Hillsboro, Texas, founded in 1853, serves as the county seat of Hill County. The city grew steadily with the arrival of the railroad in the late 1800s, becoming a hub for commerce and agriculture in Central Texas.
Known for its historic courthouse and downtown district, Hillsboro has long been recognized for its rich architectural heritage and vibrant community spirit.
Over the years, the city has balanced preservation of its historic character with modern development, maintaining its role as a cultural and economic center for the surrounding region.
A picture postcard sent to Tam Brooks in Hillsboro features a stone house on the front in Tucson, Arizona. An address for this home is 829 E. 1st Street. The card was postmarked March 23, 1908. Oddly, there was no message.
Tamerlane Xenophon “Tam” Brooks lived quite a life before moving to Texas. Born in Walker County, Georgia, on November 9, 1844, to parents Jacob and Sarah, his father, Sgt. Jacob Reed Brooks served in the War of 1812. Tam had six sisters and brothers.
Enlisting at age 17, Tam Brooks was a Confederate soldier during the American Civil War. Captured during the battle of Chickamauga, he escaped and made his way back south to serve in a Georgia scouting unit.
After the war, Tamerlane Brooks moved to Hill County, Texas, where he became a successful land speculator, while also loaning money for the same. At this time, Tam married Mary Medora “Dora” Smith. The couple had six children. Tamerlane Xenophon Brooks died December 12, 1926, at the age of 82.
An obituary in the Fort Worth, Texas, newspaper details a small portion of Tam’s wife, Dora.
“Mrs. Dora Brooks, 94, widow of Tam Brooks, pioneer Hill County businessman, died Friday afternoon at her home here, in which she had lived for 68 years. She was a native of Mississippi and came to Texas in 1864. She was married here in 1872.
Funeral services for Mrs. Brooks, who had been a member of the Presbyterian Church for 82 years, will be held at Marshall & Marshall Funeral Chapel at 2 Sunday, Robert E. Robinson and Eugene E. Woods officiating.
She is survived by two sons, Byrd Hillsboro and Guy Brooks of San Angelo; two daughters, Mrs. Nina Groves of Houston and Mrs. Jewel Hudson of Hillsboro; seven grandchildren, 10 great-grandchildren, and four great-great-grandchildren.”
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