Alabama-born Benjamin Franklin Morris (1827-1900) came to Texas in 1838 and settled in the area that became the pioneer village of Sarat. A prosperous farmer and rancher, he gave right of way through 500 acres of his land to the Houston, East & West Texas Railroad in 1884. He also provided a 100-acre townsite to be named for his grandson Joaquin (1878-1898), requesting that a depot be built here and that passenger trains stop daily. Morris, a Confederate veteran, later donated a building site for the First Baptist Church of Joaquin.