I had been searching for years for the Naturalization Papers of a relative who immigrated to Texas in the mid 1850s. Eventually, I noticed his name listed in the minutes of the County Commissioners Court. Upon closer examination, I discovered that, after the Civil War ended the county had difficulty locating enough people to serve as potential jurors so they made a recruiting drive throughout the county. As a result, the County Commissioners Court swore in seventeen men and declared them to be citizens of the United States.