Joseph Franklin and Martha Jane Williamson Gault and their five sons came to Texas from Rover, Tennessee in 1888.  They made the trip by train, crossing the Mississippi River at Memphis with the train carried on a ferry, since there was no bridge.  They lived one year in Brown County and moved to McCulloch County and bought land on Deep Creek south of Milburn in December of 1889.  Besides farming, the family ran a store for which the merchandise was "freighted" from Brownwood.  Mr. Gault was active in local politics and was Commissioner of Precinct 4, and Justice of the Peace of Precinct 5 in 1893.  Raney Gault, the oldest son, held those offices in 1907 and 1909.
    The Gault boys grew up in the Milburn community and attended the local school and Howard Payne College in Brownwood.  John Raney Gault married Emma Alexander; William Jefferson Gault married Allie Stephens; Charles Lee Gault married May Eppereson; Oscar Harrison Gault married Maggie Lee; and Nat Taylor Gault married Ruth Hamilton.
    After the Frisco railroad was built in 1903, J. F. Gault and sons began to buy land around the present town of Placid and eventually all of the family moved there.  "Uncle Joe" is considered to be the founder of Placid, and he and Mrs. Gault gave the land for the school, the cemetery, and the Baptist Church.  J. R. Gault ran the post office and a store; W. J. and C. L. Gault taught school at Placid and other schools in Mcculloch and surrounding counties; and C. L. Gault served as McCulloch County Judge in 1925 and 1931.  O. H. Gault was a carpenter and later a merchant, and N. T. Gault managed the cotton gin at Placid, and they and their wives and families were active in church and community activities.
    J. F. Gault died in 1917 and his wife in 1923,  J. R. Gault moved to Midland and is buried there, but the other four sons are buried near their parents in the Placid cemetery.  Third generation descendants, who all grew up in McCulloch County, include Alton Gault, Joe Brown Gault, Mary Jo Gault Moseley, Esther Gault Griffis, Mildred Gault Jones, N. T. Gault, Jr., and Wilma Gault Jordan.  Deceased are Celia Gault Shafer, Reuben Gault, Sammie D. Gault Walton and Landon Gault.
    There are fourth and fifth generations of this family.