Love, Robert Florence and Matilda Glascock

Lea Counties Families, Then and Now, Vol I

Submitted by: John Leman Love

My father, Robert Florence Love, was a native Texan, being born April 17, 1870 in Palo Pinto County, Texas, the son of John Dillard Love and Nancy Jane Love. The family subsequently moved to Stephens County, Texas, north of where Cisco is presently located.

In 1890 while yet a young man of about 20, my father had the desire to work on a ranch, and this desire sent him westward. He stopped first at the old OTO Ranch, once owned by Joe Allen Browning. Mr. Jerry Dunaway's daughter, who married who married Mr. Charlie Fairweather, passed this bit of history on to me.

Robert F. Love continued his westward trek, movong across the Texas-New Mexico stateline to the old 196 Ranch, which waqs owned by Joe Allen Browning, ce.east and slightly north of the present city of Lovington by approximately 20 miles. This was known as the old William Gardner place. My father worked there for a short time in about 1890 or 1891. He went from there to the old Mallet Ranch, known now as High-Lonesome, and worked there for a short time. The Mallet's sold out their interest to George Littlefield, known as the LFD, and they ran about 7000 - 8000 head of cattle on the range they bought, with watering places and holdings runnig from the High-Lonesome Ranch, just north and west of the Littlefield holdings.

My father's path then led him eastward to Stephens County, Texas. He and his half brother, George Love, and Mr. Harrell from Stephens County, headed back west up Sulfur Draw about five miles from where the Mallet horse camp was located. Here they established a ranching business, the name of which was ULU and MHX, near where Plains, Texas is now.

They wee told that water could be found near prairie dog towns, so they set out digging a well by hand. Sure enough they found the needed water. This was around 1893 or 1894.

Upon Mr. Harrell's decision to return to his family and home in Stephens County, the cattle were sold to N.B. Brown, owner of the VVN Outfit. My father worked for the VVN  Outfit for a short time, then N. B. Brown sold out to the Pembertom brothers, who named it the "E" Outfit. My father continued on the ranch with Mr. Brown and the Pemberton brothers, then he returned to Stephens County.

This time his steps turned to Matrion County and the town of Stanton, Texas where he met Matilda Glascock, the daughter of Leman Pike Glascock, and they exchanged wedding vows February 4, 1896. My twin sister Mary Bancy, were born of this union on January 18, 1897. A sister Grace Elizabeth was added to the family June 2, 1898 and a brother Robert Eugene on 23 January 1900. There was another son born to this family in Lovington, Florence Warren Love, born June 20, 1908.

WHen our brother was about three months old, the Robert Florence Love family trekked westward to New Mexico, arriving late March of 1900, bringing with them their four children and all their worldly possessions in their covered wagon. The trip took about eight days and they followed the route where they could get water, the Old "C" Ranch, number 8 watering hole, the WIll Gates' place at Seminole, Texas ( where Mr. Bay Robinson had a post office and a small store), then west to old Bell Well, north of the Swamp Ranch, where we stopped. A tent was pitched on the open range about two and a half miles north of the hoestead of Leman Pike Glascock. Here they lived for four spring and summer months, near the rock house of L. P. Glascock, which was later sold to Clay McGonigal.

The desire for farming land, led my mother's father, L. P. Glascock, to move to Portales, New Mexico. My family moved into my grandfather's rock house where we lived until the latter part of 1902. A Mr. Reynolds had a dugout, windmill, tanl, corrals and a small pasture located on a 40 acre tract, in the SE in the SE 1/4 of Section 3, TWP. 16S, Range 36E, in late 1902. My father bought this tract from Mr. Reynolds, who hadn't made his final proof on this land, but he relinquished it to my father in January of 1903. We moved there and started a small ranching operation. A two room framed house was constructed east of the dugout a short time after we moved there. This house had a double door, it could be opened at the top or bottom. This two room framed house was sold to Robert Florence Love's brother, Jim Love, who moved it onto his homestead.

My father filed on an additional 120 acres on land adjoining his 40 acre tract, being the N 1/2 of SW 1/4 and the SW 1/4 section 3, Twp. 16S, Range 36E, for a total of 160 acres.

He was appointed Deputy Tax assessor of Eddy County, New Mexico, under John Q. Quinn; and Deputy Sheriff under Cicero Stuart, sheriff of Eddy County. He arrested one cow thief one time and brought him home to our place so he could take him to Carlsbad for trial. It was too far to take him that night, and there were no jails this side of Carlsbad, so he kept him at our home. The thief asked us kids how we liked the looks of a cow thief, we told him we did not like the looks of one.

In the time span of about 1900 through 1905, some of our neighbors were: John D. Graham, Jom Anderson, John Lynch, Uncle Joe Graham, Henry Record, Jake Ellar, Jack Russell, Jim Blackwell, J. S. aves, Seth Alston, Adam Zimmerman, Dow Wood, Mrs. C. C. Medlin, Jimmy Kennum, HAwk Medlin, Pete Etcheverry, a Mr. Stokes, Nat Camp, Sid Pitts, Louis Dad Taylor, Joe Allen Browning, Charlie Fairweather, Allen Heard, Oscar Thompson, John Garret, and the Crosby family.

My father was nicknamed "Fiddle Case" which fit him, since he played the fiddle for many of the new and growing country dances. I can recall tunes like, "Sally Goodin", "Turkey in the Straw", "The Waltz you Saved for Me", and the haunting strains of "Home Sweet Home", and others. I often wondered if a smallpart of Texas and the memory of his younger days were not entwined in the tones that floated out of that old violin.

Wild animals abounded in this virgin county, including mustang horses. The ground was covered with mesquite, cactus, bear grass, and all the native grasses suitable for grazing livestock.The family diet was limited and consistently included bacon, beans, beef, antelop at times, dried fruit, when available; and coffee, flour, sugar, and Irish potatoes. To get supplies we had to make a trip to Midland, Texas, taking about eight or nine days for the round trip, a distance of about 130 miles each way. This was done by horse drawn wagon.

Our doctor in the early days was Dr. A. A. Dearduff who established his first office near us at Monument, New Mexico about 1902 or 1903.

 The two coldest winters I remember were in the years 1906 and 1918. Many cattke and sheep froze to death during these two storms. In 1917 and 1918 a severe drouth caused financial disaster to many of the ranchers, subsequently affecting town business.

In 1907 after the winter disaster of 1906 our family moved to Knowles. My father moved to the John L.Toole new homesite of Knowles. He built a two story hotel which the family operated until the latter part of 1907. It was then sold and we returned to the homestead and we continued ranching.

My father sold 6 and 98/100 acres to C.M. Burks on February 23, 1908. On December 4, 1908 my father sold Wesley McCallister a 39.2 acre tract of land. Te two tracts were surveyed and platted by Wesley McCalllister who was a givernment surveyor at the time. This was filed of record in Plat Book 7, page 13, in the County Clerks office in Lovington, after which the town of Lovington, New Mexico began to groww and build. The above lands were part of my father's homestead.

The choosing of a name for the new town is quite an interesting story. Mr. Wesley McCallister suggested the name of Love. When my father was reluctant to go along with this, the name of Loving wa suggested. Upon the discovery that another town, just south of Carlsbad already bore the name, it was agrred by the townspeople to christen this thriving metroplois "Lovington". And so it is today.

My father bought a store from his brother, Jim B. Love, which Jim had owned and operated. This store was located onthe west side of the square. Later my father sold an interest in this store to O.N. Blair and J.S. Boyd. Theu ran this business until July 11, 1910 and sold their interst in the store to J. D. Hart, Oscar Thompson and G.R. Wright, with all improvements thereon.

In 1909 we bought our first automobile, a 1908 red Buick. It had wooden wheels, cloth top, and was a four seated touring car. We were proud of that car and took our neighbors abd friends riding a lot.

In 1910 my father bought lots on the town square and built another store building and moved the building from the west of the square, added it to the building and used it for a warehouse. He established a general store carrying drygoods, groceries, and feed. He employed five clerks.

In the early part of 1906 I went to my first school, named Thornhill, for a short time. I stayed with Mr. Jake Ellar and his family, who lived on his homestead soth of the Hi-Lonesome Ranch and went to school with his two boys Emmitt and Bob Ellar. We went part of the time in a buggy.

The next school us kids went to was the J. L. Toole Knowles townsite for a short time when my parents were operating a hotel. Mrs. Sally K. Ellis taught us at that time.

The nest school we attended was in Lovington, our teacher was Mrs. Conley. The first school building wa a one-room frame construction. In 1909 another room was added to this structure. The teachers for the fall term were Mrs. A. J.Scaff and Ellen Kelly. This was in 1909 and 1910. In the year 1911 a new school building was built in the northeast part of town, near where the railraos track is now. This was an odobe structoew. Later, more rooms were addedto this building. Us kids went to school there through the years 1911-1915. Our teacher was Mrs. Eiffie Anderson Carter; Mr. R. R. James was the principal. Our atheletic activities were baseball and basketball. The foirst baseball team was organized in 1914.

My father's political career began in 1911 when he was elected to the New Mexico legislature, taking oath of office on Januaru 6, 1912 at the time New Mexico was added to the Union. He served as sheriff from 1921-1924 and as legislator from 1925-1930. He served as County Assessor from 1931-1934.

Death claimed him on March 4, 1944 and he lies in the Lovington cemetery. My mother passed away eight years later, on December 27, 1952, and she lies in the cemetery at Portales, New Mexico.