It was established by John Wellborn Root and Daniel Hudson Burnham. Her maternal grandfather was Judge Olin Wellborn (1848-1921). The first county seat was in Wellborn. "The Growth of American Nationality", by Professor Fred W. Wellborn, was dedicated to Fish. He was named after a maternal uncle, Marshall Johnson Wellborn. Only five Americans were killed, among them General Wellborn's teenage son, James H. Wellborn. In 1867, a post office opened in the community under the name Wellborn Station. In 1870, the name was shortened to Wellborn. Also in 1867, a post office opened in the community under the name Wellborn Station. Three years later, the name was shortened to Wellborn. Charges against Wellborn were dropped when an Austin grand jury failed to indict him. Their son John Wellborn Root, Jr. also practiced in Chicago as an architect. Soon after, Wellborn went into decline. Monroe was the sister-in-law of Chicago architect John Wellborn Root, and wrote his biography. An estimated 100 people lived in Wellborn as of the late 1980s.