The weekend of June 28, 2025 was a busy one for Thomas Jefferson Stubbs 2523 Conroe Chapter member, Texas Division, United Daughters of the Confederacy, Eva Rains. While visiting family members in Canton and out to lunch with some of them, they were right across the street from the courhouse square. Looking out the window, Mrs. Rains could see what looked like Texas Historical markers.
After lunch the ladies walked over to discover…a historical marker to honor, Captain Thomas J. Towles. Towles was born in Jones County, Georgia on 29 December 1843. He enlisted in June of 1861 in Dallas, Texas in the CSA. He mustered in with Co. G 3rd Texas Cavalry CSA. He was badly wounded in Newman (near Atlanta), Georgia, during the Atlanta Campaign and he was married to Nancy (Nolen) Towles. He was well known and liked in Van Zandt County. Mr. Towles died 21 January 1909 in Canton, Texas and is buried in the old city cemetery and had afull Mason burial.
The second marker Ms. Rains looked at was in honor of John Henninger Reagan, the Postmaster General of the Confederacy. Mr. Reagan was born 8 October 1818 in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Before the War Between the States started, he was lawyer and politician in Texas He served as a U. S. Representative for Texas from 1857 to 1861, after Texas seceded from the Union, he resigned his seat in Congress and joined the CSA cause. Reagan was appointed Postmaster General of the Confederacy in 1861. When the war ended, Reagan was imprisoned for a time, he later returned to Texas where he continued his political career. He served as a Senator from Texas, during the years of 1887 to 1891. He died 6 March 1905 and is buried in Palestine, Texas.
The last marker Ms. Rains viewed, was the one that honored the people of Van Zandt County for all they did to support the CSA cause.
Article and pictures by Eva Rains, Publicity Chairman for the Stubbs Chapter
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