Before 1850, Meshack, an enslaved man, came to Gilmer with his enslaver, O. E. Roberts. While Roberts was away during the Civil War, Meshack ran the farm and looked after the family. To raise money for farm costs, he shod horses for soldiers and others and baked and sold ginger cakes. After the war ended, Roberts gave him freedom, land, and material to build a home. Meshack later moved to Marshall, where he served in the Texas legislature, and in 1882 he helped establish Wiley College for Negros.