Fort Bend County Biographies

Fort Bend County Biographies

John McElvy
A Confederate veteran, whose home is now in Rosenberg. Mr. McElvy returned from a long and arduous service in the war to take up the active life of farmer, a vocation which he followed with much success for more than thirty years, and is now enjoying the fruits of his well spent life, during which he has obtained a fair share of the world's goods and provided well for his family.

John McElvy was born in the state of Arkansas July 27, 1847. His parents were George R. and Martha (Webb) McElvy, the former a native of Georgia and the latter of Tennessee, their marriage occurring in Arkansas. The ancestry is Scotch-Irish and on the father's side were a number of doctors and lawyers of prominence in their profession and in politics. The father himself was a lawyer, also a skillful surveyor and an active planter and stock raiser. He belonged to one of the first families in Georgia. Grandfather John McElvy was a Baptist minister. A man of superior education and culture, George R. McElvy died in Texas in 1860. His brother, R. L. McElvy, was a member of the Florida legislature. The maternal grandfather Webb was one of the pioneer planters of Texas and owned a number of slaves before the war. Mr. John McElvy was one of four children. His sister Fannie lived in Dallas and the other two children, Lawson and Harmon, are both deceased.

As a boy John McElvy spent his years on a farm and had limited educational advantages, chiefly owing to the fact that his father died when he was about fifteen or sixteen years old. The family moved to Texas in 1845, settling on the Angelina River, near the old John Durst Bridge on the San Antonio Road, the noted thoroughfare over which all the early commerce between Mexico and: the United States passed. The father entered land in that vicinity of east Texas and lived there until his death. In 1861, on the outbreak of the war, John McElvy was seventeen years old and enlisted in Rigsby's Company, Ford's Infantry Regiment, recruited locally to capture the Federal fort at Brownsville. After the evacuation of that post Mr. McElvy returned home and then on February 8, 1862, enlisted in Company F of the Eighth Texas Infantry, a regiment commanded by Colonel Overton Young. Their first destination was at Little Rock, Arkansas, but after a short time they began active participation in that long and desultory warfare which characterized the fighting west of the Mississippi River. There were almost constant expeditions and counter expeditions, skirmishes and battles all over Arkansas and Louisiana, and that condition of affairs continued until near the end of the war. Mr. McElvy was a member of what was known as the Walker Greyhounds, in Walker's Division. Among the more prominent battles in which he took part were the bloody engagement of Mansfield, that of Pleasant Hill and Jenkins Ferry. His company was finally disbanded at Hempstead, in Waller county, and he had gone through from the beginning to the end without wound or capture, although exposure brought on a long spell of pneumonia.

After the war Mr. McElvy was a substantial farmer for thirty years in Milam county. Then on November 25, 1894, he moved to Fort Bend county, and since then has lived more or less retired in Rosenberg. He owns a fine farm in the county, has property in Rosenberg and investments in other enterprises.

In 1862 Mr. McElvy was married to Miss Eliza Henderson, a native of Texas, whose death occurred a few months after their marriage. Later, he married Ann Schafer, whose maiden name was Ann Vernon, and who was born in Manchester, England, and came to Texas in 1845. Of the six children born to their union Fannie, Laura, William and Harry are now deceased. Thomas J. McElvy lives in Wallis, Texas, and Richard H. in Wharton, Texas. Mr. McElvy is an intelligent and well informed man and has been interested in educational progress, having served for a number of years as school trustee of Milam county. He is a loyal old Confederate and a member of Clem Bassett Camp of the Confederate veterans at Richmond. Mrs. McElvy is a member of the Christian church.
[Source: "A History of Texas and Texans", Volume 4, By Francis White Johnson, Ernest William Winkler, 1914 - Submitted by Brenda Wiesner]

H. A. Meyer.
In the direction of home-seeking population and disposition of capital for permanent investment, various agencies have played a large part and brought about a tremendous development of Texas' material resources in recent years, but no one factor has been more important than the real estate operator, whose specialty has consisted in promoting the sale and colonization of the vast tract of land, hitherto either left waste or imperfectly employed for grazing. The lower Brazos and Colorado Valleys have been a notable field for this work in recent years and one of the men who may properly claim a good share of the credit for results obtained is Mr. H. A. Meyer, who is head of the Meyer-Forster Land & Loan Company of Rosenberg. Mr. Meyer is also prominent as the present mayor of his home city.

Only a few men are privileged to achieve such success as Mr. Meyer has attained to so early in life. Not yet much beyond thirty-five he has gained a fortune and true friends and is regarded as a prominent and reliable citizen by all who know him and one of great value to the community in which he lives. Coming of hardy German parentage he has been honest and industrious and these qualities have won for him the enviable position he occupies.

H. A. Meyer was born in Austin county, Texas, August 27. 1875, and is a son of Benjamin and Louise (Shultz) Meyer. His father was born in Minden, Westphalia, Germany, and came alone to Austin county, Texas, at the age of fourteen years. The mother and her parents were born in Austin County, Texas, but her grandparents were all natives of Germany. They were part of Austin's colony. Only one of the old line, John Stern of Austin county, is now living. Landing in Texas without money, Benjamin Meyer, the father, at once began working for wages of forty-five dollars per year and his board. In spite of this meager compensation his untiring industry and frugality finally produced sufficient capital for him to buy a farm, to which he added until he was one of the large and prosperous land owners in Austin county. He was well known as a raiser of fine blooded driving horses. In that vicinity he lived and labored until four years ago, when he moved into Rosenberg, where he and his good wife live a life of ease and comfort. He is the owner of considerable land over the county of Fort Bend and his position is an exceedingly creditable one, especially in view of his having come to this state a young foreigner without money and having begun entirely on the labor of his hands. Although he had but few educational chances he has lived a very successful and useful life. In the mother's family her father and all her uncles were soldiers of the Confederate army. The present mayor of Rosenberg is one of ten living children, being the oldest in the line, and the others being mentioned as follows: L. H., who is postmaster of Rosenberg; O. C., auditor of the Bond Lumber Company at Eagle Pass; Mrs. F. A. Shawe and Mrs. Clara Kiekee, both of Rosenberg; Mrs. Laura Nippling of Granada, and Mrs. Henrietta Havla of Cost, Texas; Norma, Selma and Louise at home in Rosenberg and Emma and Benjamin, both deceased.

H. A. Meyer as a boy attended the country schools in Austin county., after which he took a literary course in the Lutheran College at Benham, and finally completed his preparation for his business career in Toby's Business College of Waco. He continued at home working on the farm until he was twenty-three years of age and then moved to Fort Bend county, where he was engaged in farming for one year. In the fall of 1897 he bought a farm of his own and has since been one of the big land owners of the county and also possesses much valuable city property. In 1899, with a partner named Brown, he opened a general store in Rosenberg. A year later he sold out his interests and was appointed postmaster, a position in which he did capable service for seven years. In the meantime he had been engaged in the insurance and real estate business and in 1904 became associated with Mr. A. E. Pleak, a relationship which was maintained until 1910. In that year Mr. Pleak sold out to Mr. Forster, thus making the present

firm of Meyer-Forster Land & Loan Company. This company specializes on land for colonization and has peopled a number of large tracts with industrious and thrifty homeseekers. The company also loan a large amount of money on real estate. They have been one of the most successful firms in this line in south Texas. Up to March 24, 1913, their books indicate transactions covering Fort Bend and adjoining counties to an aggregate volume of fifteen million dollars' worth of land. In February, 1912, the partners organized the Meyer-Forster Realty Company of Ganado, Jackson county. This firm has also prospered. Mr. Meyer has made a thorough study of Texas soil and products and his judgment has come to be accepted as thoroughly reliable and has been a big factor in promoting the success of his business organization. His company was the agent for the disposal of the lands of the Houston & Texas Central Railroad and has represented several other large interests in the state..

In September, 1898, Mr. Meyer married Miss Emma Windell of Texas, a daughter of Captain C. W. F. Windell of Caldwell, Texas, and a veteran of the Confederate war. The one child born to Mr. and Mrs. Meyer died in infancy. While Mr. Meyer has never aspired to office he has been selected out of the body of Rosenberg citizens to the office of mayor and is giving a very efficient administration. Fraternally he is affiliated with the local lodge of Independent Order of Odd Fellows, is a Royal Arch Mason, also a member of the Eastern Star and belongs to the Woodmen of the World. Mrs. Meyer has membership in the Order of Eastern Star and is a member of the Methodist church of Rosenberg.
[A History of Texas and Texans, Vol 4 , By Francis White Johnson, Ernest William Winkler, 1914 -- Submitted by Brenda Wiesner]

Taylor Ray
Leaving home at the age of thirteen, beginning his career in the far west as a grocery clerk, finally at the age of seventeen arriving in Texas, Taylor Ray has been a resident of this state nearly thirty years altogether and is one of the oldest men in the express service. At Rosenberg, where he has been a citizen for nearly twenty years, he is one of the most popular and prominent men and had the distinction of being selected as first mayor under the commission form of government in that little south Texas city.

Taylor Ray was born in Wabash, Indiana, December 8, 1863, the son of Jefferson and Faraba (Cox) Ray, both of Indiana. The family is of Irish descent and Grandfather Ray was born on the Isle of Erin and located at Indiana among the pioneers. Jefferson Ray, the father, was also a man who was identified with early enterprise in the Wabash Valley and owned one of the first sawmills in his part of Indiana. After operating that mill for some years he became employed in the general carpenter and contracting business, which he followed both in Indiana and later in Missouri, to which state he took his family in 1870. He was a man of exceptional thrift and industry and lived a very useful and unselfish life. For many years he served on the school board in Indiana and was always interested in education. Although born in the north, his sympathies were with the South, and when the war broke out between the states he enlisted as a Confederate soldier and fought for the southern cause, seeing constant service from the beginning to the end of that struggle, with the exception of furlough time. His death occurred in Carthage, Missouri, and his wife is also now deceased. There were fourteen children in the family and the only two now dead are Annie and Bertha. Among those living the following are mentioned: Joseph, of Chicago; Warren, of Wichita, Kansas; Barton, of Olathe, Kansas; Alton, of St. Paul, Minnesota, and Charles and Orson, of Seattle, Washington; Eliza and Maude, of Webb City, Missouri; Lena, of Council Bluffs, Iowa, and Grace, of Oronogo, Missouri.

As a boy Taylor Ray attended common schools in Carthage, Missouri, and later while at regular work and in order to make up for the deficiencies in his early training he was a student in night school in Kansas City and in Sherman, Texas. When he left home at the age of thirteen he made his first pause in his wanderings in the state of Colorado, where he was employed for a time as clerk in a grocery store at Leadville. After that he was messenger boy in Denver for a while and during the following four years wandered about from one place to another, visiting many western states and getting such work as he could find. When seventeen he landed in Sherman, Texas, where he was given a job in a grocery store and later promoted to shipping clerk. With the firm of Cullers & Henry he remained for two years. After that he began work for the old Texas Express Company, an organization long since defunct. He continued as driver for that concern for one year. That was the beginning of his long service in the express business. After leaving the Texas company he worked for the Pacific and the Wells, Fargo & Company Express, much of the time as clerk on trains and his labor took him from San Antonio on the south as far north as Chicago and west to Denver and southeast to New Orleans, and he was in many other points all over this vast territory. He also travelled over nearly all the railroad lines in the South, including the Southern Pacific, the Iron Mountain, the Missouri, Kansas & Texas and the International and Great Northern. In September, 1894, he was assigned to a permanent position at Rosenberg as agent for the Wells-Fargo Company, a place in which his fidelity to the company's interest has kept him ever since. Aside from being a successful man of business Mr. Ray is doubly rich in the hosts of loyal friends who give him their esteem. He is a man big in body and character, genial and kindly, and is always ready to do his part. From 1901 to 1910 he served on the board of aldermen of Rosenberg and from 1900 to 1910 was secretary-treasurer of the school board, being president of the board during the last two years. He served as city secretary and clerk and as already stated was the first mayor of Rosenberg under the commission charter.

On March 25, 1891, he married Miss Mattie Newton of Des Moines, Iowa, daughter of Henry Newton. Of the six children born to their marriage two are deceased, George and Arthur, and the others are: Edith, Nita, Walter and Robert, all of whom are at home and in school. Mrs. Ray is a woman of superior culture and refinement and takes a prominent part in all social matters. She is an earnest worker in the Baptist church, in which her husband is also active, having been a deacon for the past ten years. Mrs. Ray organized the first Philathia Class in the city and has been president of the Ladies' Aid Society for twelve years and also a teacher in the Sunday school. She has membership in several social clubs, is worthy matron of the local chapter of the Eastern Star and one of the women of Rosenberg who are depended upon to take the lead in many matters for improving social and civic conditions. Mr. Ray is fraternally identified with Rosenberg Lodge, No. 881, A. F. & A. M., of which he is past master, and is also past master of the Masonic Lodge at Richmond. He has for a number of terms served as clerk and treasurer of his camp of the Woodmen of the World. He and his family reside in one of the attractive homes of Rosenberg and he owns considerable other real estate.
[Source: "A history of Texas and Texans", Vol 4 By Francis White Johnson, Ernest William Winkler, 1914 - Submitted by Brenda Wiesner]