dr. Thomas J. Hackett died September 9, 1939 in Houston, Texas. No other research has been done on the other aforementioned stepchildren of Sebe Hackett, or the grandchildren of Maria Hackett.

John Hackett, born c. 1853 in Alabama, appears to have been the eldest child of Sebron Hackett, Sr. He married Miss Amie Austin of Houston County, Texas. She was the daughter of Daniel and Emeline Austin. John Hackett became the patriarch of a very large family of at least 20 children that were of his first wife Amie Austin.

John Hackett also had a daughter of his 2nd wife Alice Howard, and said to have had one other son Jim Lewis or Louis, whose mother's name is unknown; and possibly one other daughter Sophia, whose mother's name is unknown, all of Houston County, TX. Almost all of the known Sebe Hackett descendants are from the lineage of John Hackett. More information on this very large family will be shared later.

Kity Hackett, born c. 1858 in Texas, may have been the second child of Sebron Hackett, Sr. She was 13 years old when last found listed in the 1870 US Census Records. She may have reached adulthood and married. This writer has done no extensive research on what happened to Kity Hackett.

Charles Hackett was born c. 1863 in Texas. He may have been third in the birth order of the children of Sebron Hackett, Sr. This writer found no trace of Charles Hackett in the Houston County area between 1880 and 1920. Some possible leads are: (a) 1882 marriage record for a Charley Hackett in Houston County, married to a Catherine Hart; (b) this writer did note that a black family of Ruben Hart in 1880 had an 18 year old daughter named Catherine Hart; and (c) he may have moved to the Dallas/Fortworth area where some of the Austins seemed to have migrated. Also, other blacks with the Hackett surname show up in and around this area.

Sebron Hackett, Jr. was born c. 1867 in Texas. Seemingly, he was the fourth child in the birth order of the children of Sebron Hackett, Sr. He migrated southwest to Calvert, Texas in Robertson County. His wife for many years was Mary Jane Rhodes, who was born on Christmas Day, 1866 or 1867. She was a daughter of Tom Rhodes and Ann Payne.

Sources reveal that Mary Jane Rhodes and her children moved to Chicago, Illinois. A Chicago newspaper article, written in recognition of the 103 birthday of Mary Jane Rhodes, indicated that her husband, Sebron Hackett, Jr. died in 1928. The newspaper article further states that Mary Jane Rhodes was the mother of five children; Rev. N.P. Ford, of Thorton, TX; Mrs. Rosie Jackson; Mrs. Eunice King; Mrs. Ethel Allen; and Mr. Eraster Hackett, all of Chicago.

Norman P. Ford was a son of Mary Jane Rhodes from another union. The latter four children mentioned in the newspaper article were children born unto Sebron Hackett, Jr. A death record revealed that Sebron Hackett, Jr. died July 29, 1928 in Tallahatchie County, MS.

This writer did further research on this family during the summer of 2001 in Leflore County, MS. Several descendants of Sebron Hackett, Jr. were found in Chicago, IL. More information on this family will be shared in subsequent Newsletters.

Joe Hackett, born May 7, 1896 in Texas, was the youngest child of Sebron Hackett, Sr. He may have been the fifth child in the birth order. Joe Hackett married Mary Lou Lessly (b. April 27, 1873; d. May 28, 1909) in Houston County. These are the names of the children that were born unto Joe Hackett of his wife Mary Lou Lessly:
Bertha Hackett, b. Oct 1896; d. Nov 16, 1975
Jodie Hackett, b. 1899; d. Jul 27, 1961
Mennie Hackett, b. circa 1905; d. June 25, 1977
Grettsel Hackett, b. unknown; d. as infant
Charlie Hackett, b. unknown; d as infant

Joe Hackett left Texas about 1909 and lived for a short time in Leflore County, Mississippi. He most likely made the trip with his older brother John Hackett and his family. Joe Hackett was located in the 1910 US Census, Leflore County, Mississippi. He was listed as widowed, and the three older children (Bertha, Jodie and Mennie) were living with him. All of these three children returned to Houston County, Texas. Joe Hackett has several living descendants in Houston County, TX. More information on this family will be shared in subsequent Newsletters. Joe Hackett died April 20, 1920, and is buried in the Old Meriwether Cemetery a few miles west of the town of Grapeland, TX.

By: Raymond E. Hackett, Sacramento, CA.

For information or additions to this website, please contact Raymond E. Hackett.

Suggested Websites to Visit:

• The Meriwether Society, Inc.
• Hackett Family Genealogy Forum
• The U.S. Gen Web Project
• Ancestry.com

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