Elemelech Swearingen, an Austin County pioneer and veteran of the Texas War for Independence, was born in Shepherdsville, Kentucky, in 1805. He married Angelina Weeks in 1827, and in 1831 moved with his family to Texas. When another family withdrew their application, the Swearingens became the last additions to Stephen F. Austin's Old 300. Swearingen built a farm on land near what became the community of Millheim in present-day Austin County, where the family were among the earliest settlers, raised nine children, and lived the rest of their lives. A leader in Millheim, he served as the community's first postmaster. During the Texas Revolution, he served as a second sergeant in the 1st Regiment Infantry, Company B, under Captain Amasa Turner, and he later served in the ill-fated Mier Expedition. Angelina Swearingen died in 1883, and Elemelech Swearingen died in 1887; they were buried on their land near their former home. For his military service, Elemelech received a headright of land in Callahan County, and Swearingen Road runs through his former Austin County property near the gravesite. He is remembered as an early Austin County pioneer and a patriot who fought for Texas independence.