USA > Texas > A Twentieth century history of southwest Texas, Volume II > Part 36
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71
Ware Settlement.
where the village of Utopia now stands. He came with Captain Ware. Gid Thompson had arrived a short time previous. The settlement be- came known as the Ware settlement and within a short time other pioneers arrived. The pioneers banded themselves together in mutual protection against the Indians, who resented the encroachment of the palefaces upon their hunting grounds and determined to keep them away if possible. Each pioneer family commenced the work of estab- lishing a home, and Henry M. Robinson opened up some land to civiliza- tion. He carried on farming in order to furnish supplies for his family and also got started in stock raising. He was thus engaged until 1855, when he entered the government employ as a guide for United States troops, piloting soldiers through this country. With the soldiers he went upon the Indian trails as the military men aided in subduing the red race. In 1856 he moved his family to the vicinity of Fort Inge, a few miles south of Uvalde. He was in the government employ until 1858, when he resigned and his son, J. F. Robinson, took his place. The- father then removed his family to Rio Frio canyon, where he spent one year at farming and then returned to Uvalde. In 1860 he removed to the Nueces river, fifteen miles from the city, where he engaged in stock raising until 1861, when in company with Henry Adams he started to Camp Wood. The camp was being broken up, the soldiers being called out for active field duty in the Civil war. When they were about seven miles from home they were attacked by a band of thirty- five Indians, who killed both white men, who were found lying dead side by side. Mr. Robinson was scalped and the Indians raided his home and wounded his son George in the arm. The family, however, escaped with their lives by hiding, but the Indians plundered the house and took everything that they wanted. To get the bed ticks in which to carry their plunder they emptied the beds upon the ground. The family was left destitute of many of the necessities and comforts of life. Mr. Robinson was a brave and fearless man, who was in many raids and fights with the Indians, and thus they feared and hated him and were watchful of an opportunity to murder him. Up to the time of his death he had never been wounded in an encounter with them. He underwent all the deprivations and hardships of pioneer life and contributed in substantial measure to the development of this section of the state, being one of the organizers of Uvalde county. He belonged to the Masonic fraternity and before removing to the west both he and his wife became members of the Presbyterian church. Mrs. Robinson survived her husband for many years and died in August, 1904, at the venerable age of very near one hundred years. After her husband's death she managed as none but a good mother could do, keeping her young family together and rearing them so that they were able to fill positions of responsibility and credit. In her later years she found a good home among her children and in her declining days she spent
267
HISTORY OF SOUTHWEST TEXAS
much time with her son, Judge Robinson, passing away at his home. The members of the family were: Elizabeth, the wife of E. L. Kelly; John F .; James, a stock farmer of this county; Jane, the deceased wife of John Dixon; Melvina, the wife of T. York; George, of Sabinal ; Henry, who was killed by Indians in 1865; Ann, the wife of F. M. Mason; and William, a stock farmer.
John F. Robinson pursued his education in the subscription schools and was reared under the parental roof. He accompanied his parents on their various removals, keeping on the frontier, and was thus reared among the enterprising pioneer settlers who reclaimed the region from barbarism and converted it into the uses of civilization. Following his father's death he assisted his mother in her effort to keep the children together and he worked at carpentering and at the stock business. When his father resigned from the position of government guide and ranger he took his place as scout and guide for the soldiers in 1858 and thus continued in the range service until the inauguration of the Civil war. In 1861 he joined an independent company at San Antonio and they were detailed by the provost marshal to go to Gillespie county and declare martial law on account of the large band of renegades that had infested that district and were committing many unlawful acts. They were ordered to administer a rigid oath to them, and those who refused to take the oath were to be allowed only thirty days in which to leave the county. They found one hundred and five who refused to take the oath and who left the county, but soon after they rendezvoused at the head of the Guadalupe. Twenty-five men were detailed from each of the four Confederate companies to follow them and see that they left the state. When they overtook them a battle ensued and when the smoke cleared away it was found that thirty-three were killed and many wounded. Most of them had hidden in the cedar brakes and the attack- ing party got many of their horses and other equipments of war. In the soldiers' band two men were killed and eighteen wounded. A physician was secured from Fort Clark and later the wounded were moved to that fort, where four of the number died. Mr. Robinson was wounded through the right thigh. At a later date the command had a fight with another company, in which some were killed, while the remainder of the renegades fled to Mexico. Judge Robinson, on re- covering his health, continued in the frontier service until 1862, when he enlisted as a private in the Confederate army under Colonel James Duff of the Thirty-third Texas Cavalry. He was assigned to the Trans- Mississippi department and after the first month the command re- organized at Fort Brown, where he was promoted to the rank of second lieutenant and later to first lieutenant. In the fall of 1863 he was commissioned captain, serving with that rank until the close of the war. The troops patrolled the coast for a considerable time and in 1864 were at Victoria, where a battle ensued. Thence they marched to Bon- ham, where they lay in camp for two months, after which they were ordered to Fort Gibson, but soon afterward were ordered back to Texas, being stationed near Paris. Later they were in Arkansas with General Gano and in January, 1865, were ordered to Shreveport, Louisiana. After being in camp there for three weeks they had a fight and took
268
HISTORY OF SOUTHWEST TEXAS
a number of prisoners to Tyler Barracks, from which point Captain Robinson and his command proceeded to the Brazos, where they re- mained until the surrender of General Lee, when they disbanded. Cap- tain Robinson was never wounded save the one time mentioned, nor was he ever made a prisoner. He saw much hard and arduous service, however, and continued at the front until the close of the war.
Following his return home he was employed by G. W. Walls, as wagon boss, freighting from San Antonio to Indianola on the coast. After acting in that capacity for some time he returned to Uvalde and following his marriage engaged in merchandising at this place until the fall of 1867. He then entered upon a contract with the government to furnish wood and beef for Fort Inge, and in 1868 got the government beef contract for Fort Stockton. In 1869 he returned to Uvalde, where he engaged in carpentering and repair work. In 1869 he was elected justice of the peace, the duties of the office also including that of county commissioner, while the court was called a police court. Judge Robin- son thus served until 1871, when he sold his Uvalde property and removed to the Rio Frio river, where he had charge of a cattle ranch until 1873. He then returned to Uvalde and again engaged in carpen- tering. The same year he traded his cattle for sheep, which he took to Kinney county and removed his family to Brackettville near Fort Clark. He was employed with a beef contractor for Fort Clark annd continued with him, taking charge of his flocks of sheep in 1874. He also figured prominently in public affairs there and in April, 1876, was elected the first county judge of Kinney county. He entered upon the duties of the office, and in order to give undivided attention thereto, in 1877 he let his sheep out on shares, but in 1878 had to take them from the man to whom he had entrusted them and who had let the flocks diminish from twenty-two hundred to nine hundred. Judge Robinson then ran his sheep until May, 1880, when the big flood came and he lost all. He was re-elected and continued to serve as county judge in Kinnev county for ten years, filling the position with credit to himself and satisfaction to the general public. He then entered the government emplov and took charge of a gang of men repairing and erecting buildings at Fort Clark. He continued in that work for eight months, after which he returned to Uvalde county in 1889 and for one year had charge of the Garner farm. during which time he built a home for himself and also did carpentering. In 1896 he was elected justice of the peace, which office he filled for one term, and in the fall of 1898 he was elected county judge, to which position he has been re-elected. so that he served continuously as the incumbent to the present time. His knowledge of the law enables him to give a correct decision which is based also 11pon the equity of the case, and that he is biased bv neither fear nor favor is shown by the fact that he has been long continued in the position.
Judge Robinson was married January II. 1866. to Miss Mary Garner. who was born in Texas in 1843, a daughter of Hulick W. and Marv J. (Eason) Garner. both of whom were natives of Tennessee, but became early settlers of Uvalde county. Texas, in 1856. The father was a leading stockman until the Civil war. when he entered the army, but because of his age was given an honorable discharge. In the early
269
HISTORY OF SOUTHWEST TEXAS
days he made raids after the Indians and lost much stock because of their thieving propensities. He was a local Methodist preacher and contributed in substantial measure to the intellectual and moral as well as the material development of his part of the state. He was also a member of the Masonic fraternity and died in Uvalde about 1889. His wife yet survives, living in Uvalde at the age of seventy-seven. She, too, is a Methodist in religious faith. Their children were: Noble, who died while serving in the Confederate army; Anson J., who was a stockman and merchant at Uvalde and Del Rio, where he died; Mrs. Mary Robinson; Hulick, engaged in sheep raising; Samuel, Henry and George of Uvalde.
Judge and Mrs. Robinson have six children: John F., sheriff of Val Verde county ; Harry A., a railroad man ; Lee, a contractor ; Ed, a painter of Uvalde; Mrs. Mamie Isbell; and Frank, at home. The family occupy a commodious residence and Judge Robinson also owns fifteen vacant lots in the town. He is a member of the Masonic fra- ternity and the Eastern Star, and his wife is a member of the Methodist church. He has been before the public for many years and in many capacities, and has always been found true to the trust reposed in him, whether it has been of a business or political nature.
D. M. EDWARDS is a pioneer bee keeper of Uvalde county and was the first to introduce here many of the modern appliances now known to bee culture. He is also agent for A. R. Root & Company, dealers in bee supplies in Ohio, and in this connection he has succeeded in in- troducing many of the modern inventions which are of direct benefit in the care of bees and the production of honey. Uvalde has become famous. as the center of the honey producing district and the labors of Mr. Edwards have been an important element in acquiring this reputa- tion. Born in Cherokee county, Georgia, on the 10th of September. 1850, he is a son of Benson L. Edwards and a grandson of Daniel Ed- wards, the latter a native of North Carolina. The great-grandfather was one of three brothers who came from Wales to America. One of the number was a bachelor and settled in New York, where he became a wealthy man. He leased property for a long term of years and this became very valuable. The other two brothers settled in North Carolina and one of them was the father of Daniel Edwards, who was born and reared in the old North state. He was also married there, established his home in North Carolina and became a prosperous planter, who owned a large tract of land and many slaves. He continued to make his home upon his place up to the time of his demise and the property is still in possession of his descendants. He was prominent and In- fluential in the locality in which he moved and his opinions carried weight among his fellow townsmen. He belonged to the Methodist church and his religious faith found exemplification in his daily conduct. In his family were eight children: Benson L .; David; Watson ; Malcolm ; Lucy; Frances; Mrs. Angeline Brineger, and Aletha, who became the wife of Colonel A. Smith, who was a member of the United States army prior to the Civil war.
The eldest of the family, Benson L. Edwards, a native of North Carolina, spent his childhood and youth in that state and was there
270
HISTORY OF SOUTHWEST TEXAS
married to Miss Frances Hill., She was a descendant of the Hill family who trace their ancestry to nine brothers who came to America from Ireland. They scattered to different parts of the United States and many of the Hill families of this country are numbered among their descendants. Her father took up his abode in North Carolina, where he reared his family and spent his remaining days. He was a school teacher by profession and became recognized as one of the most able and popular educators in his part of the state. Most of the members of that branch of the Hill family were literary people and had marked influence upon the intellectual development of their various communities. There were many of the name who served in the Confederate army during the war between the north and the south and a number of them held commissions and were prominent in military as well as in social and professional circles. Mrs. Edwards was the elder of two children. Her brother Washington was a prominent educator and surveyor. She held membership in the Methodist church and was a lady of many sterling traits of character. Following his marriage Benson L. Ed- wards began farming in North Carolina and later engaged in farming and merchandising in Georgia, purchasing a plantation in Cherokee county, where he not only opened up a farm but also conducted a cross- roads store for a number of years. Eventually he sold out and removed to Calhoun, Georgia, where he remained for four years, when he with- drew from business there and took up his abode in Dalton, Georgia. There he resided for two years, during which time he made a prospecting tour through Texas.
After his return to Georgia he rented a large plantation at Chicka- mauga, Tennessee, where he remained until the fall of 1862, when he enlisted for service with the southern army. As a private he went to the front and continued actively in duty until the siege and battle of Chickamauga, where he was wounded by a minie ball through the breast, thus giving his life in defense of the cause which he loved. He was a member of an infantry regiment and saw arduous service, being often in the thickest of the fight and never faltering in the performance of any military duty assigned him. His political support was originally given to the Whig party and in 1856 he voted for Bell and Everett. He was a man of athletic build and strong constitution, wide awake and enterprising in business affairs and social and genial in his nature, so that he had many friends, whom he delighted to have around him, ex- tending to them the generous hospitality of his home. He belonged to the Methodist church and to the Masonic fraternity. His wife survived him for a number of years, passing away in 1875, but at the time of his death the home was broken up and the children became scattered.
To Mr. and Mrs. Benson Edwards were born seven children: Adelia, who became Mrs. Pulliam and after the death of her first husband became Mrs. Hudson; Uestula A., who died at the age of twenty-four years ; Thomas A., deceased; David M .; Noah H., who went to San Antonio in 1882 and was a carpenter and contractor of Southwestern Texas until he died of consumption ; Temperance V., who died at the age of twelve years: and Francis C., who died in infancy. Of this family Thomas A. Edwards entered the army when only fourteen years
27I
HISTORY OF SOUTHWEST TEXAS
of age under General Forrest and was taken prisoner. He was in Fort Delaware for eleven months, when exchanged and soon after the sur- render of General Lee he returned home. In 1883 he came to Uvalde county on account of his health and was the first to engage in bee culture here with modern appliances. He was quite successful and his health improved. Later he returned to his family and settled in Florida, where his health again became impaired and in 1887 he passed away.
David M. Edwards was reared to farm pursuits and pursued his education in the schools of Calhoun and Dalton, Georgia, and of Chicka- mauga, Tennessee. He accompanied his parents on their various re- movals and was fifteen years of age at the time of the close of the Civil war in 1865. He remembers well the distress and devastation caused by the war and he saw some of the battles and heard the canonading. He could see at a distance the warfare that was raging at Chickamauga when his father was killed. After the war he went to an old friend of the family and worked for his board and clothes, remaining there until seventeen years of age, when he was employed for wages upon a farm, working in that manner until twenty years of age. Subsequently he served a three years' apprenticeship to the carpenter's and builder's trade and later was employed as a journeyman for a similar period, after which he began contracting and building on his own account. He first came to Arkansas and later to Fannin county, Texas, and in 1875 located at Honey Grove, where he did contract work for seven years. In 1883 he arrived in Uvalde county, where he worked at his trade for a few months and through the influence of his brother he turned his attention to the conduct of an apiary. He and his brother
Bee Culture.
were the first in the county to use the modern appliances which have been so beneficial in bee culture, and in this business he has continued to the present time. He and his brother made a close study and devoted much time to the discovery of the different brush which the bees work on. In fact he has always been a close observer of everything bearing upon his business, has read extensively upon the subject and has made thorough investigation and research concerning the growing of bees and the production of honey and as the result of his labors and close application his business has been a prosperous and profitable one. He has given employment to as many as ten men at a time and supports on an average from year to year two families, the members of whom are engaged in the care of the bees and the honey. At first he built his own stands, while later he ordered from A. R. Root & Company, of Ohio, Mr. Root having been the first to manufacture and use the modern bee stands. He also brought into use the machine for extracting honey and is the pioneer in the development of modern bee culture. He issued a bee journal that had a large circulation and educated the bee culturists in the work to which they were giving their time and energies. Mr. Root also invented machinery and perhaps has done more than any other man to promote this industry. Mr. Edwards purchased his first outfit from the A. R. Root Company and in 1884 commenced ordering for others in the business. For fourteen years he has bought by the car load and he keeps on hand all supplies which are needed in connec-
272
HISTORY OF SOUTHWEST TEXAS
tion with this industry, including extractors and comb foundations, machines, etc. There is a large demand for these supplies and he has extensive sales which bring to him a good return. When he first en- gaged in business he leased land for his apiary and in 1896 he bought five hundred acres to be used permanently for this undertaking. He also has at another place a smaller apiary. At one time he had a thousand stands of bees, which was more than he could care for, so that he has been selling off to some extent. He now keeps about three hundred stands of bees and during twenty-three years he has had only three failures in his honey crop, when he did not produce enough honey for sale. At times the crops have been extremely large and the average for the twenty-three years would be a good annual crop. He developed a market for the honey and the Uvalde apiaries are now enjoying an extensive patronage. Mr. Edwards ships his own product and for a number of years he bought the surplus offered by others. One season he shipped a thousand cases, including one hundred thousand pounds of his own crop. Uvalde county honey has become famous for its almost perfectly white color and its superior flavor. It is shipped to all parts of the United States and has become a recognized article of commerce, merchants gladly buying and dealing in this commodity, so that as high as one million five hundred thousand pounds have bee.' shipped in a single season. In fact this is one of the most importam industries of the county.
Mr. Edwards' business, however, does not depend entirely upon this industry but is of a diversified nature. He raises some stock, also crops of different kinds and because of the extent and importance of his business is able to furnish employment to a number of laboring men. He is regarded as the authority on the subject of bee culture and any information desired by his neighbors is always imparted freely and willingly, so that others have benefited by his experience and knowledge. When he came to the county in 1883 he was in poor health and his financial resources were limited. Here he has improved in health and is altogether delighted with Uvalde county as a place of residence be- cause it has restored his normal physical condition, has brought him good neighbors and pleasant friends and has also given him a profitable business. When he arrived in the county he built a home in the city of Uvalde and has resided here continuously since. All of the improve- ments on his ranch were made by himself, including the building of the ranch house and the outbuildings, sheds, etc. He has likewise invested in city property and owns a number of good lots in the town. In all of his business interests he has met with success and is now looking forward to the development and further progress of the county and city, in the welfare of which he is deeply interested.
In his political views Mr. Edwards is an earnest Democrat but without desire for office. He has served as alderman of the city, how- ever, and he was a charter member of the volunteer fire department, which he assisted in organizing, serving as fire chief for seven years. He is still one of its active members and he gives his allegiance to every movement for the public good and to every plan that seems to promise benefit to the community. His life is upright and honorable and his
a. R. Bowman
273
HISTORY OF SOUTHWEST TEXAS
identification with the temperance society indicates his position upon that question.
Mr. Edwards was married at Honey Grove, Texas, in 1878, to Miss Elizabeth Coulter, who was born there in 1860 and to him has been a faithful companion and helpmate on life's journey. Her parents were Tipton and Mattie (Davis) Coulter, natives of Kentucky, where they were married. In 1856 they came to Texas, settling at Honey Grove, where Mr. Coulter followed the trade of marble cutting, possessing much natural mechanical ability and ingenuity. During the period of the Civil war he made shoes for the soldiers of the Confederate army and also did carpentering. He was a man of much usefulness and of untir- ing activity and he remained a valued resident of Honey Grove until his death, which occurred in 1887 and which was deeply deplored by all who knew him. His wife yet survives and finds a good home among her children, spending much time with Mr. and Mrs. Edwards. She owns a good residence property in Uvalde, but rents it, as she does not care to live alone. She has been a worthy member of the Christian church from the age of sixteen years and she has now reached the ad- vanced age of seventy-five years. Mr. Coulter was a member of the Masonic fraternity and also of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Knights of Honor.
To Mr. and Mrs. Coulter were born seven children: Etta, the wife of A. J. Wood; William, who died in 1903, leaving a wife and four children: Mrs. Elizabeth Edwards; Thomas, of Bartlett, Texas ; James, who is engaged in the raising of bees in this county; Mary, the wife of L. C. Hill, of Honey Grove; and Tipton, who is foreman for a syndicate near the city of Mexico, where he is operating the water and light plant for the city.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.