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Early Day History Of Wilbarger County Biographies 2
A Georgian Locates Near Chillicothe in 1887
The late Ben C. Carter was born in Fayette County, Georgia, October 23, 1849. He died in Vernon October 19, 1925. He was married to Miss Amanda Crites in 1877 at Pilot Point, Texas. Mrs. Carter died February 21, 1926, at Elk City, Okla. Six sons and one daughter survive their parents. They are: L. H. Carter, farmer, Wildorado, Okla.; M. M. Carter, farmer, Canute, Okla.; G. B. Carter, Methodist minister, Angleton, Texas; D. H. Carter, grain dealer, Canute, Okla.; E. C. Carter, Methodist minister, Mt. Vernon, Texas; E. E. Carter, lawyer, Atlanta, Ga., and Mrs. W. H., Gibson, Canute, Okla.
Ben C. Carter came to Texas in 1870 and located at Waxahachie. In 1887 he again answered the call of the West and moved to a farm on Red River north of Chillicothe. In 1889 he, with his family, moved to a farm in Wilbarger County in the neighborhood that is commonly known now as the Jackson Springs community. For over forty years this last location was the Carter family's home.
Mr. Carter was a man who was always interested in the progressive movements of his county. He was instrumental in securing the first rural telephone line out of Chillicothe and was one of it's first patrons. He was a lifelong member of the Methodist Church and served his church as lay leader and a stewart for several years. It has been truly said of this good man that the door of his home was always open to home seekers and all who came, and that he lived in a house on the side of the road and was a friend to man.
W. H. VanhussFrom Virginia to Texas In 1858
When but a mere boy, W. H. Vanhuss was a passenger with his parents in an old-time slow-moving ox cart from Virginia to Texas in 1858. The Vanhuss family located in Collin County. In May 1889, W. H. Vanhuss came to Wilbarger County. He was not bound by the matrimonial lock at that time. But, soon after his arrival in Vernon his single state Kfe did not last very long, for in December, 1889, he was married to Mrs. Mary Jones. Mrs. Vanhuss died January 6, 1929.
To Mr. and Mrs. Vanhuss four children were born. The oldest child, a girl, (Fannie) died June 3, 1891. The other children are: Mrs. Les (Nellie Francis) Thompson, Mrs. Floyd (Ruth) Roberts, and Mrs. George (Ruby) Dooley.
Outside of three years spent on a farm in this county, Mr. Vanhuss followed the carpenter's trade. He assisted in building the first ice plant in Vernon, as well as a number of the early-day residences and business houses in Vernon.
W. T. CollinsAn Active Citizen in County Since 1889
Coming to this country with his wife and family from Tarrant County in 1889, W. T. Collins bought land and settled north of Chillicothe in what is generally known now as the Jackson Springs community. As an early day settler Mr. Collins at once began farming and stock raising on quite an extensive scale. He kept up his interest in that work until retiring some years ago. At present he and his wife live comfortably in a nice home in Odell.
At the organization of the Bank of Odell at that place when the Orient Railroad was built into that city, Mr. Collins was elected president of the institution and held that office until the bank was sold. Aside from the bank and other duties, he has always taken an active interest in the affairs of Wilbarger County. In 1898 and 1899 he served as county commissioner of Precinct No. 3. His service as a commissioner is often referred to by different citizens as that of a good one.
Mr. and Mrs. Collins are the parents of four children, all who live in the county with the exception of a son, Theodore Collins, who lives in Arizona. The other children are: J. M. Collins, A. T. Collins and Mrs. P. C. Spears, all of near Odell.
R. D. ShiveR. C. Shive Family Arrived in 1890
R. D. Shive came to Vernon in 1890 from Oxford, Miss., with his father, C. C. Shive. He was a boy at the time and attended the schools in Vernon. After finishing- school he worked for the express company for a while and then started working in a grocery store.
Mr. Shive has continued in the grocery business in Vernon since that time. He was married to Miss Mattie Givens of this city and three children were born to them. They are R. D. Shive, Jr., Harold Shive and Winifred Shive.
Mr. Shive has a brother, L. D. Shive of Mineral Wells, and a sister, Mrs. G. W. Utterback of California.
M. H. KesterA Grocery-man in Vernon Back in 1886
M. H. Kester came to Vernon in August, 1886, and his first venture in business in Vernon was to open a grocery store. He was born in Indiana and moved to Navarro County, Texas, in 1882. Prom there he came to this county.
In an interview with reference to his first grocery venture in Vernon, Mr. Kester stated that he opened the business in a small wooden structure which was located on the north side of the court house square. In order to economize, he stated, he lived upstairs over the store. From that location he moved his grocery business to a rock building on the east side of the square and a few years later that entire block was destroyed by fire.
Following the destruction of his grocery business by fire, Mr. Kester said that he took up farming and followed that occupation for a year and a half. Leaving the farm, he went to work for Sebastian & Givens, who were in the grocery business here at that time. With that firm for a while, he left them to work for Holt & Boger, who were also grocery-men. After Holt & Boger went out of business, Mr. Kester said he went into the contracting business with the late S. C. Westbrook which he followed for several years. His next business venture was to form a partnership with his brother, L. E. Kester, and the two opened up a business selling paint, glass and wall-paper. The two brothers are still in this same business at 1814 Main Street in Vernon, with the style of their firm known as Kester*s Art Shop.
In discussing the grocery business in the early days, Mr. Kester said things were very cheap compared to modern prices. Many times he said they had bought eggs from the farmers and carried them to the dumping grounds to get rid of them as there was no market.
The Indians who came to Vernon occasionally were very close buyers, according to Mr. Kester and required considerable attention when they entered the store. He said an Indian and several squaws would enter and start buying. Perhaps it would be sugar and they would buy 25 cents worth. He always put less than the required amount in the sack so that he could pour in more if necessary. The idea was that if the clerk waiting on them happened to get a little over 25c worth the Indians would not stand for it being taken out. Maybe before they had done all their trading, the Indian family would buy three or four packages of sugar, some flour, meal, etc. After getting through, the squaws would put everything in a blanket while one would gather up the corners and the others help her lift it to her back to carry. They usually camped down by the railroad and the squaw would carry the load while the man rode a horse along side her.
Mr. Kester is the father of three children, two daughters and one son. They grew up and received their education in Vernon. The children are: Mrs. Hattie Ball, now residing at Terre Haute, Ind.; Mrs. Mable Dean, who lives in the state of Vermont, and Earl Kester, the son, is engaged in the undertaking business and makes his home in Los Angeles, Calif.
Harry E. CobbCobb Family Came Here From Kansas
H. Cobb was born in London, Iowa, in 1844. His wife, Mrs. Mary Ellen Cobb, was born near Milwaukee, Wis., in 1860. Three children were born to them in Wichita, Kans., where they lived before moving to Vernon in 1888.
Harry E. Cobb, Route 3, Vernon, writes: "We landed in Vernon on the afternoon of December 24, 1888, and stayed all night in what was known as the Bill Creager boarding house, a frame building located where the city hall now stands. There are several brick buildings standing in Vernon today that my father, H. Cobb, helped to build. I remember seeing him put down the sidewalk in front of the Massie-Vernon store. I also saw the last story of the old court house finished. I lived in Vernon at the time Mr. Hammonds, the city marshal, fell over the banisters of the stairway at the court house and was killed. I stood on our porch and saw a flash of lighting that killed Eugene Redick, son of our closest neighbor. Mr. Redick ran a store on the southwest corner of the square.
"At this time there was only one school building in Vernon and a private school taught by Miss Vera Riddle. The first school building stood where the old stand pipe was located.
"Vernon has changed considerably since I was a boy. We used to come to town in a wagon and stayed all night at the wagon yard. Indians were common around Vernon and we had a big time watching them. A Mr. Buchanan traded them ponies, blankets, shawls, etc. The Indians staged horse races very frequently, as well as foot races. We had lots of fun in those days with nothing but a wagon or buggy to get around in."
Mrs. Cobb died February 15, 1925, and Mr. Cobb passed away on June 5, 1927. Both were buried in the Tolbert cemetery. A son, Charlie Edward, died October 17, 1921. The living children are: Mrs. J. P. Davis of Vernon; Harry E. Cobb, Vernon Route 3; G. L. Cobb of Sayre, Okla.; Clyde Cobb of Crowell, and R. E. and C. E. Cobb, Vernon Route 3.
E. J. RandelChillicotrie Couple Settled Here in 1885
Born in 1858 at Sugar Hill, 7 miles south of Lindel, county seat of Perry County, Tenn., in a log house where he resided during his boyhood and school days, E. J. Randel, now a pioneer settler of this section of the state, moved with his family to Missouri in 1876, the family consisting of his father, mother, three brothers and one sister. One of his brothers and his sister died several years ago, both leaving families. E. J. was the oldest member of the family's children.
His grandfather's name was Nacy Randel, and E. J.'s father's name was John M. Randel. His mother's name was Susan J. Whitwell, daughter of Thomas B. Whitwell. Both of Mr. Randel's grandfathers were among the first settlers of Perry County, Tennessee.
Liken to other young men who get the "moving fever," they left Missouri in December, 1877, for Texas, the trip being made in covered wagons. The family landed near Paris, Lamar County, on Sandy Creek, which is six miles east of Paris, and in 1879 he bought a home one mile south of Valley View, in Cooke County. He rented the farm, however, and went back to his home near Paris and stayed on the Dr. Still place where he made a crop in 1879 and 1880, and then there was the time when another person entered into his life. He met, he vouchsafes, the prettiest young widow in all Texas. Her name was Alice Whitwell, daughter of V. L. Rose, who was a prominent Baptist preacher. The wedding took place December 5, 1880.
On December 29, 1880, the young couple loaded a wagon, hitched a team to it and started west for their new home, a log house located on Spring Creek, one mile south of Valley View, in Cooke County, and in 1885 their first home was sold, as they had a desire to go further west; so several people made up a party and traveling in covered wagons departed for Wilbarger County, then into Hardeman and Cottle Counties. They went back to Wilbarger, however, where Mr. Randel bought Section 52, Block 16, west of Vernon on Pease River. After settling there he and W. W. Hutchens named the settlement "Farmers Valley." "It still holds its name and I hope it always will," Mr. Randel said.
Mr. Randel says Wilbarger County was organized either in 1881 or 1882. In 1885 Harrold was the terminus for the Fort Worth & Denver Railroad, and it was "some city," he says. There were 29 saloons, and about twice that number of wide-open gambling houses. Vernon was only a small village at that time. Wilbarger County cut north of Pease River into two school districts, one being Doans. A school house was built in this district in 1885. The west district, composed of Jackson Springs and Farmers Valley were not organized until 1886, and when a trustees election was held in June, 1886, there were but eleven votes cast.
The election was held on Wanderers Creek near Odell, underneath a large elm tree, and the ballot box was nothing else but an empty tomato can. The names of the first trustees were C. T. Neece, Wanderers Creek; H. A. Bell, Pleasant Valley, and Mr. Randel, representing Farmers Valley.
In August of that year the Jackson Springs school building was erected, being half dug out style and located on the H. A. Bell place. In 1887 Mr. Randel with other neighbors built a school house in Farmers Valley,
In August of that year the Jackson Springs school building was erected, being half dug out style and located on the H. A. Bell place. In 1887 Mr. Randel with other neighbors built a school house in Farmers Valley, the lumber having to be hauled from Harrold. "So you see, we laid the foundation for what has been done since then. Now I am sorry to say, I am the only one living who served as a first trustee, and you know I am no 'spring chicken.'
"The first Baptist church to be built on the north side of Pease River was at Big Valley in 1888. The next church house was erected in Chillicothe in 1891, and the third church building was built at Prairie View.
"I served as county commissioner for Wilbarger County four years, and as city mayor of Chillicothe for 12 years."
To Mr. and Mrs. Randel were born six children. Two of the oldest children died while young, while the family lived in Cooke County. The oldest girl, Cora A., married A. D. Baker, now living near Houston; the oldest boy, C. H., married Miss Belva Allen and live in Farmers Valley; Ida E., the youngest girl, married George Klock, Amarillo; John L., who died in June, 1926, and left a widow and two children, Elbert L., and Ana Marie, live at Gainesville.
J. V. TownsendCounty Judge Townsend Early Day Settler in Vernon
County Judge J. V. Townsend came to Vernon in the fall of 1891 from Tyler and started to work for the firm of Johnson, Cook & Murray. He was later in the employ of C. T. Smith.
Judge Townsend said that competition in the mercantile business was very keen in those days. Stores were opened as early as 5 o'clock in the morning. People came from long distances, sometimes as far off as Mangum, Okla., to do their trading. After the floors were swept in the mornings, clerks would grab a handful of circulars and go to the wagon yard to pass them out.
It was the custom in those days for travelers to camp at the wagon yard when night came and most of the visitors from a distance usually reached town after dark. Some would do their buying upon arrival in town if the stores were still open and leave their purchases at the store until morning.
Mr. Townsend said that in the fall of the year many families bought their entire winter supplies at one time. Lots of times a farmer would drive his wagon into town loaded with his wife and children, and a bale of cotton. Clerks from various stores would run out and lift a child down and carry it to their store in hopes the parents would come there first and if they did the store generally got to sell them a pretty good size bill.
Judge Townsend was postmaster of the Vernon post office during Woodrow Wilson's administration. He was elected county judge several years ago and is now serving his fourth term in that capacity.
looked in 1883-84," was the expression made by J. W. Kirk, who lives near Chillicothe, when questioned by a Times' representative concerning his first trip to this country.
Unlike the modern cowboy of today who wears the broad brim hat and parades around like "Tom Mix" of movie fame, with his chaps and long shank spurs, Mr. Kirk is really and truly one of the old-time "cow-punchers." Even though he is now a farmer, having long since laid down his rope and branding iron for the plow and hoe, a cowboy characteristic to which he still adheres is the custom of wearing a handkerchief around his neck.
With a herd of several thousand cattle that were gathered from a ranch in Kimble County, Mr. Kirk said he passed through Vernon in 1883 when he was but 16 years of age. The cattle were being driven to Ogle, Nebr., and Mr- Kirk, with his boss and other cow hands, were four months on the trail with the herd.
"I remember very well," he said, "there was just a hardware store in Vernon then and about all they carried in stock were guns, ammunition, saddles, ropes and blankets."
Mr. Kirk is now past sixty years of age and resides on Chillicothe Route 1. He owns a good farm in that section and has been a citizen of this country for about thirty-five years.
Walter "Dad" Lorance"Dad" Lorance in and Out of Vernon Since 1883
Walter Lorance, better known as "Dad," has been in and out of Vernon since 1883. He moved his family to Doans in 1898 from Wichita Falls and since that time has really claimed Wilbarger County as his home.
Mr. Lorance worked with all the pioneer cattlemen of this part of the state. He said that he visited Vernon three times at night while with herds of cattle nearby before seeing the town by daylight. "When we were close by we would ride into town on horseback to spend a few hours. Lots of times we would visit other towns at night and perhaps never see them in daytime."
The Suggs outfit was the first one Mr. Lorance worked with. Their headquarters was down near Henrietta. Later he joined the Waggoner outfit and most of the time from 1888 on he was with either the Waggoner or Burnett outfits. "We would sometimes have a falling out with the wagon boss," he said, "and would quit, going to some other outfit. I would work for Burnett about a year and then go back to the Waggoner camp."
Before the railroad was built through this country, Mr. Lorance said he rode the Chisholm Trail with cattle, making his first trip in 1881 to Kansas. The Suggs cattle company drove their herds over this trail. On one trip he said he went with the first of three herds and on their return home they met the third bunch in Oklahoma. Some of the men with the herd were homesick, so he and another man relieved them and assisted in driving the third bunch to Kansas.
Mr. Lorance said he quit the Suggs outfit in 1888 to bring his family from Fort Sill to Wichita Falls in order to enter his children in school.
When asked about the early days in this county, he said he had seen thousands of cattle on the prairies around Harrold waiting for shipment to market when that place was the terminal of the Denver railroad.
All cattlemen to the west drove their herds to that point for shipment. Mr. Lorance said that when riding the range down in the Beaver Creek country he had seen many deer, panthers and other wild animals. Wild game was never killed unless fresh meat was needed.
Mr. Lorance said there was very little cattle rustling in this section. However, a gang in the Wichita River brakes gave cattlemen some trouble in the early 80's by making off with horses.
In discussing the past, Mr. Lorance says that it is hard for people now days to realize just what kind of country this was in the pioneer days. There were few farms, practically all land being used for grazing. Harrold was the leading city of the day and it was said to have been a "wide open" town.
Mr. Lorance knows practically every foot of land in the southern part of the county. He is also familiar with the various creeks and watering holes and of how they got their names. Down in the Streit settlement there is a spot of ground on which at one time great piles of buffalo hides were stacked to be hauled to market. Rains set in and the hides rotted before they could be moved out and for years, Mr. Lorance said, nothing would grow on this land.
For many years Mr. Lorance was chief horse wrangler for the Waggoner ranch..
Mr. Lorance was married to Miss Lavonia Applewhite. To the union were born six children, two sons and four daughters, who are: Sid and Tom Lorance, and Mrs. Mollie Farmer, Mrs. Carrie McElroy, Mrs. Cecil DeVier and Ollie. Mrs. Lorance and the youngest daughter, Ollie, both died near Doans in 1904.
D. M. FerebeeA True-Blue Democrat Comes to Wilbarger in 1888
D. M. Ferebee, the subject of this sketch, was born in North Carolina September 19, 1861. He landed in Wilbarger County in November, 1888. On July 27, 1892, he was married to Miss Tunnie Bell Middlebrook. Mrs. Ferebee is a native of Texas. She was born in Lavaca County in 1873. To this union ten children were born, two of whom died in infancy. The children living include: Mrs. Arthur (Eula) Haley, Minnie Ferebee, Mrs. Walter (Clyde) Taylor, Claude Ferebee, Lyda Bell Ferebee, Edward Lee Ferebee, Bill Ferebee and D. M. Ferebee, Jr.
Mr. Ferebee, in speaking of his arrival in Wilbarger County, has the following to say:
"I landed in Wilbarger County in 1888 and settled in the south part of the county in block 2, section 60, on the H. & T. C. Survey. I have stole many loads of wood and hauled it twenty-five miles to town and traded it for a sack of flour, a package of Arbuckle Coffee and a pound of Battle Ax Chewing Tobacco. I would then go home happy."
At the conclusion of our interview with Mr. Ferebee, he said: "Put her down that I have always voted a Democratic ticket."
J. W. CarringtonVeteran Peace Officer Came Here in 1882
J. W. Carrington, veteran peace officer of the county, arrived in Wilbarger County in 1882. He was a native of Tennessee and came to Texas in 1870, settling in Collin County. He was married to Miss Bess Crawford, a native of Kentucky, who came to Texas and also settled in Collin County.
Mr. Carrington served as city marshal for two years. He was a deputy under Johnnie Williams for five years and jailer four of the five years. He served as deputy sheriff under Jim Key and while W. A. Ish was sheriff he was deputy and jailer for four years. Since that time he has served as deputy under Frank Edmonson and R. L. Rheay.
Perhaps no other man knows more of the criminal happenings in Wilbarger County than does Mr. Carrington and yet he seldom mentions any of them. He began serving as an officer in the days when horses and buggies were the chief means of travel and had many interesting experiences during the early days.
In talking about the early days, Mr. Carrington told of once getting some bank robbers out of Oklahoma into Texas. The bank at Harrold had been robbed and he, with Sheriff Williams trailed the robbers over into Oklahoma, finally capturing the men north of Frederick.
A number of Frederick people were crowded about the depot at train time. Al Jennings, who was practicing law in Oklahoma at that time, was also at the depot with papers to serve on Mr. Williams to keep him from bringing the men back to Texas. Rain had fallen all night and the roads were very muddy. Before reaching Frederick, Mr. Williams told Mr. Carrington to go on in and catch the train and he would take the prisoners to Davidson and put them on there, as he knew Mr. Jennings was trying to keep them from coming back to Vernon.
When the train pulled in Mr. Carrington got on, and so did Jennings. He wanted to know where Johnnie Williams was and Carrington told him that he ought to be there pretty soon. The train moved on. When it reached Davidson Mr. Williams put the prisoners in the smoking car with Mr. Carrington and he remained on the back end of the train. Mr. Carrington stood guard at the door of the smoker with a .45 until the train reached the middle of the bridge across Red River and then he told the lawyer to come on in, while Mr. Williams came on through the train to the front end. Mr. and Mrs. Carrington have six children: Mrs. Nell Null and Leland Carrington of Oklahoma City, Mrs. G. W. Moseley of California, and Jake, Jack and Jim Carrington of Vernon.
W. C. CreagerW. C. Creager Sold Wool At 5 Cents Pound
Mr. and Mrs. W. C. Creager came to Wilbarger County in 1883 and settled two and a half miles southeast of Vernon. He freighted lumber from Henrietta to build their home. Mr. Creager was born in Texas. Mrs. Creager, who, before her marriage was Miss Elvira Melissa Clayton, was born in South Carolina and moved to Grayson County, Texas, while a girl After leaving Sherman they moved to Clay County where they lived a short time before coming to Wilbarger County.
Mr. Creager bought 2,000 head of sheep and farmed in addition to looking after the flock. In 1886 he and Mrs. Creager moved to Vernon and operated a boarding house for a number of years on the corner where the present city hall now stands. In 1891 they moved back to the farm and the flock of sheep had increased to 5,000 head and were grazed between Beaver Creek and the Wichita River. G. A. Creager said that his father sold wool at 5 to 10 cents a pound in those days. In talking of the early days, he said that the years from 1884 to 1887 and 1892 to 1896 were hard ones. When the family came to the county there were few houses east of Vernon. Their nearest neighbors were the Capps family; others in that part of the county were the Davis and Byars families.
The sheep were sold in 1896 and in those days it was not an uncommon sight to see antelope grazing in among the sheep. The cowboys rode ahead of the cattle with their canteens so that they could fill them with water as it was very scarce in some parts of the county.
W. C. and A. Y. Creager freighted between Henrietta and Wichita Falls while Mrs. Creager and the children looked after the farm work. All of the children finished in the schools of Vernon. The first school they attended was in a building near where the Cy Long buildings on Pease Street are located and Prof. Nye was teacher. The next school building was on the present site of the First Methodist Church and the next where the old junior high now stands.
Mr. and Mrs. Creager are survived by the following children: A. Y. and W. P. Creager of Sherman, B. C. Creager of Electra, G. A. Ceager of Vernon and Mrs. Ruth C. Lewis of Denver, Colo.
J. P. HamiltonMr. and Mrs. J.P. Hamilton
(By J. E. COLLINS)
No one of the long list of Wilbarger County pioneer citizens deserve more honorable mention than Mr. and Mrs. J. P. Hamilton. Mr. Hamilton was born in Lewis County, Missouri, in December, 1844, and grew up on a farm owned by his father. At the outbreak of the Civil War, that section of the country was almost equally divided between Northern and Southern sympathizers, and so strong was the sentiment that neutrality was impossible a man must declare himself for one side or the other.
The Hamilton family cast their lot with the South, and young Jim, the subject of this sketch, at the age of seventeen, with the consent and approval of his parents, enlisted in the Confederate Army, where he served with distinction for four years, under both Generals Price and Van Dorn. He was twice cited for outstanding courage in action, and was severely wounded at the Battle of Blue Ridge.
Mr. Hamilton held no enmity in his heart, but was a Democrat of the old school, ever loyal to his beloved Southland, and to his comrades in arms, often assisting them in a material way.
Soon after the close of the war Mr. Hamilton was married to Miss Eva Smith of a pioneer Missouri family, and she was for fifty years, wife, partner and helpmeet to her husband. In 1872 Mr. and Mrs. Hamilton emigrated to Texas, settling in Grayson County. In 1886 they moved with their family to Wilbarger County and established a home in what is now known as the Sherwood community. A ranch house was built and their cattle turned loose on the thousands of acres of rich grass lands surrounding them.
Mr. Hamilton as early as 1890 saw the possibilities of farming in this western country, and began breaking out sod land and raising grain and feed on a large scale.
There was born to Mr. and Mrs. Hamilton, twelve children: T. A., L. G. and Claude, Mrs. Betty Pettit, and Mrs. Eva Ross, all of this county; J. E., of Lubbock, Cleve of Plainview, Robert of Wichita Falls, Irvin of Hereford, Mrs. Sallie Johnson of California, and Mrs. Liza Tolbert and Mrs. Willie Irons, the last two deceased. As real citizens and real developers of the community, none stand higher than the Hamilton family.
Mr. Hamilton passed on in 1921, meeting the end with the same courage with which he met all the problems of life. His fine sense of honor and fair dealing with his fellowmen were traits of character that won the respect and esteem of all who knew him. His success in life was built on the foundation of honesty, tireless industry, faith in self and patience in results.
Mrs. Hamilton is living quietly in the little village of Odell where she is noted and loved for her neighborly kindness, hospitality and charity towards those in distress. Although advanced in years, she is mentally alert and active, and enjoys talking with old friends of the days when Wilbarger County was young.
Jim SandersonSanderson Family Became Citizens in 1887
The late Jim Sanderson, with his wife and two children, Nellie and Tom Sanderson, came to Wilbarger County in 1887 from Tarrant County. The Sanderson family located on land they bought north of Pease River in the neighborhood generally known now as the Sherwood community. Only a few families resided in that section of the county at that time. The Sanderson's closest neighbors were the J. P. Hamilton family, the John Hull family and the C. S. and D. B. Rogers families. Their post office was Doans.
While a citizen of this county, Mr. Sanderson devoted his time to stock raising and farming. He died in Canada several years ago. His wife, now Mrs. Callie Hilliard, was married to A. M. Hilliard in 1917. Mrs. Hilliard is still in possession of her farm land in the Sherwood neighborhood, but lives with her husband in a nice home at Odell. Her daughter, who is now Mrs. Nellie Irons, lives at Fort Worth. The son, Tom Sanderson, was burned to death in Vernon in 1920, when a gasoline explosion in a tailor shop on Pease Street, killed him and two other men.
Mr. and Mrs. J. R. RossMr. and Mrs. Ross
(By J. E. COLLINS)
We consider it a privilege indeed to be permitted to pay a small tribute to those pioneer citizens, Mr. and Mrs. J. R. Ross.
Mr. and Mrs. Ross came to Vernon in 1889 from Ac worth, Ga. After living in the city for a short time they moved to the north side of the county, where they were prominently identified with the people of that community for nearly forty years. In 1893 the failure of two banks deprived Mr. Ross of every dollar he possessed. He didn't waste any valuable time bemoaning his loss, but went bravely to work to provide for his family. The most serious comment he was heard to make was that the banks seemed determined to place him at the head of the "rabbit twisters" association.
The next few years were marked by drought, sand storms, hot winds, and crop failures, but these misfortunes did not discourage these hardy pioneers they still held an optimistic view of the future of West Texas and especially Wilbarger County.
During these lean, dry years, this good man and his wife never neglected to attend the little church, known at the time as Doans Chapel. This church was an old saloon building moved from Doans to a high point on the D. B. Rogers farm. The six-shooter holes were plugged, the house overhauled, painted and made comfortable. During all the years that it stood, it was never given a denominational name, but was simply known as the church, and all denominations were welcome to use it for worship.
The Ross home was a center of social activity in the community, and they were ever ready to extend help to those more unfortunate than themselves.
Mr. Ross was one of the first to see the possibilities of West Texas as a cotton country and was one of the first farmers in the county to plant a large acreage to cotton, he having in the meantime purchased valuable farm lands in the Doans community.
In 1924 Mr. and Mrs. Ross celebrated their golden wedding at their home in Odell. All their children were present on that occasion: A. S. Ross, Charles P. Ross and J. B. Ross of Vernon, H. A. Ross, Miss Maude Ross, Mrs. H. B. Turner of Odell, and Mrs, C. E. Sears of Fargo. None of the Ross family have ever seen fit to hunt a better country than Wilbarger County.
Bob Ross in his long and useful life has never knowingly wronged anyone. Ably seconded by his good wife, he performed his duty fully and completely in the exercise of all the privileges and opportunities which good citizenship means to the individual, and therefore has been a contributor in both word and conduct to all the influences and forces which have in a few short years transformed a treeless, grass-covered plain, into a land of prosperous and happy homes.
He is a man of wonderful faith; he believes in God; he believes in men; he believes in institutions; he believes in the virtues which men and women struggle to attain; he believes in little children whose lives will build and adorn the civilization just ahead.
Mrs. Ross died at her home in Odell, May 7, 1929.
Mrs. T. H. HollowayTown of Odell on Holloway Estate
Living at Odell today at one of the nicest and most improved homes in that little city is Mrs. T. H. Holloway, whose citizenship in that community dates back to 1888.
Mrs. Holloway, with her husband, the late T. H. Holloway, came to Wilbarger County from Limestone County and bought the land on which a greater portion of the town of Odell is now built.
Wanderers Creek, which stream derives its name from the fact that it has a wandering course, from where it heads to where it empties into Red River, crosses a greater part of the Holloway estate. Mrs. Holloway, with her children that are living today, no doubt can recall many an early-day fish fry that took place in their pasture on the banks of this creek.
Children of Mr. and Mrs. Holloway are: Mrs. P. L. Hart, Mrs. C. D. Shelton, Mrs. A. C. Flowers and H. M. Holloway, all of Odell, and Mrs. Jim Leak, Vernon.
J. P. OrrJ. P. Orr an Influential Citizen as Lawyer and Editor in Pioneer Days
Probably no other early day citizen of Wilbarger County was more active in the county's development than the subject of this sketch.
Judge J. P. Orr, now residing at Altus, Okla., was born at Hamersville, Brown County, Ohio, February 8, 1850. Like many other young men of his age who desired the advantages of a new country, on March 1, 1877, he landed in Texas and located at Oak Grove, in Tarrant County. He remained in that section of the state until 1882 when he arrived in Wilbarger County to make his home. Judge Orr was a very young lawyer at that time, but he no doubt possessed some striking qualifications for county Attorney, for the records show he was elected county attorney in November, 1882. Following the expiration of his term as county attorney, he took the oath of office as county judge in 1884. The records also show that he was again elected county judge in 1892.
While in 1927 a new county court house was built at a cost of $275,000 to replace the old structure on the public square in Vernon, yet the county records will always show that Judge Orr let the contract for the county's first court house which was built in 1886.
During Judge Orr's early day citizenship in this county he was a strong advocate for good schools. Away back in those days he was instrumental in Vernon voting a 20-cent additional school tax, which was the first school district in Texas voting a tax of this kind to supplement the state school fund. Vernon's first cemetery was located near the site where the Frisco depot now stands. It was during Judge Orr's tenure of office as county judge that the city's burial ground was moved and established east of town.
Not only as a lawyer, and around the county court, was Judge Orr's influence felt in Wilbarger County. In 1894 he established "The Vernon Globe," a weekly newspaper in Vernon and through the influence of his paper as an editor, he worked for the betterment of Vernon and Wilbarger County. Along about that time he advocated and assisted in the organization of the first commercial club in Vernon. Judge Orr continued the publication of The Globe until the first railroad reached Altus. He then moved his printing plant to Altus and established a weekly newspaper there and called it "The Altus News." He continued the publication of this last named paper until a few years ago.
He is now serving his district at Altus as justice of the peace. Hale and hearty for a man of his age, Judge Orr frequently visits relatives and friends in Vernon and still enjoys talking to them about early days in Wilbarger County.
L. C. WinesAssisted in Building First Light Plant in Vernon
L. C. Wines was born in Clarksville, Tenn., and moved to Texas in 1882, first settling at Piano. Mrs. Wines, who, before her marriage, was Miss Lizzie Jouett, was also born in Tennessee and came to Texas in 1879 and settled at Piano. She was married to Albert Fowler and after hi? death was married to Mr. Wines.
From Piano Mr. Wines moved to Denton County where he lived a while before moving to Wilbarger County in the fall of 1887. He lived in Vernon for thirty years and now resides at Brownfield, Texas.
Mr. Wines helped build the first electric light and ice plant in Vernon. He was engineer at the Vernon Mill when it was owned by C. M. Bivins. The mill was later sold and known as the Kell-Houssels MilL He also helped remodel an old planing mill into a cotton gin. This first gin was a two-sixty saw plant. At that time cotton was brought to Vernon to be ginned from Mangum, Altus and as far away as Rodger Mill County, Oklahoma. The total ginning for the first season was one hundred and eighty bales. The year before the gin was built, Wm. Crutchfield bought most of the seed cotton raised in the county and hauled it to Wichita Falls. Mr. Wines said that during those years people said that Wilbarger County would never raise enough cotton to justify the erection of a gin.
Mr. Wines joined the Masonic Lodge, the officers at the time being S. W. Lomax, Worshipful Master; T. J. Youngblood, Senior Warden, and E. T. Murchison, Junior Warden. He states that the first doctor he knew in the county was the late Dr. H. H. Rhoads. His first vote was cast for R. S. Kelly for mayor while John Hammond was city marshaL Everyone knew everybody else in those days and called them by their first names. Mr. Wines was employed on the Frisco Railroad during its construction from Vernon into Oklahoma.
All the children of Mr. and Mrs. Wines attended Vernon schools and later several taught in the schools. The children are Mrs. Bertha (Carl) Muller and H. W. Fowler of Oklahoma, Mrs. Mary (Earl) Anthony, Mrs. Lizzie (R. L.) Bowers and Mrs. Nannie (W. D. T.) Storey, all of Brownfield, and Oscar Fowler of Vernon.
H. H. RhoadsDr. and Mrs. Rhoads Came to Vernon in 1885
Dr. and Mrs. H. H. Rhoads came to Vernon from Aubrey, Denton County, in December, 1885. He was born in Macon County, Tennessee, and was graduated from the medical department of Vanderbilt University in 1877 and from the University of Nashville in 1880. After finishing his school work he went to Denton County and "hung out his shingle."
Mrs. Rhoads, whose maiden name was Missouri Price Dawkins, was a native of Missouri and moved to Texas from Huntsville, Mo., in 1876. Dr. Rhoads' brother, Jim Rhoads, had already moved to Vernon and later he came here to live. The doctor practiced from Greer County in Oklahoma on*the north to the Wichita River on the south, and from Electra west as far as Childress. He traveled on horseback a great deal of the time and by buggy. He had a team of ponies that could be driven hard all day and numerous trips into Oklahoma were made in a day, leaving Vernon early in the morning and returning by dark. He continued to use his horse and buggy up until a few years before his death on March 9, 1928.
Pay for his services was good in those early days. In 1927, Dr. Rhoads told of his early days and how he collected his fees. Wood, cows guns, plows, wagons, etc., were stock in trade, if a man did not have money. He made it a rule to have a man pay something, even if it was practically useless to him, for it made a friend and left the patient satisfied. While practicing in Denton County the doctor had a partner who, in the fall of the year, would get a wagon and a pair of scales and go into the fields of those who were in debt to them and take as much cotton as was required to pay the bill. After it was gathered in they would gin it and sell it to get their money. So, in later years. Dr. Rhoads continued this practice.
The doctor said that wild game was plentiful in this country in the early days. On his drives across the county all kinds of wild animals could be seen. Calls were made by horseback instead of by phone. When anyone became sick some of the family would get on a horse and ride into town after the doctor. The doctors always carried saddle-bags with an emergency supply of drugs in them and if their patient lived in the country they would leave enough medicine to do until someone could go to town and have prescriptions filled. Dr. Rhoads kept his saddle-bags in his office for many years after he quit riding horseback.
Dr. Rhoads was county health officer for over forty years with the exception of one or two terms. One term the late Dr. J. E. Dodson was health officer and another term the late Dr. H. R. White held the office.
When the Farmers State Bank was organized, Dr. Rhoads was elected president and held that office until his death in 1928. In addition to his interest in the bank, he had large land holdings in the county.
Mrs. Rhoads and three children all live in Vernon. They are Mrs. K. H. Nichols, Miss Irma Rhoads and Emory Rhoads.
D. B. Rogers
C. S.RogersD. B. and C. S. Rogers Were Early Doans Settlers
Back in the '80s, when there were but very few houses in the extreme northern part of Wilbarger County, two brothers, with their wives who were sisters, came from Stephenville, in Erath County, bought land and located in that country. One of the brothers was D. B. Rogers, the other, C. S. Rogers. One of them settled on school land and the other on rail-road land.
Both brothers are now dead. D. B. Rogers, familiarly known in his community as "Uncle Dan," died in 1916. His brother, C. S., died at his home in Vernon in 1920.
The widows of these two men are still living. One of them, Mrs. Mary Rogers, wife of D. B., still lives at their old home place. Her sister, Mrs. C. S. Rogers, lives in Vernon.
Children living of Mrs. C. S. Rogers are Mrs. Etta Wright, Mrs. Ola Coleman, Misses Callie and Allie Rogers, Denny Rogers and Cecil Rogers.
Two nephews and a niece of Mr. and Mrs. D. B. Rogers, came from Erath County in the early '90s to live with them. They are Will and Hamp Smith and Venie Smith.
W. H. EvansW. H. Evans Came to County in 1888
Mr. and Mrs. W. H. Evans were among the early day settlers who came to Vernon in the 80's. They arrived in 1888 and for a number of years Mr. Evans was in the grocery and fuel business.
He was born in Alabama and moved to Arkansas where he lived for a number of years. While living in that state he was married to Miss Alice Cochran, also a native of Alabama who had moved to Arkansas. Shortly after their marriage they came to Texas and settled in Grayson County.
Mr. Evans owned considerable business property at the time of his death in 1927. Upon the death of Mrs. Evans in March, 1931, the estate was divided among relatives as they had no children.
Joseph SchmidtVernon's First Hotel Man Arrives in 1882
(By J. E. COLLINS)
Joseph Schmidt is one of few men who came to Wilbarger County in an early day, and has made this his permanent home.
Mr. Schmidt was born in Wurtenburg, Germany, in 1845. Early in life he had a great desire to see America, and when nineteen years of age left the old home and landed in New York in 1864, with $2.50 in his pocket. This was just before the close of the Civil War, and Mr. Schmidt says he was offered more money than he thought was in the (world, to enter the army as a substitute. He was offered $1,500 in gold but declined with thanks, stating that he left the old home to avoid military service; had no grievance against the South and would not agree to shoot men for a money consideration-
He obtained employment in an migrant's hotel where he worked for several months, later going to St, Louis. He then moved to Fort Griffin, Texas, where he lived for a number of years before coming to Vernon in 1882.
Mr. Schmidt built the first hotel in Vernon, hauling the lumber from Gainesville. This was the first hotel to use China dishes human dishes, the cowboys called them. All eating places previous to this time used tinware.
Mr. Schmidt, for many years, was active in various business enterprises. He was a stockholder in the first bank organized in Vernon. He helped to promote and build Vernon's first waterworks, and helped in building a street car line running from the Fort Worth and Denver depot to what is now Wilbarger Street. Neither of these enterprises were profit-able, and in 1893 the standpipe was torn down, the water mains dug up, the street car line was taken up, the cars sold for shoe shops and the balance of the equipment sold as junk.
Mr. Schmidt built the first ice house in Vernon. Ice, cut from a lake near town, was stored in sufficient amount to furnish his hotel during the summer. He donated ice for the first picnic held in Vernon.
Mr. Schmidt, at the age of 85, has retired from active business and is living on his farm just outside the city limits. In his beautiful home, with books, papers and magazines, he is spending his declining years in peace and happiness. He is a friend to all men, and visitors to his home are always given a truly typical western welcome. He has his own philosophy of life, his own ideas of religion.
He believes war should Be outlawed among civilized people; he believes in education and a high standard of living. He sees a great future for Vernon and Wilbarger County.
Carl ZipperleFrom Germany to U. S. A. in 1870
Leaving Germany in 1870, where he was born, the late Carl Zipperle landed in the United States and located at Little Rock, Ark. Residing at Little Rock for two years, he then came on into Texas in 1872. He settled in Wilbarger County in 1887 and made this community his home until he died in Vernon in June, 1930. Mrs. Zipperle died in Vernon in October, 1914.
Mr. Zipperle followed the butchering business in Vernon for 17 years. Besides giving his attention to his butcher trade, he owned and looked after three fine farms in this county.
Children of Mr. and Mrs. Zipperle are: Carl Zipperle, Fred Zipperle, (Pauline) Mrs. Roy Andrews and (Katherine) Mrs. Jim Jackson.
D. P. Sink, Sr.Sink Started Photograph Studio in Tent
Mr. and Mrs. D. P. Sink, Sr., arrived in Vernon in March, 1889, from Calvert and in a few days Mr. Sink opened a photograph studio in a tent on the site now occupied by the city hall The day they landed in Vernon a terrific sandstorm was blowing.
He was born in North Carolina and came to Texas in 1878 and settled at Calvert. Mrs. Sink was born in Walker County, Texas, and moved with her parents to Calvert where she was reared. She was married to Mr. Sink in that city.
Mr. Sink continued in the studio business until 1919 when he sold out to R. B. Clifton and in 1920 the family went to California to make their home. Mr. Sink died in the spring of 1931.
Mrs. Sink said, "On Main Street proper were some frame building" full of bullet holes from the pistols of cowboys who came to Vernon on pay day and would practice on the houses as they rode down the street. Some of my neighbors told me that they covered the windows at night to keep them from shooting out their lights." She also told of the vast herds of cattle driven through Vernon on their way to Kansas markets.
Mr. and Mrs, Sink have four children who were reared in Vernon and now living in California. They are: D. P. Sink, Jr., Mrs. M. C. Strickland, Mrs. G. M. Minikes and P. B. Sink.
Source: Early-Day History Of Wilbarger County Published By The Vernon Times Vernon, Texas 1933President of the First State Bank of Chillicothe, Elbert Jasper Randel began his career in Texas, by taking a contract for grubbing the stumps on a piece of land at fifty cents a day. He has farmed and has been connected with business affairs in a progressive success from that time to the present, and is now one of the leading men in business and civic affairs in Hardeman county.
Albert Jasper Randel was born in Perry county, in middle Tennessee, March 1, 1858. His ancestry on the paternal side is Scotch, the first members having settled in North Carolina. On the maternal side he is of English descent, and that branch of the family became early settlers of Tennessee. His father, John M. Randel was born in Perry county, Tennessee, and in January, 1878, moved to Texas, locating in Lamar county, where he was a farmer. He had a very prominent place in public affairs in different counties of North Texas, having served as county commissioner of Cooke county, and for sixteen years was a justice of the peace in Hardeman county, also serving four years as county commissioner in the latter. He was town site agent for the firm of Montgomery & Dodge, the town builders of Chillicothe. During the war he had enlisted from Perry county, Tennessee, in General Forrest's command, was second lieutenant of his company, and served throughout the last three years of the war. He was never wounded or captured, but once was knocked down by the explosion of a cannon, though only slightly injured. His death occurred June '2, 1910, at Chillicothe, in his seventy- sixth year. In politics he was a Democrat, and was a member of the Missionary Baptist Faith. His wife was Susan J. Whitwell, a native of Perry county, Tennessee, and who died in Cooke county, Texas, in 1883. Of her five children, the Chillicothe banker was the oldest.
As a boy he went to school in Tennessee, and lived at home on a farm and attended school until he was about nineteen years old. He then started out on his own account, and his first work was that already described, the toilsome labor of grubbing. He then contracted to work by the year on a farm at sixteen dollars a month. He located on a farm in Lamar county, renting the place, and making several profitable crops before he made his first purchase of land. From 1879 to the
present time he has been chiefly known as a farmer and stock raiser in Texas, and has important landed interests in Wilbarger county. On January 12 1909 he organized the First State Bank of Chillicothe, of which he was a stockholder and director until June 13 1911, at which date he was elected president. He is known as a conservative business man, and has made the First State Bank an institution deserving of the confidence in which it is held by the business community.
Mr. Randel has served four years as county commissioner of Wilbarger county, and is one of the Democratic leaders of this county. He is affiliated with the Blue Lodge and Royal Arch Chapter of Masonry, and his church is the Missionary Baptist. In Lamar county, Texas, on December 5, 1880, he married Miss Martha Alice Rose, a native of Tennessee, and a daughter of B. L. Rose. They have four living children, and two are deceased, namely: Cora A., wife of A. D. Baker, of Spur, Texas; C. H. Randel, a fanner in Wilbarger county; Ida E., wife of J. W. Clock, of Paducah Texas; John L. Randel.
From the time he was a boy, Louis Thomas Randel has been engaged in those practical activities which constitute the serious work of the world, and with only his own resources and labors to depend upon has made himself a factor in the business life of his community, and is one of the substantial and influential citizens of his home town of Chillicothe, in Hardeman county.
Louis Thomas Randel was born December 23, 1865, in Perry county, Tennessee. His parents were John M. and Susan J. (Whitwell) Randel, he being one of the younger of their five children. His ancestry on the paternal side is Scotch, the first members of the family having settled in North Carolina. On the mother's side the ancestry is English. John M. Randel, the father, was born in Perry county, Tennessee, and moved to Texas with his family in January, 1878, locating in Lamar county, where he was a farmer. He had a prominent part in public affairs, serving as county commissioner of Cooke county, and for four years as county commissioner of Hardeman county, and for sixteen years was justice of the peace of Hardeman county. During the war he was a soldier under General Forrest, being second lieutenant of his company, and saw hard service during the last three years of the war. He was never wounded or captured. The latter years of his life were spent at Chillicothe, where he died June 2, 1910, in his seventy-sixth year. He was a Democrat and a member of the Missionary Baptist Church. His wife died in Cooke county, Texas, in 1883.
Louis T. Randel was reared partly in his native state, and partly in Texas, where he has lived since 1878. He received a large part of his education in the public schools of Gainesville, in Cooke county, and started out on his own account, at the age of seventeen. His first work was on a ranch, and he rode the range as a cowboy and in other occupations for ten years in the employ of others. He next took up farming on his own account in Hardeman county, and continued in that line very successfully until 1908. He then established himself in Chillicothe, where he was elected to the office of public weigher, and since that time has discharged the duties of that office in Chillicothe. In March, 1909, he also established a coal and grain business at Chillicothe, and is the largest dealer in those lines in this town.
Mr. Randel is affiliated with the Woodmen of the World, the Modern Order of Pretorians, is a deacon in the Baptist church, and has always interested himself in Democratic politics. In Wilbarger county, on December 26, 1895, Mr. Randel was married to Miss Lessie Allred, a daughter of J. L. Allred. They have had three children, two sons and one daughter, the latter being now deceased. The sons are Lesley Floyd and James Leroy.
Reger, Howard J., M.D.
A physician and surgeon with a broad and ample experience in his profession, Dr. Howard J. Reger since March 1911, has been practicing at Vernon, and is one of the leaders in his profession in northwest Texas. He is a grandson, through his mother, of Dr. Hillary Ryan, who was distinguished as one of the pioneer physicians and surgeons of this state.
Dr. Howard J. Reger was born in Burleson County, Texas, April 11, 1870, a son of Granville Jarvis and Xanthia Zenobia (Ryan) Reger. His father, a native of West Virginia, came to Texas in an early date, after the Civil war, located in Burleson County, where he lived until his death in 1875. During the Civil war he had served as lieutenant of Cavalry in a West Virginia regiment, going through from the first year until the close of hostilities, and was in the command of Col. Cochran. He was well known as a merchant, and was also a musician of considerable ability. The doctor's mother was born in Texas, was reared, educated and married in this state, and is now living at Fort Worth at the age of sixty-three. She is now the wife of T. H. McMahan, of that city. Of the three children in the Reger family the doctor was the first.
He grew up in Burleson and Mitchell counties, attended the public schools at Caldwell, in the former county, and at Colorado City in the latter, and while still a boy took up the responsibilities of life and by his own labors found his way eventually into a professional career. He entered Centenary College at Lampasas, but left before graduation. Later he became a student in the Texas Christian University, now located at Fort Worth, and graduated in 1902. In October, 1903, he became an interne and house surgeon of St. Joseph's infirmary at Fort Worth, remaining with that institution until November 1904. At Fort Worth he was engaged in general practice until 1906, in which year he moved to Dalhart, but after a short time returned to the former city and became an assistant in practice to Dr. Saunders, the eminent surgeon of that city. In March 1911, Dr. Reger moved to Vernon, and since that time has built up an excellent local practice. He has membership in the Wilbarger County Medical Society.
Dr. Reger is prominent in Masonic circles, having taken his Blue Lodge and Royal Arch degrees at Fort Worth, Texas, and also the orders of Knights Templar there. Ho is a past high priest of the Fort Worth Chapter, and past commander of Worth Commandery, No. 19. He demitted and is now commander of Vernon Commandery No. 33, K. T. He is also a member of the Dallas Consistory of Scottish Rite Masonry, No. 2, and a Thirty-second degree Mason, and also a Shriner in the Hella Temple of Dallas. In politics the Doctor is a Democrat, and he worships in the Presbyterian faith.
At Fort Worth on October 23, 1906, Dr. Reger married Miss Lena May Smythey, a daughter of James and Ellen Smythey, both of whom are deceased. Dr. Reger is fond of outdoor life, and is a broad minded young physician, whose successful accomplishments presage a large field of useful service for the future.
[A history of Texas and Texans, Volume 4 by Francis White Johnson, 1914 –
Transcribed by AFOFG]
