Judge Charles C. Dunagan

 

 

Judge Charles C. Dunagan has just finished a four years' term in the office of County Judge of Delta county, Texas,' and is now a retired resident of Cooper. His more than three score years have been passed in Texas, within twenty-five miles of his birthplace. As a representative citizen who has from time to time had varied interests and who has been honored by his fellow citizens with official preferment, his biography is of interest in this connection, and, briefly, is as follows: Judge Dunagan's father, Absalom Dunagan, was a native of Tennessee, born about 1822. He accompanied his parents to Missouri, in childhood, and grew up in Livingston county, that State, from whence, in 1848, he came to Texas. It appears that he reached his majority without the advantage of schooling and that he depended upon his daily labor for support. He was among the 49ers who mined for gold on the West coast. He was married just before his departure for the Pacific region, and leaving his wife behind, he accompanied a party of adventurers from Lamar county, Texas, with a drove of cattle for the mining camps of the coast. The caravan was several weeks upon the. sinuous and dusty trail across the American Sahara, now and then parleying with the Indians and now and then fighting them off-, but ever moving toward the mecca of fabulous fortune-making. The details of his movements in the Golden State are not accessible now, but he mined with indifferent success for a time and then returned home by way of the Isthmus of Panama and New Orleans. He seems to have been the sole representative of his family in Texas. He left brothers in Livingston county, Missouri, but we are unable to present their names here. During the Civil war he served as a member of Colonel Good's regiment from Texas. He exercised the functions of citizenship without official experience and owned to a decent respect for democratic policies and professions; but he held communion with no church or creed. His wife, Margaret (Campbell) Dunagan, was a daughter of James Campbell, a stock man and farmer who had come from Alabama to this State. She was born in Alabama, in 1833, and was about ten years of age at the time of their removal to Texas. Mr. Dunagan passed away on his farm in 1873. near where the hamlet of Atlas now stands, and his good wife survived him until 1899. Their children in order of birth are as follows: Charles C., whose name introduces this sketch; William A., of Lamar county, Texas; James C., of Paris, Texas; Carroll A., of Texarkana. Texas; Mattie, who became the wife of a Mr. Walker, died at Paris, Texas; Horace B., of Big Springs, Texas; Thomas J., who died in Lamar county; Simeon B., of Paris, and Alice, who died in Paris as Mrs. John Lillard. Thus Absalom Dunagan left a numerous family to perpetuate his name and carry on the work of subjugating Nature in Lamar and Delta counties. Charles C. Dunagan was born December 10, 1851. He passed his minority on his father's farm; made the best of his opportunities for obtaining an education in the country schools near his home, and in 1873 put his learning to "use as a schoolteacher. That year he became master of the Brushy Creek school in Delta county. He taught several terms, his last term being at the Perkins school. At about the age of twenty-four years, Mr. Dunagan took to himself a wife, and soon after his marriage he purchased 110 acres of wild land in Lake Creek community, built a house of two rooms and gallery, which he equipped with barely enough household furniture for two, and here he and his wife began housekeeping. His barn was built of logs, and combined a granary of 1,200 bushels capacity, which he subsequently and frequently filled from his own fields of corn. After he had brought this tract of land under cultivation, he began buying other land in the vicinity, which he also cultivated. He has brought under cultivation some two hundred fifty acres in Delta county, practically one field of cotton and corn, and he has built on his land five farm houses and four barns. In September, 1892, Mr. Dunagan moved to Cooper, where he has since maintained his residence. He came into contact with active politics soon after this removal, and in 1894 was elected justice of the peace. In 1896 he was the choice for county judge and as such succeeded Judge Banister. At the next election his opponent won in the race, and he turned his attention to selling goods. In 1908 he was again the Democratic candidate for county judge, was elected and succeeded Judge J. L. Katliff. In 1910 he was elected to succeed himself, and, as stated at the beginning of this sketch, has recently retired after four years of continuous service in this office. During his term as judge, the commissioners' court, over which he presided, had the important and unusual work of adjusting the expense of the litigation over the office of sheriff, which the Populist incumbent refused to turn over to his successful Democratic competitor. This contest was carried through the court and decided in favor of Mr. Turbeville, the Democrat. Previous to his last term as county Judge, Mr. Dunagan filled the office of mayor of Cooper. And both with his influence and his money he has throughput his residence here contributed to the substantial building of the town. He erected a brick business house among the first in the town, and he also built his home, which is ranked as one of the best residences of the county seat. October 4, 1874, Judge Dunagan was married to Miss Delia Blackwell. a daughter of Page Blackwell. Her grandfather, Joel Blaekwell, with his sons Page, Erastus and Joel, came to Texas from Illinois some time in the 50's and settled in Hopkins county. The daughters of the household were Lucinda, who married William Smith and resides in Sulphur Springs, Texas; Ellen, who married J. P. Boyd and is a resident of Cooper, and Sarah, who became the wife of William Perry, died in Dallas county. Page Blackwell was born in 1821 and died in Cooper in 1912. He married Nancy W. Perry, a daughter of Weston Perry who came here from Illinois. Mrs. Blackwell passed away in 1908. Their children were Mrs. Dunagan, born February 4, 1857; Ella, who married W. B. Batliff, of Cooper; Ida, wife of J. W. Pickens, of Cooper; Erastus P., a farmer of Delta county, and Joel and Commodore who died unmarried. The children of Judge and Mrs. Dunagan are Horace M.. who died in 1896, when nearing his majority; E. Pearl, who died in 1900, at the age of twenty-two years, and Miss Madge. Judge Dunagan at one time was a member of the Baptist Church but is not now affiliated with any religious denomination. He is recognized as a public-spirited citizen, conscientious and sincere, whose word has ever been as good as his bond, and whose influence and means have been important factors in the development of Cooper.

 

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