History
Angelina County is named after a Hasinai Caddo woman from the 1690s
The county takes its name from a Hainai woman known as Angelina. Spanish records say she helped missionaries in East Texas around 1690 and worked as an interpreter.
Long before European settlers came, the Angelina River valley was home to the Hasinai. The Hasinai were Caddo-speaking peoples. They lived in the middle Neches and upper Angelina River valleys. The word 'Texas' comes from the Hasinai greeting 'tejas,' which means 'friends.' The name Hasinai means 'our own people.'
The county name comes from a Hainai woman Spanish records call Angelina. Around 1690, she helped early Spanish missionaries in the area. She worked as an interpreter between Native peoples and Europeans.
The Hasinai lived in East Texas into the early 1800s. They were forced out after the Cherokee War of 1839. They were removed to Oklahoma in 1859.
Angelina County was organized on April 22, 1846. It was carved out of Nacogdoches County. The county seat moved a few times before Lufkin took that role in 1892. The Texas State Historical Association's Handbook of Texas is a good place to learn more.
Source to confirm: TSHA Handbook of Texas — Angelina County