Sterling County Texas Biographies

Sterling County, Texas

Biographies

George W. Allard.
Throughout practically all the period since the Civil war in which he served in the uniform of grey, Mr. Allard has been identified with the chief industries of the Lone Star State—farming and stock raising. For the past seventeen years he has had one of the finest stock farms in Sterling county, a place which illustrates the possibility of the soil of west Texas when cultivated in an up-to-date manner, and with irrigation.

Of a family of Irish descent, George W. Allard was born October 13, 1845, in Delta county, Texas, in what was at that time Hopkins county. His parents were A. H. and Mary Allard, formerly of Missouri, where a number of relatives still reside. They made the journey to Texas about 1842, and were among the very early pioneers of Hopkins county. The father was a rancher and cattleman, and continued to be actively identified with that business until his death in 1865. There were eleven children in the family, and of these George W. was the youngest, and now has but one brother living, J. B. Allard of Erath county, Texas.

Owing to the unsettled condition of the country in which he spent his youth, Mr. Allard had only about three months schooling altogether, but his practical energy and native ability have allowed him to suffer little from these early handicaps. His father was one of the largest cattlemen in the state in his time, and before the war owned a large plantation and operated it with many slaves. George W. Allard was about sixteen years old when the war broke out between the states, and he was a volunteer in the Ninth Texas Cavalry in Company G under Colonel Sims. He fought at the battle of Elk Horn, Missouri, and after that his regiment was dismounted and sent to Memphis, Tennessee, as an infantry regiment. He was in the two engagements at Corinth and luka at Holly Springs, and received his discharge at Lumpkins Mills in Mississippi and returned home in 1864. He then joined the Texas Bangers, in a company organized in Erath county, and was on the frontier engaged in scouting and Indian fighting until after the war. He was in the noted Indian battle at Dave Creek in January, 1865. About one thousand Indian warriors were engaged in that fight against five hundred rangers under the command of Captain Totten. It was Glentine's Company, though Captain Totten commanded at the fight. The engagement lasted about five hours, and resulted in the de.ath of some twenty rangers killed, and twenty-five wounded. The number of the killed and wounded among the Indians was never ascertained, since the Indians carried most of their wounded and dead from the field before the rangers succeeded in occupying the contested position. This was one of the last great battles in West Texas, and broke the strength of the Indians for a number of years.

In 1866 Mr. Allard returned home and engaged in farming in Hunt county. He remained there for a number of years, and in 1896 sold out his farm, and moved to Sterling county, where he bought twenty-two hundred acres of land on the North Concho Eiver five miles west of Sterling City. Since that time he has become closely identified with affairs in this county, and there is probably no resident of Sterling county who does not know Uncle George Allard, as he is affectionately called throughout this district. Mr. Allard on his ranch raises almost every crop that is possible in Texas, though his chief product from the soil is alfalfa. He has ditches leading from the North Concho River and irrigates all the land devoted to this crop. When the river is too low for the use of the dam, he uses gasoline engines to pump the water from the river bed. He is engaged in the raising of cattle, mules and horses, and is unusually successful. Seventeen years ago when he first came to the county, cattle sold for about fourteen to sixteen dollars per head, and the same cattle are now worth from forty to fifty dollars per head. In politics Mr. Allard is Democratic, is affiliated with the Masonic Order and is a supporter of religion. In 1867 he was first married to Miss Sarah Brackeen, of Delta county, Texas, a daughter of William and Elizabeth Brackeen. Her father was a farmer of that county, and continued to live there until his death. The mother is still living. After the death of his first wife, Mr. Allard was married about 1880 to his present wife. There are seven children by the first marriage and three by the second, and all of them are married and have homes of their own, though all do not own their homes, so that Mr. and Mrs. Allard are alone in the possession and enjoyment of their old home in Sterling City. [transcribed by Janice Rice]

John S. Cole.
In early life a teacher, for many years known to the people of Sterling county, through his services in the office of county and district clerk, and now cashier of the First National Bank of Sterling City, Mr. Cole is a west Texas citizen whose career has been largely passed in this country, and has always been honorably and influentially identified with the successful welfare of his community.

John S. Cole, the third in a family of four children, was born January 27, 1871, at Jasper in Walker county, Alabama, a son of James R. and Clara Cole. The paternal ancestry is Irish. The mother's maiden name was Croft, and there was a large family of that name in Alabama. Grandfather Croft and others of the family were large planters and slave holders before the war. James R. Cole, the father, was a farmer in Alabama, and early in life volunteered for service in the Confederate army. He served from 1861 until the end of the war, and then resumed his farm activities. He still resides at the age of seventy on the old estate in Alabama, and the mother is sixty-seven years of age.

In the public schools of Alabama, Mr. Cole attained his early education, and then spent several years as a teacher in his native state. In 1894, he came to Texas,

first locating in Johnson county, where he worked as clerk in a general department store. In 1898 he moved out to Sterling City, and was soon influentially connected with the official life of this county. He served as deputy district and county clerk until 1900, when he was elected to the office of county and district clerk, and by reelection several terms served for eight years until 1908. He then engaged in the abstract business, and still keeps the principal set of books for abstracts in Sterling county. In 1910 he assisted in the organization of the First National Bank of Sterling City, took the position of cashier, when the bank opened for business, and has been the active executive of the institution down to the present time. Mr. Cole is also owner of a ranch in the northwestern part of Sterling county, and raises a large number of cattle.

For a number of years he has been one of the workers for Democratic success in Sterling county. On February 20, 1900, he married Stella White, of Morgan, Texas, a daughter of Loran and Ellen White of Morgan. Her father was a stock raiser in that vicinity until his death about 1889, and her mother died about 1884. The one living child of Mr. and Mrs. Cole is Thurman, born August 21, 1902, and now attending public schools in Sterling City. Mr. Cole considers himself a permanent resident of Sterling county, and none appreciate the resources and climatic advantages of this county to a greater degree than Mr. Cole. He enjoys industrial and social opportunities, and has always done his part toward making the most of the splendid resources to be found in this section of Texas. [transcribed by Janice Rice]

William L. Foster.
In Sterling county and thro out that section of west Texas, William L. Foster now known as one of the most prosperous and influential business men and stock raisers, and in Sterling City is president of the First National Bank. His success, which is of a large and worthy nature, has won entirely as a result of his own well directed effort. When he started out it was as a farmer, with little capital and, outside of his experience, he found that occupation a poor means of revenue. He became interested in cattle raising and by hard v and careful saving attained enough to start his first h From that time to this, for a period of thirty ye he has been constantly increasing his resources, and the present time controls and owns an immense domain: of about forty thousand acres, and sends to market some of the finest cattle produced in west Texas.

William L. Foster, who is of Scotch-Irish stock, family of Fosters having been numerous and influential in Kentucky, was born January 1, 1858, in Navarro county, Texas. His parents were Dr. William L. i Ararat (Dunn) Foster. His father, a physician, came from Kentucky to Texas in 1852, and was one of pioneer doctors of Navarro county, where he practiced medicine and served a large number of the early frontiers in that locality until his death in 1865. The mother died about 1882. Of the nine children in the family William L. was the youngest.

When he was growing up in Navarro county there were few schools and those of a very ordinary character in equipment and efficiency. He attended private school: for a time, but most of his education has been se acquired. He is a self-made man in the best sense that misused term. His first venture as a farmer Ellis county, as already mentioned was on too small scale to be profitable. He then joined with his brother R. W. Foster, and his brother-in-law L. Greene Allen, running a herd of cattle on shares. They started with about one thousand head, and he continued in this w for four years, between 1876 and 1880. They finally sold the stock for four dollars and seventy-five cents a beef and Mr. Foster's share of the profits during these four years amounted to about twenty-five cents a day. T chief advantage was the experience it gave him in the cattle business. He had saved all his profit and wisely invested it in young cattle, and from that time forward his success although it has encountered reverses and obstacles has been fairly continuous. Mr. Foster is o of the progressive cattlemen of west Texas, and from the time he started in the business has been aiming to breed up his stock and keep his standards as high as possible For a number of years he has run on his pastures about thirty-five hundred head of high grade cattle, and is t owner and operator of some forty thousand acres of land in Sterling and Mitchell counties. On this land he had several different sects of buildings and improvements f the stock and for the accommodation of the men who t tend the business of the ranch. His home residence Sterling City is one of the attractive places of that ton and cost about twenty thousand dollars when erected.

Mr. Foster has always been a Democratic voter, and a loyal adherent of that party. He is affiliated with Royal Arch Masonry, and with the Woodmen of the World. He is a steward and trustee in the Sterling City Methodist church south.

In 1878 Mr. Foster married Miss Carrie Allen, a daughter of T. F. and Mary A. Allen, of Ellis county. Her father was a farmer and stockman, and at one time served with the Texas Rangers, in fighting the Indians along the frontier. His death occurred February 26, 1911, and the mother died December 23, 1910. Mr. Foster, after the death of his first wife married her sister, Miss Mary E. Allen on January 6, 1886. The six children, three sons and three daughters of Mr. Foster are: Miss Ethel R. was born April 24, 1887; Mrs. Jessie Price, born February 3, 1889, was married March 6, 1913, to Frank S. Price and lives in Rustin, Louisiana; Royal F. was born January 19, 1891; Miss Fay M. was born March 31, 1893; William L., Jr., was born September 11, 1895; Allen Foster was born October 7, 1900. The son Royal is now a student in the Polytechnic College at Fort Worth. Miss Fay is studying art under the private instruction of Mrs. Patterson, at Dallas..

Through long years of experience Mr. Foster has become thoroughly convinced of the great resources and the great future of west Texas. In the vastness of its material resources, largely undeveloped up to this time, and its climate he sees assets which are bound to increase in value and in service to population as the years pass. The North Concho River country is particularly adaptable to settlement and development, since an unfailing source of water is to be obtained everywhere at a distance of twenty-five to one hundred feet below the surface. [transcribed by Janice Rice]