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Ellis County, Texas
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Waxahachie: Wichita ("waks'ahe:ts'i") - meaning "fat wildcat"
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Biographies
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BEALL, James Andrew (Jack)
(1866—1929)
BEALL, James Andrew (Jack), a Representative from Texas; born on a farm near Midlothian, Ellis County, Tex., October 25, 1866; attended the country schools; taught school in 1884 and 1885; was graduated from the law department of the University of Texas at Austin in 1890; was admitted to the bar the same year and commenced practice in Waxahachie, Ellis County, Tex.; member of the
State house of representatives 1892-1895; served in the State senate 1895-1899;
elected as a Democrat
to the Fifty-eighth and to the
five succeeding Congresses (March 4, 1903-March 3, 1915); chairman, Committee on Expenditures in the Department of Justice (Sixty-second Congress); was not a candidate for renomination in 1914; moved to Dallas, Tex., in 1914 and resumed the practice of law; also engaged in banking; served as president of the Texas Electric Railway Co., from 1921 until his death in Dallas, Tex., on February 12, 1929; interment in Oakland Cemetery.
[Source: Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1771-Present; Contributed by A. Newell]
BUNCH, C. D.
C. D. BUNCH. To hold a public office in Oklahoma is an undoubted honor and the experience, naturally, has its pleasant and its unpleasant phases. To be twice elected county clerk, with scarcely any opposition in the second campaign, is the best evidence of a man 's popularity, his conscientious devotion to the duties of his position and the high quality of his character. This is interesting in the career of C. D. Bunch,
the present county clerk of Coal County, who is probably more
widely known as Dick Bunch, but from the standpoint of making history in Coal County, probably his most interesting experience was as police judge of Lehigh, a position which he held some years ago. Lehigh is a mining town and. naturally, is the home of a large foreign clement, many of whom are given to the infraction of law. Judge Bunch in presiding over his court was an important factor in the maintaining of order and public decorum and in the reformation
of conditions that without proper restraint would have
resulted in much lawlessness and disorder.
C. D. (Dick) Bunch was born in Ellis County, Texas, May 31, 1881, and is a son of E. R. and M. A. (Shires) Bunch. His father, who is a native of Kentucky, was a farmer of Texas, where he was a pioneer and engaged in operations for many years, but is now living with the mother in Coal County, Oklahoma. There were five children in the family, as follows: C. D.,
of this
notice; C.
E., who is a rice farmer at Beaumont, Texas; R. C., who lives at home with his parents on the farm in CoallCounty; Mrs. Addie May Gay, who is the wife of an agriculturist in Pontotoc County, Oklahoma; and Miss Bessie, who is a teacher in the public schools of Coal County.
C. D. Bunch received his rudimentary education in the public schools of Texas, and when he was eighteen years of age began to work on a farm at $15 a month wages. In 1899 he moved to Coal County, Oklahoma, and engaged in the business of ginning cotton, later turned to mercantile pursuits, in which he was successfully engaged for several years, and still later became mine boss at Lehigh. He was elected county clerk in 1912 and reelected in 1914, and attestation
of his efficiency iss
given in the highly complimentary report of the state examiner and inspector of the condition of his books and records at the end of his first term.
Mr. Bunch was married September 4, 1909, at Krebs, Oklahoma, to Miss Sadie Winnett, daughter of a mining engineer at Krebs, who died some time ago. One child has been born to this union: Robert E., who is four years of age. Mr. Bunch has shown some interest in fraternal affairs, being a member of the local lodges of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the L. O. O.
M. and Woodmen. He is also identified with the Coalgate Commercial Club and the Oklahoma Association of County Clerks.He has been prominent since his residence at Coalgate in assisting in the promotion of enterprises calculated to encourage the commercial, social and educational activities of the community, and endeavors to live up to his motto that a man should be truthful, square, honest and careful of his reputation. There are few people in Coal County who are not acquainted with Dick Bunch, and in his wide circle of acquaintances he numbers many warm, sincere friends.
[Source: A standard history of Oklahoma, Volume III, by Joseph B. Thoburn; The American Historical Society; 1916; Transcribed by Andaleen Whitney]
CHESNUTT, Jesse C.
JESSE C. CHESNUTT. In the years that have passed since Jesse C. Chesnutt passed his bar examinations in 1880 and came to Henrietta to establish himself in the practice of his profession, he has seen many and varied changes in the life and times of the community. He has played well his part in the matter of public service, and has filled numerous public offices in line with his profession, as well as displaying a well-placed
interest and wielding a good influence in matters
apart from the line of his work. His career here has been one of the utmost activity, and he has held his place among the legal fraternity as becoming one of his talents and abilities.
A native son of Tennessee, Jesse C. Chesnutt was born in Hamilton county, on July 14, 1857, and is the son of Robert N. and Minerva E. Watkins Chesnutt, both born in Tennessee. The father came to Texas in 1876, and followed farming all his life. He was a man of progressive ideas, even beyond his time, and he always evinced a healthy interest in matters of public import. He was city councilman of Ennis,
his home town, for more
than ten years, and was altogether one of the most esteemed
men of his time. He was a member of the Baptist church and a devout Christian, living openly the truths that he was taught in his religious training. He died on April 13, 1898, aged sixty-eight years, and is buried at Ennis, in Ellis county. His widow still lives, and is one of the most active and devoted members of the Baptist church of Henrietta, where she now resides and makes her home with her son, the subject of this review, and where she is accorded every consideration
and homage due to her age and her
position. Of the three children born to the parents, Jesse Chesnutt is the eldest and the sole survivor. When the family came to Texas in 1876 they settled in Ellis county, and Mr. Chesnutt still owns the old homestead where they resided for so many years.
Jesse C. Chesnutt was nineteen years old when the family migrated into Texas, and he went from the Tennessee home to Dalton, Georgia, where he engaged in farming activities for four years, coming for the first time to Texas in 1877. He has resided in the state continuously ever since, and acknowledges his chiefest fealty to the state of his adoption. He gained his early education in private schools in Tennessee, and later in Dalton, Georgia, gained some
further training in book lore.
He remained on the home farm in Ellis, Texas, until he was about twenty-four, after he came from Georgia, and then went to Waxahachie, where he entered the law office of Ferrie & Rainey, with the avowed purpose and intent of studying law. In 1880 he was admitted to the bar, after which he came to Henrietta almost immediately, and here initiated the active practice of his profession.
Mr. Chesnutt has been a power in local political circles in the years of his residence here, and has been chairman of the County Democratic Central Committee for several years. He was county judge for two years, performing a worthy service in that office, and at various times in the years of his residence here has acceptably filled the office of county attorney. Mr. Chesnutt is a member of a number of fraternal and social
organizations, among them the Masons, in which he affiliates
with the Blue Lodge and the Chapter, having gone through all chairs in the former body and filling nearly all offices in the Chapter. He is a member of the Baptist church, of which his parents were long members, his mother still being devoted to her church work.
On December 5th, 1883, Mr. Chesnutt was married to Miss Kate Phelps, a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John Phelps, of Henrietta, but one time of Lexington, Kentucky. Mr. Phelps came to this state from Kentucky in 1880, and since the marriage of his daughter to Mr. Chesnutt has made his home with the family, where he shares in the love and esteem
of all members of the home. He served with honor all through the Mexican war, and later performed a like service in the Civil war in a Tennessee
Regiment as a part of General Lee's army. He is now in his ninety-eighth year, and though the ravages of advanced age are telling daily upon him, he retains much of his mental vigor, and is one of the most interesting characters one could hope to meet.
Mr. Chesnutt is a prominent and popular man in his community and the family share in the esteem and friendship of a wide circle, comprising the best citizenship of the town.
Two children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Chesnutt: Jessie and Robert C. Chesnutt. The son is married and makes his home at Wichita Falls, in Wichita county, this state.
[Source: A history of Texas and Texans, Volume 3; by Francis White Johnson; Published 1914; Transcribed by Andaleen L Whitney]
CRISP, Charles Frederick
CHARLES FREDERICK CRISP.
SOLDIER, DEBATER AND PARLIAMENTARIAN.
CHARLES FREDERICK CRISP, Democratic Speaker of the House, naturally takes his place beside Reed, the famous Republican Speaker. Though the two gentlemen may differ in some respects, it cannot be denied that they resemble each other in their stainless integrity, their genial manner and their great ability. Like General Meade, Charles F. Crisp was born on foreign soil, though his parents were Americans,
temporarily absent from their native land. Consequently their sons were as much Americans as if they first saw
the light on Bunker Hill. Young Crisp was born January 29, 1845, in Sheffield, England, where his parents had gone on a visit, but they returned to America before the son was a year old. They made their home in Georgia, and in that State the son has spent most of his life, with the exception of the brief space mentioned at the beginning.
Young Crisp entered the Confederate service in May, 1861, having just turned his sixteenth year. He was a brave soldier and served with honor for more than three years, as an officer in the Tenth Virginia Infantry. On May 12, 1864, the fortunes of war made Lieutenant Crisp a prisoner, and his residence was in Fort Delaware until June 1865, when he was set free.
Returning to Americus, Crisp took up the study of law and soon acquired a lucrative practice. In 1872, he was appointed solicitor-general of the southwestern judicial circuit and was reappointed in 1873, for a term of four years. The Congressional Directory thus modestly sums up the public career of Mr. Crisp:—
" He located in Americus in 1873; in June, 1877, was appointed judge of the superior court of the same circuit; in 1878 was elected by the general assembly to the same office ; in 1880 was re-elected judge for a term of four years ; resigned that office in September, 1882, to accept the Democratic nomination for Congress; was permanent president of the Democratic convention which assembled in Atlanta in April, 1883, to nominate a candidate for governor; was elected to the Forty-eighth,
Forty-ninth, Fiftieth,
Fifty-first, Fifty-second, and Fifty-third Congresses, and re-elected to the Fifty-fourth Congress as a Democrat, receiving 8,503 votes, against 2,568 votes for George B. White, Populist; was elected Speaker of the House in the Fifty-second and Fifty-third Congresses."
It will thus be noted that Mr. Crisp entered Congress at the age of thirty-eight. He speedily took high rank in that body, and often, during his second term was called to occupy the chair in committee of the whole. He is one of the ablest parliamentary authorities, self-possessed debaters and best informed men in the House. He was a leading participant in the turbulent scenes of the Fifty-first Congress, when the only member as cool as he was Speaker
Reed. His party never did a more
appropriate thing than when,
at the first opportunity, they placed him in the chair as Speaker, and it may be truthfully said that few if any occupants have displayed more ability and judicial fairness than he.
Great as have been the public honors placed upon Mr. Crisp, the most pleasing picture of him is in his own home. He is liked by every one in Americus. When the news reached that town that he had been chosen Speaker, a telegram was sent to him with the announcement that his friends had locked up the chief of police and all his officers for twenty-four hours and had taken possession of the place, that they might have a chance to give proper expression to
their feelings.
Mr. Crisp has been blessed with one of the best of wives, and they have had seven children, of whom only four are living. The eldest daughter is married, and the oldest boy is clerk to his father. Unhappily the mother, shortly after her marriage, was afflicted with rheumatic gout, from which she has never recovered. Her affliction seems to have drawn her children and husband closer to her, and the love borne by all for one another makes the home an ideal one.
The house in the evening is the resort of the young people of Americus. They come together to dance and sing and enjoy themselves. Although Speaker Crisp is neither a singer nor dancer, none finds keener enjoyment in the fun than he. He is very fond of young people, and it follows inevitably that they are equally fond of him. He is thoroughly happy, and holding as he does the esteem and respect of all his neighbors and acquaintances, and with the prospect
of higher political honors
awaiting him, ex-Speaker Crisp
has no excuse for envying the fortunes of any man.
NOTE: Biography of Charles Frederick Crisp include on this site since town of Crisp, Ellis County, Texas was named in his honor.
[Source: ”The Great American Book of Biography: Illustrious Americans”; by a corps of distinguished writers; International Publishing Company; 1896; Transcribed by Andaleen Whitney]
DAVIS, Olney
OLNEY DAVIS. AS a thriving and growing city of the Southwest and an important commercial center of Collin county, Plano has taken a leading part in the business history of Northern Texas and has attracted to it some of the active minds, not only in the various professions, but those capable of controlling financial and business interests. This feature alone is one that has contributed to this municipality's prosperity—the fact that its interests demand
action and ability—for where
men possessing these attributes
congregate, success is sure to follow and a further enlargement of business fields and operating opportunities. No man ever rose above his fellows unless he possessed something more than they—advantages of money, mind, or native ability, and more frequently than not the first plays but a small part, compared with the latter. An illustration of this truth may be found in the career of Olney Davis, president of the Farmers and Merchants National Bank of Plano, a man who has risen because
he has made the most of
his opportunities and who is today the directing head of one of the institutions which is contributing materially to Plano's importance and prosperity.
Mr. Davis is a native son of Texas, having been born in Ellis county, February 17, 1857. His parents, R. A. and M. P. (Sweat) Davis, were natives of Tennessee, who came to Texas in 1852 and located first in Collin county, subsequently moving to a property in Ellis county. There R. A. Davis carried on his operations with slave
labor until the outbreak of the Civil War, during which he enlisted in
the Confederate army and served the last two years of the war, being still in the Gray
when General Lee's surrender
at Appomattox marked the fall of the "Lost Cause." He then returned to the peaceful pursuits of civil life, and continued to carry on his operations in Ellis county until his retirement from active pursuits, several years prior to his death, which occurred at Waxahachie, Texas, in April, 1903. He was a more or less prominent man of his community, serving as county surveyor for several years, and was prosperous in his business operations
because of his industry and good management, combined with strict
integrity. Mrs. Davis died in 1898, having been the mother of six children, of whom four are now living, Olney being the next to the youngest.
The early education of Olney Davis was secured in the public schools of Ellis county, and during this preliminary training he spent much of his time in assisting his father in the work of the homestead place. Later he was a student in the industrial school of the University of Illinois, at Champaign, Illinois, and upon his return home he had his first business experience as a farmer and stock raiser in Collin county.
His ventures in this field proved
eminently satisfactory and prosperous,
but in 1887 he turned
his attention to the field of finance, when he assisted in organizing the Plano National Bank, of which he was made vice president. About 1895 he disposed of his interests in that institution, and in 1900 he directed the organization of the Farmers and Merchants National Bank of Plano, of which he became the first president, a position which he has continued to hold to the present time. Mr. Davis possesses excellent organizing and executive ability. Public confidence is with him;
he has popularized the coffers
of the institution by his wise and conservative direction of its policies, and each year has seen the bank grow in scope and power. He has met each emergency capably, and his associates have learned to depend upon his judgment and foresight. Mr. Davis has always been a Democrat and has at all times given the candidates and policies of his party the benefit of his influence. In 1891 he was chosen by his fellow citizens as chief executive of the city, and occupied the mayoralty chair
until 1896, and during the
five years of his sane and businesslike administration the city grew and developed in size and prosperity. At the present time he is serving his second term as alderman, and is also acting in the capacity of city treasurer. Fraternally, Mr. Davis is connected with the local lodges of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. While his private interests are many, demanding the greater part of his time and attention, Mr.
Davis has ever been ready to give of himself in
the forwarding of movements looking toward the advancement of education and good citizenship.
On April 20, 1881, Mr. Davis was united in marriage with Miss Effie Mathews of Collin county, a daughter of B. F. Mathews, who was one of the early settlers of Collin county, a prominent farmer, and died in 1878. Nine children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Davis, six of whom are now living, as follows: R. A., who is cashier of the Farmers
and Merchants National Bank of Plano and one of the energetic and progressive young business men of the city; Mrs. Edna M. Houston, wife of H.
H. Houston of Teague, Texas,
vice president of the First State Bank of that place and a grandson of Gen. Sam Houston: Miss Maud, a graduate in music of St. Mark's School, Dallas; Miss Vera, also a graduate, in a special course, at St. Mary's school; Miss Pauline, a member of the class of 1914 in the Plano High school and was the honor student of 26, which constituted the class, and Miss Helen, who
is attending the graded schools of this city.
[Source: A history of Texas and Texans, Volume 4; Francis White Johnson; Copyright: 1914 ; Transcribed by Andaleen Whitney]
HAWKINS, B. F.
B. F. Hawkins, deceased, was born in Shelbyville, Indiana, January 18, 1828, a son of William Hawkins, a native of Delaware. The father was educated for a lawyer, but never practiced, and was elected Clerk of the Circuit Court of La Porte County, Indiana, and held that office fifteen years, or until he came to Texas in 1848. He was elected the first Chief Justice of Ellis county in 1850, at the time of the organization
of the county. He was a man of
even temper, good habits, a
member of the Methodist church,
and died in the county in March, 1869. Our subject’s mother, nee Anna Eddy, was a native of New York, and daughter of David Eddy, a farmer and teacher by occupation.
B. F. Hawkins gained but a meager common-school education, receiving the greater part of his training from actual contact with the world and in the Clerk’s office with his father. He became familiar with public business early in life, and at the age of twenty one years he moved to Ellis county, where he was actively identified with the organization, settlement, growth and development of the county from the time of
his coming
until his death. The county
was established by the
Legislature in the winter of 1849-50, there being barely 100 legal voters in the county. Nine commissioners, of whom Mr. Hawkins was one, were appointed to organize it, and after locating the county seat, the election for county officers was held in August, 1860, and Mr. Hawkins was elected county Clerk. For nineteen years he continued to discharge the duties of the office, having been elected ten times, for a term of two years each. In 1869, having
been identified with the Confederacy, he was removed from
office by military authority, on the ground that he was an impediment to reconstruction. He at once became a salesman in the dry-goods house of George F. Marchbanks, at Waxahachie, but a year later began merchandising for himself, and so continued until the fall of 1875. The State then succeeded to the administration of its own affairs, and he was again elected by the people to the office of County Clerk, which position he held by successive re-elections
until his death, which occurred
April 23, 1891. It is
doubtful if there is another instance in the State where one has held office for so great a length of time and so uninterruptedly. Certainly there is not an instance where a public officer has ever given such universal satisfaction, or who carried with him to the grave the entire friendship and love of so many of his fellow citizens. He was an exceedingly pleasant, affable gentleman, kind and accommodating to all alike, attentive to the duties of his office, ready at all times to give advice to those who
sought
his counsel, and willing to share his all with those who stood in the relation of friendship to him. He was not a politician in the partisan sense of the word, but possessed pronounced political convictions, never hesitating to take a stand on any question of public note. In earlier years Mr. Hawkins was a Whig, but after the downfall of that party he cast his fortune with the Democrats, and ever afterward voted and acted with that party. He was a Royal Arch Mason, a Knight of
Honor, and for many years was
a steward in the Methodist church, of which he was a worthy member and did much toward promoting the interest of the church as well as the social and educational interests of the entire community.
Mr. Hawkins was married February 24, 1848, in La Porte, Indiana, to Miss Mary A. Pinnell, a daughter of Wesley Pinnell. She was born in Virginia, January 30, 1828. Her parents died when she was young, and she was then taken by her uncle, Francis C. Pinnell. She was subsequently taken by her sister, who resided in St. Joseph county, Indiana, where she finished her
education. The children born of this union were: Alice T., born December 4, 1848, is now the wife of J. F. Mulkey,
of Dallas; Martha E., born in July, 1851, is the wife of W. A. Calfee, of Waxahachie; Mary M., born in February, 1854, was the wife of John B. Dale, now deceased, and she afterward married Mitch Gray, and resides at Dallas; Eddy P., a sketch of whom appears in this work; Emma E.,
wife
of C.
A. Arnold, of Waxahachie; and Frank Lee, an attorney of Waxahachie. The following proceedings occurred on the death of Mr. Hawkins:
"In memory of B. F. Hawkins, late County Clerk.
"To the members of the Bar and county officers of Ellis county, in an adjourned meeting assembled:
"We have again met to express our profound sorrow at the death of our esteemed friend, B. F. Hawkins, late county Clerk of Ellis county, who on the evening of April 28 last, ended his usefulness and passed from our midst to the unknown realms, whose mysteries each mortal must in time explore.
"The undersigned committee, appointed heretofore on behalf of the bar and county officers of said county, to draft resolutions expressive of their high esteem for our late county Clerk, and their sense of the loss which the bar, his fellow friends and the county has suffered by his death, beg leave to submit the following:
"1st. That in the death of B. F. Hawkins we have each suffered a personal loss, and our county has been deprived of a faithful public servant, whose efficiency will for all time be apparent from the public records which are so largely the work of his hands, and which will stand as examples to his successors of what can be accomplished by earnest faithfulness to public trust.
"2d. As a public officer, as a citizen and as a man, our deceased friend, for we are each proud to claim his as a friend, always filled the fullest measure of duty, and his memory deserves to be cherished by the Bar of this county, and his example in public life merits emulation by his fellow-officers and particularly his official successors.
"3d. That we tender the family of the deceased our sympathy in their bereavement, and direct that they be furnished by the secretary of this meeting with a copy of these resolutions.
"4th. That a copy of these resolutions be presented to the County Court of our county, with a request that they be spread on the minutes of said courts as a lasting testimony too one who for so many years performed the duties of Clerk of said Court to the entire satisfaction of the Court, the bar and the public.
"Anson Ralney, M. B. Templeton, J. E. Lancaster, G. C. Groce, J. P. Cooper, Committee.
"Said resolutions being presented were unanimously adopted, and the chairman was appointed to present the same to the county Court at its ensuing session on this the 2d day of May, 1891, with request therein embodied, and afte address by Judge J. W. Ferris, A. A. Kemble, B. F. Marchbanks and Rev. R. M. White, in memory of the deceased, the meeting was adjourned.
"M. W. McKnight, Chairman.
"Y. D. Kemble, Secretary.
"May 2, 1891.
The presentation of the above was accompanied by appropriate remarks, and the proceedings were ordered spread on the records. The County Judge, B. McDaniel, expressed his hearty concurrence in the sentiments set forth in the preamble and resolutions, and as a further mark of respect to the memory of the deceased it was ordered that court adjourn until the following Monday morning.
[Source: Memorial and biographical history of Ellis county, Texas, Book, 1892; pgs 239-241; digital images, (http://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth33018 : accessed May, 2011), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, http://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Dallas Public Library, Dallas, Texas; Transcribed by Andaleen Whitney]
HAWKINS, B. Frank
B. FRANK HAWKINS, a prominent farmer of Ellis county, was born in Texas, March 2, 1854, a son of M. T. Hawkins, a native of La Porte, Indiana. The entire Hawkins family settled in what is now Ellis county in 1848-’50, and an uncle of our subject was elected county Clerk at the organization. He held the office until his death, which occurred
in 1890. The parents of our subject had ten children, eight of whom still survive – one brother farms on the Pan Handle, one sister is in Houston, and the remainder in Ellis
county.
The subject of this sketch was reared to farm life, and received but little schooling. He lived with his parents until twenty-three years of age, when he began life for himself, and for four years rented land and farmed on the halves. He then lived with an uncle one year, after which he bought a small tract of land, but three years later sold this place and bought 120 acres where he now resides. He has added to this tract until he now owns 250 acres, and also 130 acres in another
farm, 125 acres of which are under cultivation.
Mr. Hawkins married Miss Ruth Barker, who was born February 12, 1862, a daughter of C. H. Barker, a native of Tennessee. The latter came to Ellis county, Texas, in 1849, where he has held a number of county offices, and has been a local minister of the Methodist Episcopal Church for many years.. He has now retired from farming, and is located at Midlothian,
where he is engaged in ministerial work..
Mr. and Mrs. Hawkins have had four children, three of whom still survive – Lotta L. born August 12, 1882; Frankie May, July 6, 1887; M. T., July 9, 1891.. Mr. Hawkins is a member of the Alliance and the Democratic Party, and both he and his wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church.
[Source: Memorial and biographical history of Ellis county, Texas, Book, 1892; pgs 242; digital images, (http://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth33018 : accessed May, 2011), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, http://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Dallas Public Library, Dallas, Texas; Transcribed by Andaleen Whitney]
KIMMEL, John C.
JOHN C. KIMMEL, a prosperous farmer of Ellis county, is a son of Phillip Kimmel, who was born in Union county, Illinois, in 1825. In 1845 he removed to Dallas county, Texas, settling three miles north of Cedar Hill, and thence to Mansfield, where he resided until the time of his death, in 1855, at the age of thirty years. He was a successful farmer, having 600 acres of land, 182 horses, 400 cattle and eighty sheep
at his death. Our subject’s mother, Susan Henderson, was born in Louisiana June 14, 1828.. Mr. and Mrs. Kimmel were married in 1846 and had one child, the subject of this sketch.. The paternal grandparents, Daniel and Catherine (Hunsucker) Kimmel, were natives of Illinois, the former born in 1789, and the latter October 6, 1792.. They were married September 16, 1809, and had seven children, viz.: George,
deceased; Philip, deceased; Mary, deceased, who was the wife of young E. Brown, of Dallas county; Louis L. deceased; Jemima, deceased; Anna M., the wife of Crawford Trace, their marriage license being the first one recorded in Dallas county; Melvina, deceased, was the wife of John Henderson, also deceased.d.The maternal grandfather, James Henderson, was a native of Louisiana.a. He removed to Texas in 1844, and died in Tarrant county.He was married in 1819 to Elizabeth Lawrence and they had five children, viz.: John, deceased; Susan, deceased, the mother of our subject; Nancy, deceased; Jude,
deceased, and Rebecca, the widow of James Gibson, who resides in Montague county.tyThe Kimmel family in this country are descendants of two brothers, Michael and -----, who came to America at an early date from Germany, settling in Pennsylvania.ia.
John C., our subject, was born in Texas in 1851, where he grew to manhood and attended school, completing his education at Mansfield.ld. At the age of twenty-eight years he settled on a farm south of that city, where he remained six years, and in 1886 he moved to his present home in MidlothianMr. Kimmel began life with 600 acres of land, 130 head of horses and 200 cattle, and he how has 6,000 acres of land, 1,000 head of
cattle and 350 horses and mules, and is worth about $125,000.00.
In politics he is a Democrat, and socially, a Master MasonIn 1880 he was married to Virginia C. Lamb, who was born in Mississippi, October 2, 1860, a daughter of James and Marian Lamb, natives of North Carolina and Mississippi.piMr. and Mrs. Kimmel have had six children: James P., Nettie May, Susan Belle, Virginia C.,
John C. and Almer Pearl.rl.
[Source: Memorial and biographical history of Ellis county, Texas, Book, 1892; pgs 244-245; digital images, (http://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth33018 : accessed August, 2011), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, http://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Dallas Public Library, Dallas, Texas; Transcribed by Andaleen Whitney]
MCFARLIN, Robert M.
ROBERT M. MCFARLIN is a Texan by birth, had his early experience in the stock business and farming in that great state, but a little over twenty years ago transferred his activities to Oklahoma, locating in what is now Hughes County. In that section of the state Mr. McFarlin's name is synonymous with many of the most important interests, and among others he was one of the founders and promoters of the thriving little
City of Holdenville. He developed a splendid stock ranch in that
locality and about ten years ago diverted his capital to oil development around Tulsa. Mr. McFarlin organized, and is now vice president, of the McMan Oil Company of Tulsa, with offices in the Drew Building. This is the largest producing concern in the state. Besides Mr. McFarlin the other officers and interested principals in the company are J. A. Chapman, president; E. P. Harwell, secretary; Harry II. Rogers, attorney; and P. A. Chapman.
Robert M. McFarlin was born in Waxahachie, Texas, July 27, 1866, a son of Benjamin Porter and Carolina (McKnight) McFarlin. Both parents were natives of Tennessee, and came to Texas in 1851, the father becoming one of the early farmers and stock men in Ellis County. He spent his active career on the old homestead near Waxahachie
and died there in 1887 at the age of sixty-one. He was in politics a democrat. His wife survived
him until 1902, and at her death was seventy-six years old.
Of their eight children, all of whom are living, Robert M. was the youngest.
Mr. McFarlin grew up on one of the typical ranch homesteads of North Central Texas. His schooling came from the public schools, with subsequent attendance in Marvin College of Waxahachie. He early learned the routine of farm and ranch and on reaching manhood that became his regular business. He lived in Texas until 1892, and then became one of the pioneer settlers in Hughes County, Oklahoma. At that time the district
was a wild prairie country, with little
development beyond the
use of the pastures for grazing, and with practically no commercial life. The flourishing City of Holdenville now has a population of 2,500. In that vicinity he carried on extensive operations as a farmer and stock man, and has not relinquished them in spite of his activities in another field. He has a reputation as a successful breeder of thoroughbred Hereford cattle, and runs his stock on a magnificent domain of from 2,500 to 3,000 acres.
It was in 1905 that Mr. McFarlin turned his attention to the oil business, becoming interested in the development work at Glenn Pool, south of Tulsa. Several years later he organized the McMan Oil Company, which at this time has the distinction of being the largest producing oil company in Oklahoma. Mr. McFarlin was also one of the organizers and is a director of the Exchange National Bank of Tulsa.
Fraternally he is affiliated with Holdenville Lodge No. 123, A. F. & A. M., and also with Oklahoma Consistory No. 1 of the thirty-second degree of Scottish Rite. On March 24, 1886, he married Ida May Barnard, who was born at Gainesville, Texas. Mr. and Mrs. McFarlin take great pride in their two daughters. Leta May, the older, is the wife of J. A. Chapman, who is
president of the McMan Oil Company. Pauline Carolina, the younger daughter, is a graduate from the National Park Seminary
at Forest Glen, Virginia, near Washington, D. C.
[Source: A standard history of Oklahoma, Volume III, by Joseph B. Thoburn; The American Historical Society; 1916; Transcribed by Andaleen Whitney]
MILTON, Charles F.
CHARLES F. MILTON, deceased, was a son of Richard and Sarah (Williams) Milton. The father was farmer by occupation, and he and his wife had nine children, five boys and four girls. Charles F., our subject, was born January 27, 1817, in Nelson county, Kentucky, and he subsequently removed to Texas and settled in Ellis county in 1854, where he remained until his death. He was one of the
early settlers of this county, and has at all times been
considered one of the most substantial and progressive farmers of Ellis county. At the time of his death he had 1,900 acres, 600 acres of which were under cultivation. In politics he was a Democrat, and was an active member and liberal supporter of the Christian church. In 1844 Mr. Milton was married to Miss Lutitia Bedford, who was born in Kentucky in 1826, the daughter of Benjamin and Sarah (Beesley) Bedford. Mr.
and Mrs. Milton had nine children, namely: Girgsby N., deceased; Robert R., also deceased; Sarah, wife of J. M. S. Pearson, of Ellis county; the fourth child died in infancy; Benjamin F., was the next in order of birth; Nancy D., wife of W. W. Pearson, of Ellis county; Richard K.,
who resides on the old homestead; Charlie, deceased; Mary L., wife of S. P. Mitchell, of Ellis county.
Benjamin F. Milton was born in Ellis county, Texas, in 1854, where he still continues to reside. He is a man of good habits and a kind and obliging neighbor. In 1873 he married Miss Fannie Covington, a daughter of James and Melvina Covington, natives of Mississippi. Six children have been born to this union, viz.: Charlie M., Brigsby,
Rosie F., Robert B., William R. and Maud May.
In politics Mr. Milton affiliates with the Democratic party.
[Source: Memorial and biographical history of Ellis county, Texas, Book, 1892; pgs 246-247; digital images, (http://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth33018 : accessed August, 2011), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, http://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Dallas Public Library, Dallas, Texas; Transcribed by Andaleen Whitney]
MORRIS, Lon
LON MORRIS. The legal profession is ably represented at Walters, Oklahoma, by Lon Morris, who is now serving in the office of county attorney of Cotton County. While he has been a resident of this city only since 1912, he is already recognized as a thorough, profound and conscientious lawyer, with a mastery of the principles and precedents of the law, and as a public official whose appreciation of the responsibilities
of office make his service an especially valuable one.
Mr. Morris was born in Ellis County, Texas, June 27, 1872, and is a son of B. W. and Julia (Craig) Morris. The family originated in Scotland and its progenitor in America came to this country prior to the Revolutionary war and settled in the Colony of Virginia. B. W. Morris was born in Texas in 1845 and became a pioneer of Ellis County,
from whence, in 1872, he moved to Granbury, Hood County, Texas,
where he was likewise one of the early settlers. He still resides in that community,
being a retired farmer and stockman and owns considerable property. A democrat in his political views, Mr. Morris has been one of the prominent and influential men of his locality and at various times has been called upon to fill offices of importance. For twelve years he served as county assessor, for fourteen years was sheriff of Hood County, and on one occasion was sent to represent his district in the Texas State Legislature. During the period of the Civil war he served three
years in the Army of the Confederacy
as a member of an Arkansas regiment of infantry. Mr. Morris is a member of the Missionary Baptist Church. He married Miss Julia Craig, a native of Arkansas, and they have been the parents of the following children: Lon of this notice; Samuel, who is a merchant of Abilene, Texas; Walter, who is engaged in the practice of law at Albany, Texas; Charles,
the proprietor of a mercantile establishment at Stamford, Texas; Lucy, who is the wife of Fred Reichstetter, a traveling salesman of New Mexico; Thomas, who is a
printer of Dallas, Texas; Misses Emma and Lottie, who are unmarried and reside with their parents; and Jacob, who is a showman, at present traveling in Europe.
Lou Morris was an infant when taken by his parents to Granbury, Texas, and there he received his early education in the public schools. Subsequently he was sent to Granbury Methodist College, from which he was graduated in 1891, and his literary training was completed in 1893, when he left Add-Ran University, Thorp's Spring, Texas. This was supplemented by a course at the Agricultural and Mechanical College, at Bryan, Texas, where he was graduated in
1896, following which he entered
a law office at Granbury, being admitted to the bar two years later. With this excellent equipment, Mr. Morris started the practice of his chosen profession at Granbury, where he remained until 1905, then coming to Oklahoma and settling at Temple, where he engaged in the practice of law and in banking, and in the "Big Pasture," until 1910. At that time Mr. Morris' services were secured by a combination of business men to go to tropical Mexico
and give his opinion as to the value of a land project. The
unsettled conditions in that country, however, owing to the activities of the revolutionists, caused him to leave Mexico and in 1912 he came to Walters, which place has since continued as his home. He is now engaged in a general practice of his profession, having his office in the First National Bank Building. He has already been identified with a number of cases which have brought his name prominently and favorably before the public, and he is justly accounted one of Cotton County's reliable and thoroughly learned
practitioners. A democrat in politics, while a resident of Granbury Mr. Morris was elected on that party's ticket to the county attorneyship of Hood County, and while there also served as assistant sergeant-at-arms of the Twenty-fourth Texas Legislature. In November, 1914, he was elected county attorney of Cotton County, taking office the first Monday in January, 1915, for a term of two years. He is a member of the official board of the Christian Church. Fraternally Mr.
Morris is widely and favorably known, beingg
affiliated with Granbury Lodge, No. 392, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons; Archer City Lodge, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, of Archer City, Texas, in which he is past grand as well as past deputy grand of the Grand Lodge; the Knights of Pythias, of Granbury, in which he is past chancellor; and the Granbury lodges of the Modern Woodmen of America, the Woodmen of the World, the Ancient Order of United Workmen and the Improved Order of Red Men.
Mr. Morris was married at Granbury, Texas, in 1895, to Miss Ida Henderson, a native of Granbury, and daughter of J. F. Henderson, a pioneer into Texas from Missouri who now resides near Temple, Oklahoma, on his farm. Three children have been born to this union: Guy, who is a blacksmith at Walters; Toby, who is a sophomore at the Walters
High School; and Madden, a pupil in the sixth grade of the public school..
[Source: A standard history of Oklahoma, Volume III, by Joseph B. Thoburn; The American Historical Society; 1916; Transcribed by Andaleen Whitney]
O'KEEFE, James Sidney
JAMES SIDNEY O'KEEFE. In every section of the Panhandle country in Texas are found men who have risen above their fellows not because they have had greater advantages, but because their natural abilities have created opportunities of which they have been quick to make the most of. In a section like Carson county, where there is no lack of good and reliable men, an
individual must display much more than the ordinary ability to become the choice of his fellow-citizens in positions of preferment. In this connection it is not inappropriate to briefly sketch the career of James Sidney O'Keefe, ex-county judge of Carson county, one of the most brilliant of the younger legists practicing before the Panhandle bar. Mr. O'Keefe was born in Ellis county, Texas, June 16, 1880, and is a son
of James E. and Mary M. (Musgraves) O'Keefe. His father, a native of Alabama, came to Texas as a young man and settled in Red River county during the early 'seventies. He later came to Ellis county, where he engaged in farming and stock raising for years, and is now a resident of Carson county, being sixty-five years of age. While still a resident of Alabama, he enlisted for service in the Confederate army during the war between the northern and
southern states, and during a part of the war saw active duty. He was married in November, 1876, to Mary M. Musgraves, who was born in Illinois and came to Texas as a child. She still survives, is a resident of Carson county, and has reached the age of fifty-four years. She and her husband have had eight children, of whom James Sidney is the second in order of birth.
James Sidney O'Keefe in boyhood attended the public schools of Ellis county, following which he became a student in the high school at Colorado City, Texas. On graduating therefrom, in 1897, he worked his way through the summer sessions of school at Abilene, Texas, and also managed to secure a three-months' training in the Austin Academy. On January 3, 1901, he entered the State University, where he spent two years
in academic work, and then entered upon his law studies in the same institution, being graduated from the law departmentt
in 1906. He at once came to Panhandle, here opened offices, and has since been in the enjoyment of a constantly-increasing practice, his abilities attracting to him a large and representative clientele. He has become a familiar figure in the courts of Carson county through his connection with a number of important cases of litigation, and in every particular has demonstrated himself an able member of the Panhandle bar. He is a director and trustee of the Canadian Academy. From 1906 until 1908, he served in the
capacity of county attorney, and in the latter year became the Democratic nominee for the office of county judge, to which he was subsequently elected. During the two years that followed he showed himself capable of maintaining the best traditions of the Carson county bench. Fraternally, Mr. O'Keefe is connected with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the Modern Woodmen of America, the Royal Neighbors and Lodge No. 923, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, at Amarillo.lo.
Mr. O'Keefe was married at Panhandle, June 16, 1907, to Miss Oma Myrtle Smith, daughter of T. W. and Polly Smith, who came to Panhandle in 1890, and are still residents of this district, where Mr. Smith is engaged in stock raising. Three children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. O'Keefe: Myrtle Almerene, born
April 17, 1908; James Bryce, born December 27, 1909, and Ella Beatrice, born January 14, 1913, all at Panhandle. Mr. and Mrs. O'Keefe are members of the Baptist church. He has always been an out-of-door man, and is fond of automobiling and various other sports. He believes firmly in the future of this section of Texas, and his opinion is worthy of consideration, as he has spent his entire life in the Lone Star State. He is
widely known, not alone in public and professional life, but socially and fraternally as well, and few men in this section have a wider circle of friends.
ORR, Charles L
CHARLES L. ORR. The ambition and determination that have self-reliance as their basis will hold as insuperable no obstacles that may obtrude in their course, and this was significantly proved in the case of the present popular and efficient assistant county attorney of Pontotoc County, for it was largely through his own efforts that he defrayed the expenses incidental to the obtaining of his higher academic and his professional education. Including
the period of his work in the preparatory department of the Institution Mr. Orr remained a student for a total of six years in the University of Oklahoma, from which he received the degree of Bachelor of Arts in 1912 and that of Bachelor of Laws in 1914. He has been a resident of Oklahoma since his early youth and is now numbered among the representative younger members of the bar of Pontotoc County, with residence and official headquarters in the fine little City of Ada, the county
seat, his tenure of his present position of assistant county attorney having continued during virtually the
entire period of time since he was admitted to the bar. During a portion of his university career he was employed in the office of the treasurer of the institution, at other times he clerked in mercantile establishments at Norman, and through still other worthy mediums of employment he further added to the financial resources that made possible the completion of his education and the attainment of his ambition to enter the legal profession. Oklahoma has many young men who have made their way through school by
their own initiative and efforts, but it is probable that there are few of the number who have thus pressed forward to the goal of their desire and been mainly self-dependent during so long a period of student application as did Mr. Orr.
Charles L. Orr was born at Waxahachie, Ellis County, Texas, on the 4th of July, 1889, and is a son of Dr. Charles L. and Edna (Forrester) Orr, who now maintain their home at Roff, Pontotoc County, Oklahoma, where the father has been engaged in successful practice as a physician and surgeon for the past decade. Doctor Orr is a native of Texas and a representative
of one of the sterling pioneer families
of the Lone Star State, where he initiated the practice of his profession after his graduation in the Louisville Medical College, in the metropolis of Louisville, Kentucky. In his early professional career as a physician and surgeon in a pioneer period of the history of Southern Texas he made a record not surpassed by many of his confreres in the administering of attention to the wounds of men who were wounded through being cut
or shot in the fights and brawls that were of frequent occurrence in the locality and period. The Orr family was founded in America prior to the war of the Revolution and an ancestor of the subject of this review was one Captain Orr, who was a gallant captain of the patriot forces engaged in the great struggle for national independence. In the maternal line Mr. Orr is able to claim direct kinship with the family that produced Thomas
Carlyle, the distinguished Scotch historian and miscellaneous writer and also that produced Gen. Nathaniel Greene, of American Revolutionary fame.
The early educational discipline of Charles L. Orr was obtained in the public schools of his native city. Removing with his family to Oklahoma, he was reared to maturity in Pontotoc County and after his graduation in the high school in the Village of Roff, he spent a year in the preparatory department of the University of Oklahoma. He finally completed in this institution a full academic or literary course and was graduated with the degree of Bachelor
of Arts, in 1912. He did not abate in the least his student zeal and ambition, but forthwith gave his undivided
attention to the work of the law department of the university, from which he received in 1914 the degree of Bachelor of Laws, as previously noted in this context. He was admitted to the bar in June of the last mentioned year and began practice at Roff. In January of the following year he was appointed assistant county attorney, and as such he has since given efficient service, with residence at Ada, the county seat. .
Mr. Orr is found aligned as a staunch advocate of the principles of the democratic party and is a member of the Young Men 's Democratic League of Oklahoma. He is identified with the Pontotoc County Bar Association and the Oklahoma State Bar Association, is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, and is affiliated with the Kappa Sigma, the Phi Delta Phi, and the Po-et college fraternities, the last mentioned being an Indian society of
honorary
rank in the senior year of the course at the University of Oklahoma.
Mr. Orr took an active and influential part in athletics while a student in the university and was captain and manager of the baseball team of the institution. He made a special study of economics and in his law practice has given much attention to public utilities and the legal features pertaining to the same, his professional work having had much to do with this special line of practice. He still permits his name to be enrolled on the list of eligible young bachelors in Pontotoc
County. It may be noted that Mr. Orr has three brothers: Benjamin F., who holds a position in the offices of the Texas Light & Power Company, in the City of Dallas; J. Fred, who is engaged in business at Roff, Oklahoma; and Guy, who remains at the parental home, at Roff. The two brothers first mentioned have been students at the University of Oklahoma. .
[Source: A standard history of Oklahoma, Volume III, by Joseph B. Thoburn; The American Historical Society; 1916; Transcribed by Andaleen Whitney]
PAUL, James P.
JAMES P. PAUL, of Ellis county, was born near McDonough, Henry County, Georgia, February 10, 1881. He is a son of Archibald Y. Paul, a native of South Carolina.
Archibald Paul was a soldier in the war of 1812, for which service he drew a pension. He married Miss Martha Russell, a daughter of William Russell, who was a native of Ireland, but an early settler of Georgia; and, in 1855, he and his family came by private conveyance to Texas, where he subsequently died.
Mr. and Mrs. Archibald Paul had ten children, namely: Washington, who served through the civil war, and afterward moved to Arkansas, where he died; Elizabeth, who married J. G. Criddle, deceased, formerly a merchant at Leesburg, Texas; Mary M., the wife of William Turner, a soldier of the late ware and a farmer of Kent county, Texas;
Franklin A. who, while taking a ministerial course at Lebanon University, Tennessee, enlisted in the command of Stonewall Jackson, and after his twentieth battle was killed at Chancellorsville; and James P., our subject, who, at one time served as Captain of the State Militia, and in 1861 enlisted in Company F, Clarks’ Fourteenth Texas Infantry, and served in Louisiana and Arkansas.. He fought in the battles of Jenkin’s Ferry
and Saline river, Arkansas; and was afterwards detailed to work in the harness and saddle department, where he continued until the close of the war.
He was married in Georgia, May 20, 1852, to Miss Arminta Johnson.. Mrs. James P. Paul was born near Jonesborough, Georgia, May 12, 1887.. She is a daughter of Jordon Johnson, a native of Georgia, who represented his county in the Georgia Legislature several terms, and also served as Justice of the Peace and Sheriff..
James P. Paul came to Texas in 1855 and located in Kent county. In 1882 he came to Ellis county and bought 160 acres of land on which he still lives. He has added to this purchase until he owns 350 acres, 150 of which are in a fine state of cultivation.
Mr. and Mrs. Paul have eight children, viz.: John F., born in 1853, is a Methodist minister near Greenville, Hunt county; Lilla M., born 1854, married James Teague, who is a farmer and carpenter of Ellis county; Mary Ophelia, born in 1859, married C. B. Chinn, a detective who was killed at Temple, Bell county;
Loula A., born in 1868, married Thomas Curry, a farmer of Ellis county; Cornelia, born in 1866, married A. Farror, a farmer of this county; Lawson J., born in 1868, a
farmer by occupation, married Jennie Hopson; Etta, born in 1875, married F. Voss, a farmer of this county.
Mr. Paul is Democratic in his politics, and both he and his wife are members of the Cumberland Presbyterian church.
[Source: Memorial and biographical history of Ellis county, Texas, Book, 1892; pgs 244; digital images, (http://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth33018 : accessed Augus, 2011), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, http://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Dallas Public Library, Dallas, Texas; Transcribed by Andaleen Whitney]
RICHARD, Elisha
ELISHA RICHARD, of Ellis county, was born in North Carolina, August 22, 1827, a son of Elias Richards, a native of the same State, and who is still living in Washington county, Indiana, at the age of 100 years. The paternal grandfather, Christian Richards, also a native of North Carolina, subsequently removed to Indiana, and died in Tipton county. Elias Richards
married Miss Sarah Jones, a native of Maryland, and they had eleven children, of whom our subject is the sixth child; four of the family are deceased; two brothers reside in Tipton county, Indiana, and two are in Kansas.. The wife and mother died in August, 1847.
At the age of ten years our subject moved with his parents to Hamilton county, Indiana, where he was reared and educated. In 1848 the family removed to Washington county, same State, and two years later Mr. Richards engaged in farming on his own account.. In 1858 he sold out and started for Texas, going by water to New Orleans, thence to Alexandria, and next to Ellis county, stopping first near Milford. The next spring he bought 400 acres of raw
land, 300 acres of which are
now under a fine state of cultivation. During the war he was detailed to work at the hat business, which he followed until after its close, after which he returned home and resumed farming. In 1861 he returned to Indiana, but came again to Texas the same year.
In 1850 Mr. Richards married Miss Mary J. Worrall, who was born October 28, 1836, a daughter of John and Phoebe Worrall.. The great-grandfather came from England to Pennsylvania, and the grandfather afterward moved to Kentucky, settling where Louisville now stands. He next settled in Clark county, Indiana, on Silver creek, when that State was entirely unsettled. There the father of Mrs. Richards was reared, but he afterward removed to Washington county, same State, where he died in 1847; his wife survived him until 1877.7.Mr. and Mrs. Richards have had eleven children, five of whom still survive, viz.: Rachel m., born March 10, 1854, was first married to John T. Bryson, and after his death she became the wife of James Cauthen, a farmer of Ellis county;
Phoebe A., born February 11, 1856, married Samuel Cauthen, and after his death she married Jess Spence, a farmer of this county; Naomi, born October 28, 1858, married D. P. Still, a farmer of Montague county; Walter E., born August 8, 1866, married Miss Pearl Parker, September 21, 1890; he is a farmer of this
county; James M., born September 28, 1870, married Miss Bay Davis, August 20, 1891; he is also a farmer of Ellis county; Elisha V., born March 16, 1878, died December 18, 1888..8. The family are members of the Baptist Church.
[Source: Memorial and biographical history of Ellis county, Texas, Book, 1892; pgs 245-246; digital images, (http://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth33018 : accessed August, 2011), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, http://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Dallas Public Library, Dallas, Texas; Transcribed by Andaleen Whitney]
ROWE, Alonzo H
ALONZO H. ROWE has been a resident of Ellis county since 1875 and has been closely connected with her commercial interests. He was born in North Carolina April 30, 1839, and is the fifth of family of seven children. His parents, Joseph H. and Malinda (Smyer) Rowe, were also natives of North Carolina, and were of German Lineage. The name was originally spelled Rauch, but has been anglicized to Rowe. Joseph
H. Rowe was a farmer by occupation,
and
his father, Peter Rowe, had followed the same calling. The family was one of agriculturalists, and owned a large number of slaves before the war. The maternal great grandfather was a Mr. Shuford, and he was a member of the most prominent families in North Carolina. Joseph H. Rowe and wife had born to them seven children, six of whom lived to mature years; Elizabeth, Martha,
Rosabella, deceased, Julian, deceased, A. H., the subject of this notice, and John D. The father died in 1869, and the mother in 1885.
Alonzo H. Rowe was educated in the common schools of his native State. At the age of eighteen years he went to learn the carpenter’s trade, and at twenty he started out in life for himself. He went to South Carolina and worked at his trade until 1859, and then went to Florida where he worked for one year. In the winter of 1860 he came to Louisiana, and when the war broke out between the North and South, volunteered in the Confederate service. He served
in Arkansas and Missouri,
and in the battle of Pea
Ridge was wounded in the right hip; he fell into the hands of the enemy, but after a few days escaped and made his way to the hospital at Little Rock. When he was discharged from the hospital he returned to North Carolina. There he remained some time, and then re-enlisted in Company K, Forty-sixth North Carolina Volunteer Infantry. His regiment was attached to the army of Virginia, and participated in some of the most noted engagements. He served faithfully until the surrender, and then went back to North
Carolina, where he remained until 1869. In that year he came to Texas and settled in Marion county, at Jefferson, where he engaged in business for about twenty months, and then returned to North Carolina where he remained one year; at the end of that time he came back to Texas and engaged in the planning-mill business, which he continued for five years. In 1875 he came to Ennis when there were but few people in the village. He opened a cotton gin and planning-mill, but soon sold the latter and confined his
attentions to the gin; he built the second gin erected in Ennis, and it is supposed that he has ginned more cotton than any other man in the county. For three years he was engaged in the grocery business, and for a number of years he was also interested in contracting and building. He has erected a number of the largest business houses in Ennis, but of late years he has given his time to the cotton trade. He has four gins of seventy saws each, with a daily capacity of fifty bales. In connection with the gin
he runs a grist-mill for custom work. During the year 1890 he ginned twenty-one hundred bales, and since starting in this business he has averaged twelve hundred bales annually.
Mr. Rowe was married in 1869 to Miss Sara G. Deal of North Carolina, a daughter of William and Catherine (Smyer) Deal, also natives of North Carolina. Ten children have been born of this union, three of whom died in infancy: Minnie C., Joseph, deceased, Lola B., Carrie H., Alonzo, deceased, John S., Anna G., Willie M., Josie P., and one unnamed. Both Mr. and Mrs. Rowe are members of the Cumberland Presbyterian church, and he is a member of the Masonic order.
[Source: Memorial and biographical history of Ellis county, Texas, Book, 1892; pgs 242-243; digital images, (http://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth33018 : accessed August, 2011), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, http://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Dallas Public Library, Dallas, Texas; Transcribed by Andaleen Whitney]
TUBB, Ernest Dale
Ernest Dale Tubb (February 9, 1914 – September 6, 1984), nicknamed the Texas Troubadour, was an American singer and songwriter and one of the pioneers of country music. His biggest career hit song, "Walking the Floor Over You" (1941), marked the rise of the honky tonk style of music. Another well-known Tubb hit was "Waltz Across Texas" (1965), which became one of his
most requested songs and is often
used in dance halls throughout Texas during waltz lessons.
Tubb was born on a cotton farm near Crisp, in Ellis County, Texas (now a ghost town). His father was a sharecropper, so Tubb spent his youth working on farms throughout the state. He was inspired by Jimmie Rodgers and spent his spare time learning to sing, yodel, and play the guitar. At age 19 he took a job as a singer on a San Antonio radio station. The pay was low so Tubb
also dug ditches for
the Works Progress Administration and then clerked at a
drug store. In 1939 he moved to
San Angelo, Texas and was hired
to do a 15-minute afternoon live show on radio station KGKL-AM. He drove a beer delivery truck in order to support himself during this time, and during World War II he wrote and recorded a song titled "Beautiful San Angelo".
In 1936, Tubb contacted Jimmie Rodgers’s widow (Rodgers died in 1933) to ask for an autographed photo. A friendship developed and she was instrumental in getting Tubb a recording contract with RCA. A tonsillectomy in 1939 affected his singing style so he turned to songwriting. In 1940 he switched to Decca records to try singing again and it was his sixth Decca release
with the single "Walking the Floor Over You" that brought Tubb to stardom.
Tubb joined the Grand Ole Opry in February 1943 and put together his band, the Texas Troubadours. He remained a regular on the radio show for four decades, and hosted his own Midnight Jamboree radio show each Saturday night after the Opry. Tubb headlined the first Grand Ole Opry show presented in Carnegie Hall in New York City in 1947. In 1965 he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame and, in 1970, Tubb
was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.
Tubb never possessed the best voice and actually mocked his own singing. He told an interviewer that 95 percent of the men in bars would hear his music on the juke box and say to their girlfriends, "I can sing better than him," and Tubb added they would be right. In fact, he missed some notes horribly on some recordings. When Tubb was recording "You Don't Have to Be a Baby to Cry"
in 1949 and tried to hit a low note, Red Foley, his
duet partner at the time, was sitting in the booth when somebody
said, "I bet you wish you could hit that low note." Foley replied, "I bet Ernest wishes he could hit that note." The two, who released seven albums together, maintained a friendly on-air "feud" over the years, and Tubb appeared on Foley's Ozark Jubilee on ABC-TV.
In 1957, he walked into the National Life building's lobby in Nashville and fired a .357 magnum, intending to shoot music producer Jim Denny. Tubb shot at the wrong man but did not hit anyone. He was arrested and charged with public drunkenness.
Beginning in the fall of 1965, he hosted a half-hour TV program, The Ernest Tubb Show, which aired in first-run syndication for three years.
His singing voice remained intact until late in life, when he fell ill with emphysema. He died of the illness in 1984 at Baptist Hospital in Nashville, Tennessee. He is buried in Nashville's Hermitage Memorial Gardens.
He ranked No. 21 in CMT's 40 Greatest Men of Country Music in 2003.
One of Tubb's sons, Justin Tubb, made a minor splash on the country music scene in the 1950s; and Justin's sons, Carey and Zachary Tubb, also became musicians. Tubb's nephew, Billy Lee Tubb, was his lead guitarist briefly (fall 1959–April 1960). Tubb's great nephew, Lucky Tubb, has
toured with Hank Williams III.
[Source: Wikipedia – Ernest Tubb]
WHITEFIELD, Benjamin Franklin
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN WHITEFIELD. Among the various commercial enterprises that give special character and prominence to Midland as a trade center, one of the most noteworthy is the Midland Mercantile Company, a large general, store, which has a trade throughout the county, carries an unusually complete stock of goods and maintains as its motto '' The Standard of Excellence.'' The business organization of this company is composed of the ablest commercial
talent in the city, and the success of the concern is largely due to the general manager and treasurer, Mr. B. F. Whitefield. Mr. Whitefield has been identified with Midland and vicinity for fourteen years, and has become successful both as a farmer and merchant.
Benjamin F. Whitefield was born in Ellis county, Texas, September 15, 1876, a son of George and Eliza (Brack) Whitefield, both of whom were natives of Tennessee, and came to Texas before the Civil war. Judge Brack, the father of Eliza (Brack) Whitefield, was the first judge of Ellis county. Mr. George Whitefield, the father, was a farmer
and stockman, and during the Civil war served four years in the Confederate army under General Beall. He located at what was known as Mackey Springs, in Ellis county, and spent thirty-five years as a farmer and stock raiser in that locality. He owned several hundred acres of land near Waxahachie, in Ellis county, and was engaged in the improvement of one thousand acres of this land at the time of his death. He
was sixty-eight years of age when he died and during his life time he had
built up a generous material prosperity and was a man of influence and leadership in Ellis county. His widow still resides at a comfortable home in Waxahachie. There were seven children in the family and two are now deceased. John W. Whitefield, is owner of the old homestead in Ellis county; the Midland merchant, is the next in order; Albert Sidney Whitefield
lives on a ranch at Waxahachie; George W. is at home with his mother;
Charley, who is now deceased. Lucy was the wife of W. D. Morton, of Glen Rose, Texas, who is now deceased.
His boyhood days were spent in Ellis county, and Benjamin F. Whitefield attended the public schools and later the high school in Midlothian. When eighteen he took a course in the Metropolitan Business College, and then in 1899 came out to Midland. The first year was spent in cattle raising and he then came into town and established a store known as the Midland Grocery & Dry Goods
Company in 1900. After he had carried on a successful business at that
location for ten years, a destructive fire occurred which destroyed his store and several other places of business in Midland,
an entire block of the city being wiped out. Despite the heavy loss thus occasioned him Mr. Whitefield, almost before the ashes had cooled had organized the Midland Mercantile Company, of which he was one of the principal stockholders and general manager and treasurer. This company built a fine new brick block with about fifteen thousand square feet of floor space, and in those quarters installed the most complete stock of merchandise to be found anywhere between El Paso and Fort
Worth. Fifteen employees are required to attend to the various branches of the business, and it is a very prosperous and growing concern.
A successful man of business, Mr. Whitefield has always shown his readiness to enter into any co-operative undertaking for the advancement of Midland. Besides his mercantile interests he owns a large amount of land in Midland county, comprising an estate of six hundred acres of improved farm land in which he takes special pride. His beautiful home is one of the most attractive and comfortable in Midland. Mr. Whitefield is vice president of the Commercial
Club, and is in every respect one of the most energetic boosters of this community. In politics he is a Democrat. In 1900, Mr. Whitefield married Miss Ada Earl Wolcott, who was born in Texas, a daughter of Andrew J. and Ida (McCartney) Wolcott. The Wolcott family were among the pioneers of Ellis county, became especially prominent as stock raisers, and are now residents in Oak Cliff at Dallas.
The three children of Mr.
and Mrs. Whitefield are Franklin Wolcott, Ina Beth and Eulalia. Each year Mr. Whitefield takes two vacations; one month in the spring he devotes to fishing, and during another month of the year he visits his mother's home, and the latter vacation he never fails to take for any reason whatsoever.
[Source: A history of Texas and Texans, Volume 4; Francis White Johnson; Copyright: 1914; Transcribed by Andaleen Whitney]
WILDER, Henry
HENRY WILDER, a successful farmer of Ellis county, was born in La Salle county, Illinois, July 16, 1848, a son of Oliver and Rebecca Wilder, natives of Rhode Island and New York. The father, a farmer by occupation, held the office of Justice of the Peace, stood high among the people of his county, and died in 1860. Mr. and Mrs. Wilder had nine children.
Henry Wilder, our subject, was next to the youngest, received a common-school education, and also attended the high school. He served a three-years’ apprenticeship at the carpenter’s trade, and at the age of twenty-one years he was qualified to carry on the business. He also served an apprenticeship in civil engineering, has operated local engines, and can do almost any kind of mechanical work. He came to Texas in January, 1874, locating in Ellis
county,
and two years later he
bought 113 acres of raw land, seventy acres of which are now under cultivation. He raises principally cotton and corn, and also all the vegetables for home use. He is a carpenter by trade, and in 1880 he erected a gin for some parties, which he purchased three years later, and he has since been engaged in that occupation. Mr. Wilder averages about 500 bales of cotton per year, and has gradually increased his facilities until the last year he ginned about 700 bales. In addition
to his other interests he is
a stockholder and director in the large cotton seed mill which is being erected at Waxahachie. The capital stock is $50,000, and the machinery and mill will cost about $35,000, including building, leaving $15,000 to operate the mill.
Mr. Wilder was married in 1876, to Miss Jane Turner, a daughter of Walter M. and Almarinda Turner, natives of South Carolina. The parents came to Ellis county, Texas, in 1854, where they still reside. Mrs. and Mrs. Wilder have had six children – Henry, born March 10, 1876; Edwin,
November 30, 1877; Bertha, March 13, 1882; Jesse, November 9, 1888; Claud, in August, 1885, and Roy, in June, 1889.
Mr. Wilder has served as Road Overseer and School Director; is a member of the Masonic
fraternity, and the Knights Phythias; he is a treasurer of the Alliance, and a Democrat in his political views.
[Source: Memorial and biographical history of Ellis county, Texas, Book, 1892; pgs 241-242; digital images, (http://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth33018 : accessed May, 2011), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, http://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Dallas Public Library, Dallas, Texas; Transcribed by Andaleen Whitney]
WRIGHT, Clyde Davis
HON. CLYDE DAVIS WRIGHT. The present county judge of Deaf Smith county, Mr. Wright is an attorney and has been a resident of the Texas Panhandle for the past twenty-two years. Few men have had better opportunity for close study of conditions in this section of the state and having seen the Panhandle during its hardest times, he is more than content to stake his confidence and his all on the continued prosperity
and development
of the region.
Clyde Davis Wright was born January 19, 1879, in Ellis county near Milford, Texas. His paternal grandfather was one of the founders of this town, where Judge Wright was born. The father, John R. Wright, was born in Indiana, and came to Texas in 1852, the Wright family being among the pioneers of Ellis county. The family is
of English descent and was founded in North Carolina early in the eighteenth
century. The original immigrant served as a soldier of the Revolutionary war. Subsequently
the Wrights crossed the mountains and located in Kentucky, and from there moved to Indiana. Great-grandfather William Wright was a resident of Indiana before the territory was admitted to the Union, and was chosen as one of the prominent citizens of his community to be one of the committee which greeted General Lafayette on his visit to America during the twenties. William Wright was a farmer by occupation. On the maternal
side Judge Wright's family were early settlers of Georgia, coming to that colony from England.
They lived on the Savannah river, where they were prominent planters and slave holders. John R. Wright, the father, was a farmer and also a surveyor. He served as county surveyor, and also as county commissioner of Ellis county, and was one of the men of that county who was depended upon for leadership in public affairs. He is now living retired at Hereford, which has been his home since December, 1907. During the Civil war he enlisted in Company
B of the First Texas Cavalry, serving
as a private from beginning
to end. Although he thus fought for the southern cause, neither he nor his father, Arvin Wright, had ever held slaves, did not believe in the institution, and opposed secession. John R. Wright married Florence Tate, who was born in Georgia, her family moving to Texas after the war, and she was married in Ellis county in 1874. Her death occurred in that county when thirty-eight years of age.
One of the three children is now
deceased.
Clyde Davis Wright, partly through the advantages supplied by his father and partly on his own account, secured what would be accounted a liberal education, first in the public schools and then in Clarendon College. The first twelve years of his career he spent on a farm, and then began reading law in the office of Ware & Smith at Clarendon. By close attention to his studies he was admitted to practice in 1902 in all the courts of Texas. His professional
career began at Silverton,
where he was in general practice for three years. In December, 1907, he opened his office in Hereford, and has been in general practice there until elected to the office of county judge in 1910. He is now serving his second term, and the citizens have given him their hearty support, and recognize him as one of the most capable officials Deaf Smith county has ever had. Mr. Wright has also served two terms in the office of county attorney of Briscoe county, one term by election and
one by appointment.
He is a worker for the Democratic party, is a member of the Masonic Blue Lodge and the Knights of Pythias, and he and his family worship in the Presbyterian church. He was married June 15, 1910, in Hereford to Miss Lelia Gregg, who was born in California, but was reared in Indiana, a daughter of Austin W. Gregg. The two children of their marriage are Elva Lee Wright, born at Hereford, May 26, 1911,
and Arvin Gregg Wright, born August 26, 1913, in Hereford. Judge Wright devotes all
his time to his official duties and his profession. His chief recreation is the game of tennis, and he is a thorough student of general literature, and of current affairs. He is also interested in agriculture and stock raising.
[Source: A history of Texas and Texans, Volume 4; Francis White Johnson; Copyright: 1914 ; Transcribed by Andaleen Whitney]
Dr. Z. T. Bundy
Dr. Zachary T. Bundy was
born in Hardin County, Tennessee, February 27, 1849. His father's name was John
Bundy and his mother's Nancy Hobbs, the former of German-Bohemian,
the latter of Scotch-Irish descent. The hiatus by
the Great War destroyed his opportunities for a good literary education.
However, he received a fair education later at the Masonic Academy at Clifton,
Tennessee. He came to Texas in 1868, when a mere
youth, and removed in 1886 to his present location, Midlothian. He read medicine
in 1881 and 1882, at Waynesboro, Tennessee, with Dr. C. Buchanan; attended
medical lectures at the medical department of Vanderbilt
University, Nashville, Tennessee, in 1881 and 1882 and 1883, two courses, and
was graduated M. D. from that institution in 1883. He practiced medicine in
1882-34 and 5, in Hardin County, Tennessee, and then returned to Texas
as we have stated in 1886. His favorite branch of practice
is obstetrics and diseases of women. Dr. Bundy is
a member of the Ellis County Medical Association.
Although only 15 years of age the
last year of the war, he enlisted as a soldier in
the Confederate army and served under the celebrated General Forrest, and
surrendered with him at Gainesville, Alabama.
Dr. Bundy was married September
7th, 1871, to Miss Pattie Fariss. They have two children living, both at home.
He served one year in the ranger service in Texas as
sanitary officer to the command of Major John B.
Jones on the frontier. [Transcribed
and Submitted by Carolyn
Carter]
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