Origin of the Texas County

          The origin of the Texas County is found in the "municipality" the unit of local government under Spanish and Mexican rule.  These municipalities were rather large districts embracing one or more settlements and the surrounding rural territory.  The government of the municipality was vested in an ayuntamiento  (council) composed of at least one alcalde (judge), varying number of regdores (alderman) a sindico procurador (attorney), and alguacil (sheriff), and an escribano (secretary).

          Under the Republic the municipalities became counties, but the Spanish-Mexican influence on their Government was negligible.  The new local Governments were based on the county as found in the southern part of the United States.  The chief governing body of the county during the Republic was a county board, composed ot the Chief Justice (appointed by the Congress) and elective Justices of teh Peace although in 1845 four elective commissioners were subsituted for teh Justices of the Peace.
(From the Handbook of Texas, The Texas State Historical Association)