McGonagill George and Narcissa
Lea County Familes and History "Then and Now" Vol I, 1979
Submitted by: Pat Murphy
Transcribed by: Erny Long
George M. McGonagill and his wife, Narcissa J., left their home in a community called New Home, Texas, heading west. They stopped at Fort Griffin in Shackelford County in 1875. As so many men in the ranching business, he kept going west, moving to Midland, Texas, in 1877. At this time he was running about seven hundred, Steel Dust horses and fifteen hundred cows. The McGonagill's had eight children: Lena born 1869, Bertha born 1870, Walter born 1871, Josie born 1873, Charlie, Anna born 1875, Minnie and Clay born 1880.
After several years Ector County was created, and George was their first Sheriff. In 1888 Lena married L.M. Murphy, a rancher, and soon after Josie married William Quebedeaux. About 1890 the McGonagill's, Murphy's and Quebedeauxes moved again, this time stopping at Ward's well about three miles south of where Seminole, Texas, is located. While living there a very strange thing happened. The Hat Outfit had a camp out toward the New Mexico line on what is known as Dead Man's Draw. A man named Henry Hawkins was staying there; another family was at the camp nine miles south. A severe thunderstorm came up; lightning struck the house. Henry was sitting in the door holding a baby; he was killed instantly. The baby was not injured. The lightning entered a trunk through the keyhole and burned some of their business papers. Mrs. Hawkins walked and carried the baby the nine miles to the other camp for help. The neighbors took some of the boards out of the side of the house and built a coffin, lined it with a quilt and buried him near the camp.
Staying there about four years and in 1893 or 1894, moved into New Mexico Territory in Chaves County north of Lovington on the old "7 H R's". They stayed there maybe three years and sold to Sug Roberts, moving about twelve miles south and a little west of Lovington, they established a ranch on the open range. Oscar Thompson was the nearest neighbor.
George immediately set to work building a solid, roomy two-story house with eight rooms and dormer windows, which was unusual for a ranch house in this area. He used native stone, some of which was retrieved from abandoned buffalo camps.
After a few years his horses had increased and he needed to sell some of them, he cut out several hundred head and had Walter Clay, Will Taylor and Steve Taylor and a couple of other fellows drive them into Texas, selling and trading as they could. They stopped and visited with the Murphy's, L. M. and Lena, who were ranching at the time near San Angelo, Texas, running Black Angus cattle, L.M, asked McGonagill if he wanted to take some of the Angus cattle back with him to New Mexico. He said, "No". After a while L.M. said, "I have two hundred yearling heifers out there in one pasture. I will cut out one hundred of them and make you a present of them." He did and that was the beginning of the McGonagill's, Black cattle, which he ran until his death. He branded "GI" on the left leg of the cattle and an "Apple" on the left leg of the horses. He liked well-bred animals and went to great lengths to improve the quality. He knew of some fine quality "Steel Dust" horses in south Texas; so he went to Midland, bought a train ticket and took his saddle. Arriving in south Texas, he bought a stallion and rode him back to New Mexico, a distance of six hundred miles.
G. M. McGonagill was a veteran of the Civil War, was always patriotic, interested in politics and the up-bringing of the community. In 1918 he was one of eight men who organized the First National Bank of Lovington. Soon after, he and three other men decided Lovington needed a hotel; so they each bought shares in a corporation to build the Commercial Hotel, which is now the Lea County Museum.
L.M. Murphy and Lena McGonagill were married in 1888. They had four children: Pat, Fred, Mabel and Lois. In later years he ranched near Midland. They had a nice home in Midland where Lena and the children lived during the school term to get their education. In 1914 L.M. died. As the three older children had grown up and left home, Lena and Lois rented out the house and came to New Mexico to make their home with her parents.