Hendricks, Sterling B.

Alabama-native Sterling Brown Hendricks (1821-1909) was the son of Jeremiah and Eunice (Williford) Hendricks. Raised in the Yazoo region of Mississippi, he began working at the law office of Samuel Marsh around the age of 18 and eventually passed the bar of Mississippi.

In January 1841, Hendricks moved to the Republic of Texas, settling in Washington-on-the-Brazos. The next year he became 2nd Lieutenant in Bogart's Company of the Somervell Expedition, a failed campaign of 700 militia and volunteers organized by Alexander Somervell to invade Mexico in retaliation for the capture of San Antonio. The expedition only lasted a few weeks, when the men were ordered to disband. About 300 men continued on the Mier Expedition, while the others returned home.

Hendricks joined his family in Bowie County, where he taught school at Hughes Springs.

After a few years, he moved to Harrison County to teach until starting a mercantile business and farm. From 1862 to 1863, he represented Harrison and Panola Counties in the Texas Legislature before entering the Confederate Army as a captain during the Civil War. His company from Harrison County became part of the 17th Texas Regiment, and he was promoted him to Lieutenant-Colonel as its commander. Gov. While Hendricks was fighting in Louisiana, Pendleton Murrah appointed him financial agent of the Texas State Penitentiary at Huntsville. When the Reconstruction government replaced him, Hendricks returned to his mercantile business and farm in Harrison County, where he died in 1909. His son Dr. J. G. Hendricks worked in Fayettville, Arkansas, and his son-in-law Thomas B. Buckner was a circuit court judge of Kansas City, Missouri.

Sources:

Hendricks (Sterling Brown) Vertical File, Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, University of Texas at Austin.

Handbook of Texas Online, s.v. Hendricks, Sterling Brown, http://www.tshaonline.org /handbook/online/articles/HH/fhe19.html (accessed July 21, 2010).

Handbook of Texas Online, s.v. Somervell Expedition, http://www.tshaonline.org /handbook/online/articles/SS/qys3.html (accessed July 21, 2010).