Emory Rains

Rains reached Nacogdoches with his family in 1817 and became a largely self-taught lawyer. One of his most important acts in the Republic's Congress was sponsoring the Homestead Law of 1839, the first act of its kind to protect a family's home from creditors. The principle went into the 1845 constitution, where he sat as a delegate. When Texas seceded he did not swear allegiance to the Confederacy or take part in the war. He settled east of the future townsite around 1848 and was buried in the city cemetery of the town that bears his name.

What the plaque says

Emory Rains (May 2, 1800 - Aug. 11, 1878) Texas pioneer Emory Rains served as an alcalde under Mexican rule and as a counselor in the East Texas Regulator-Moderator War of the 1840s. As a senator in the Republic of Texas Congress, he helped pass the Homestead Act. Rains also served in the 1845 Constitutional Convention and in the State Legislature, where he worked for the formation of this county, which was named in his honor. The Rains County Seat, Emory, was also named for him. (1983)

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Audie Murphy / American Cotton Museum — 25 mi
  A Greenville museum of Hunt County's military heroes, including Audie Murphy, and of cotton, which keeps the engine of what it says was the world's largest inland cotton compress.

More markers nearby

• Emory United Methodist Church — 0.3 mi
• Near Offices of "Rains County Leader" — 0.3 mi
• Rains County — 0.3 mi
• Smyrna Union Church — 3.7 mi