Taylor County was created in 1858 and named for Edward, James, and George Taylor, Tennesseans aged 18, 20, and 22 who came to Texas in 1833 and died at the Alamo on March 6, 1836. It was organized in 1878 with its county seat at Buffalo Gap, a point on the Fort Concho to Fort Belknap stagecoach route and on the Western Trail used by longhorns moving to Kansas, and the county seat was moved to Abilene in 1883. Among Texas's 254 counties, 42 bear Indian, French, or Spanish names; 10 honor colonizers such as Stephen F. Austin; 12 were named for Washington, Clay, and other American patriots; 96 were named for men like the Taylors who fought in the Texas War for Independence, signed the Declaration of Independence, or served as statesmen in the Republic of Texas; 23 have the names of frontiersmen and pioneers; 11 honor American statesmen who worked for the annexation of Texas; 10 honor leaders in Texas since statehood, including jurists, ministers, educators, historians, and statesmen; and 36 were named for men prominent in the Confederacy during the Civil War. El Paso and eight others have geographical names, San Jacinto and Val Verde were named for battles, Live Oak and Orange for trees, and Mason for a fort.