Jackson County Biographies

Jackson County, Texas Biographies

Oliver S. York.
Since 1907 Mr. York has been assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of Texas, with offices at Galveston. Mr. York is a lawyer, whose professional career has other distinctions, acquired during twenty-five years of continuous activity in his chosen calling, and is also descended from a prominent American family, and one which originally goes back to one of the most noted of the old English houses.

Oliver S. York was born at Dayton, Alabama, October 26, 1858, but has lived in Texas practically all his life. His parents were Jabez and Maria L. (Rucker) York. His father, who for a number of years was a merchant at Dayton, Alabama, came to Texas in the fall of 1858, settled in Jackson county, where he was well known as a stock raiser, and died October 24, 1874. In 1872 Jackson county sent him a representative to the Twelfth State' Legislature. Every school boy who has read English history is familiar with the House of York, and its participation in the War of the Roses. It was during that great civil conflict in England that seven sons were banished, and several of them at least found homes on this side of the Atlantic. From one whose descendants subsequently settled in Alabama is descended the present branch of Yorks found in Texas. Mr. York's mother was descended from the Winchester family of Sumner county, Tennessee, and from the Rucker family of that state. The members of both families have played prominent parts during the Revolutionary war. Mr. York's mother died in 1900.

His early education was supplied by the country schools of Jackson county, and from 1874 to 1876 he was a student at St. Joseph's College in Bardstown, Kentucky. After that he pursued a business course at Eastman's Commercial College at Poughkeepsie, New York, and returning to Jackson county was engaged in the cattle business up to 1887. In the meantime he had definitely formulated his ambition and plans to enter the law, and beginning his studies was admitted to the bar in 1888. Beginning practice he was shortly afterwards elected to the office of county attorney of Jackson county, and held that office with a record for efficient administration during six years, from 1888 to 1893 inclusive. Retiring to private practice he built up a large clientage and came to be regarded as one of the ablest attorneys of Jackson county. He was next in public affairs through his election as representative in the twenty-eighth legislature, serving during the term 1903-04, and after that continued his practice in Jackson county until 1907 when he was honored with his present office of assistant United States Attorney at Galveston. Since then his home has been in that city.

Mr. York is affiliated with the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, Lodge No. 729, at Victoria. In 1907 occurred his marriage with Miss Blanch Buttrill, a daughter of J. W. Buttrill, a stockman of Bastrop county. They have one son, Oliver S. York, Jr. Their home is at 2001 29th Street. Galveston.

William M. Burwell.
The activities which have occupied the time and energies of William M. Burwell have been of such a nature in both public and civic life as to make his name well and favorably known, not only in Amarillo, but throughout Potter county. By birth and training a Texan, he has been called upon to fill positions of trust and responsibility, and as sheriff of Potter county has proved one of the most efficient and popular officials the county has known. Mr. Burwell was born in Jackson county, Texas, February 26, 1870, and is a son of Charles B. and Harriet A. (Merrill) Burwell.

Charles B. Burwell was a native of Virginia, who came to the State of Texas during the early forties and settled at Victoria, Victoria county, on the Guadalupe river, there becoming one of the first settlers. With him he brought a large number of slaves for the Flemings, who we.re extensive land owners in and about Victoria, and became an overseer of these lands. Later in life he became a rancher on his own account ia Matagorda and Jackson counties, his ranch being what is now known ai Burwell Bend, between Carancahua Bay and Trespala- cios. During his early life he had been very successful, but the ravages of the Civil war greatly depleted his finances, although he was subsequently able to recuperate his lost fortunes. During the struggle between the North and the South he volunteered for service in the Confederate ranks, but owing to the full quota of men having been enrolled, he was not needed. In political matters he was a Democrat, and his religious belief was that of the old-school Presbyterian church, in the faith of which he died in 1888, at the age of seventy-one years. He married Harriet A. Merrill, a native of Indiana, who came to Texas during the fifties, and she still survives her husband, being advanced in years and living at San Antonio, Texas. Four sons and three daughters were born to them, William M. being the next to the youngest.

William M. Burwell received his education in the public schools in LaSalle and Jackson counties, the latter beirfg located on his father's farm and maintained by his father and several of the neighboring ranchers. He spent his boyhood and youth on his father's ranch, but on obtaining his majority enlisted in the Rangers, in Capt. J. A. Brooks' company, with which he acted from December, 1891, until the summer of 1893. At that time he joined Capt. J. H. Rogers' Company E, Capt. Rogers now being United States Marshal for the Western District of Texas, and served with him until the summer of 1896, when he resigned to accept the position of chief deputy under John Seale, sheriff of Karnes county, with whom he continued until the expiration of Sheriff Scale's term of office. Leaving Karnes county at that time, he went to LaSalle county, where he became chief deputy under S. V. Edwards, and upon the resignation of Sheriff Edwards, Mr. Burwell was appointed sheriff, continuing to serve out the unexpired term and a full term that followed to which he was elected. Following this, he re-enlisted in Company E, Texas State Rangers, under Capt. Rogers, but in the fall of 1903 resigned to accept the office of sheriff under appointment of the District Court in Potter county. He then became manager of the Amarillo Ice and Cold Storage Company, with which concern he was associated until the election of 1910, when he became sheriff of Potter county, position in which he is now serving his second term. Sheriff Burwell is known as a man absolutely without fear, an official whose management of the affairs of his dangerous office has gained him the unqualified respect of his fellow-citizens, and who has on numerous occasions demonstrated his tact, capacity and resource. Politically a Democrat, he has taken an active part in the success of his party both as a candidate for office and as a supporter of others. Mr. Bnrwell is prominent fraternally, as a member of the local lodges of the Masons, the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the Knights of Pythias and the Woodmen of the World. He is also socially connected with the Amarillo Country Club. For twenty years Mr. Burwell has been a member of the Presbyterian Church, in the faith of which he was reared.

In May, 1905, Sheriff Burwell was married to Miss Jennie Pangle, who was born in Texas, daughter of the late Thomas I. Pangle, an old settler of Burnett county. Five children were born to this union: Florence, Katherine, Mamie Grace, Thomas and Richard Rogers, the last-named in honor of Mr. Burwell's old range captain. The pleasant family home is located at No. 2009 Taylor street, Amarillo.