USA > Texas > A Twentieth century history of southwest Texas, Volume II > Part 52
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WILLIAM P. DUNLAP. After a long, busy and prosperous career as a business man and an agriculturist, William P. Dunlap is living retired from active labor, in his pleasant, commodious and well furnished home, at Luling. Of pioneer descent, much of his earlier life was spent in newly settled regions, living during the days of his boyhood and early manhood in three different states, Alabama, Mississippi and Texas. He assisted as soon as old enough in the hard labor incidental to life in an unsettled country, by his energy and influence helping to establish enterprises of benefit to the community in which he resided, at all times holding a posi- tion of prominence among the most respected and valued citizens of the town and county. A son of the late Joseph Dunlap, he was born June 30. 1830, in Greene county, Ala. His grandfather, James Dunlap, was born, it is supposed, in the North of Ireland, of Scotch-Irish ancestry, and was there reared and married. Emigrating to this country, he lived first in South Carolina, from there removing to Greene county, Alabama, where he spent his remaining vears, dying at a ripe old age.
Born, bred and educated in Abbeville, S. C., Joseph Dunlap con- tinued a resident of his native state until 1818, when he migrated with his family to Greene county, Ala., going there long before the establish- ment of railways or telephones, or any of the more modern means of transportation or communication. Purchasing a tract of heavily tim- bered land lving on Brushy Creek, he erected a rude log cabin in which his son William, the subject of this sketch, was born. Bears, deer, wild turkey and other kinds of game were plentiful, and as every man and boy was a hunter and trapper largely supplied the family larders. The
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clothes of all were homespun, and made by the women, who were famous spinners and weavers. With slave labor, Joseph Dunlap cleared and improved a farm from the dense wilderness, and for a few years lived there. Selling at an advantage, he then bought land near the Black War- rior river, and in the opening which he made in the forest built a double log house, which for those times was a very pretentious structure, the logs being hewed, and the chinks filled with sticks and mortar, after which the whole was whitewashed. In 1842, he sold this place of five hundred acres, of which he had cleared about 200, and again trekked westward, moving with teams to Mississippi, taking along his stock, household goods, provisions, and slaves, and camping and cooking by the way. Buy- ing land in Chickasaw county, he hewed a farm from the primitive wilderness, and lived there sixteen years. Disposing of the land in 1858, he again started westward, going by rail to Mobile, thence by steamer to New Orleans, and from there by rail and steamer to Galveston, Tex., where he embarked on a sailing vessel, which took him to Corpus Christi. Purchasing a tract of wild land near that place, he was there employed in agricultural pursuits until 1853, when he sold out, and removed to Cald- well county. He there continued farming as long as able, and on retiring from active labor took up his residence at the home of his son, William P. Dunlap, with whom he resided the remainder of his life, passing away at the advanced age of eighty-eight years and four months. The maiden name of his wife, the mother of William P., was Mary Pettigrew. She was born in South Carolina, a daughter of James Pettigrew, a Scotch- inan by descent, who removed from South Carolina to Alabama, becoming a pioneer of Greene county, where he improved a farm, on which he spent his remaining days.
A boy in his thirteenth year when his parents went to Mississippi, William P. Dunlap has a vivid recollection of the tedious overland jour- ney to Chickasaw county, Mississippi, and of the subsequent hardships and privations endured by the pioneers of that section. With his parents he came to Texas in 1859, and at Corpus Christi soon established himself in the lumber business, which he continued as long as possible, giving it up when, during the progress of the Civil war, the ports were blockaded, and no lumber procurable. Going then to Laredo, a frontier town on the Rio Grande, Mr. Dunlap there embarked in mercantile pursuits, tak- ing his entire stock of goods across the country in Mexican carts. Find- ing it impossible to replenish his stock, he took what he had on hand at the end of a few months, and went to Corpus Christi, where he sold out at auction. Locating then in Nueces county, Mr. Dunlap started an en- tirely new business by gathering up the salt that was deposited in quanti- ties on the shores of the different lakes in that part of the state, and placing it on the market. At first he sold the salt for twenty-five cents a bushel in silver, but later, when silver became scarce, he took $2.50 a bushel in Confederate money. He sold great quantities of this useful commodity, people coming a long distance for it, even from Arkansas, five hundred miles away. In 1863 he bought a tract of land on the San Marcos river, in Caldwell county, and after the close of the war settled there, and was there diligently and successfully engaged in agricultural pursuits until 1892. In that year, Mr. Dunlap removed to Luling, and
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has since occupied a place of prominence among the best known and most highly respected citizens of this place.
On August 22, 1860, Mr. Dunlap married Nancy Appling, who was born in Georgia, but was brought up and educated in Guadalupe county, Tex., where her father, Burr Appling, settled in 1845. Mr. and Mrs. Dunlap are the parents of nine children, namely: Weyman, Ella, Joseph, Linda, Phelan, Clemie, Mary, William, and Nannie.
CAPTAIN ROBERT THOMAS NIXON. An early settler of Texas, a veteran of the Civil war, and an important factor in developing the agri- cultural resources of this section of the state, no man is more deserving of representation in a work of this character than the late Capt. Robert Thomas Nixon, who spent the later years of his life in Luling. A man of honest integrity, energetic and progressive, he did his full share in advancing the interests of the community in which he resided, and was everywhere held in high respect. Coming from thrifty Scotch-Irish ancestry, he was born in April, 1827, in Randolph county, N. C., a son of Zachariah and Mary ( Thomas) Nixon.
Zachariah Nixon spent almost his entire life in North Carolina. which, it is supposed, was his birthplace. Reared on a farm, he followed agricultural pursuits successfully, and was also engaged to some extent in mercantile business. After the death of his wife, he started to come to Texas to join his children. With that end in view, he embarked on a sailing vessel, and without doubt was lost at sea, as he was never heard from afterward.
Brought up and educated in his native state, Robert Thomas Nixon lived there until after attaining his majority. Desirous then of securing better opportunities for bettering his financial condition, he came, in 1852, to Texas, settling in Guadalupe county as a pioneer. The country roundabout was in its pristine wildness, scarcely a frame house had been built, and the timbered land was the home of deer, wild turkeys, and other game, while herds of buffaloes were often seen. He purchased a tract of land lying about seven miles south of Luling, and while busy improving a farm for himself gave material assistance in the upbuilding of township and county, watching with pleasure the transformation of small hamlets into thriving villages and cities. On the breaking out of the Civil war, he raised a company of volunteers, of which he was commis- sioned captain. Being detailed to do garrison duty in his home state, Captain Nixon continued in command of his men until the close of the war. Returning home, he continued farming, and for many years carried it on with most satisfactory results. In 1895, Captain Nixon removed to Luling, where he had previously erected a commodious and conveni- ently arranged house, and here made his home, although he continued to superintend the management of his farm until his death, in 1897, at the age of three score and ten years.
Captain Nixon was twice married. His first wife, whose maiden name was Laura Wood, was born in Randolph county, N. C., a daughter of William and Henrietta (Andrews) Wood. She died in the early part of 1872, leaving seven children. Captain Nixon married second, in De- cember, 1872, Fannie Andrews, who was born in Randolph county, N. C., a daughter of Eleazer Andrews. Harmon Andrews, Mrs. Nixon's grand-
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father, a farmer by occupation, was as far as known a lifelong resident of North Carolina, as was his wife, whose maiden name was Martha Burkhead, and her father, William Burkhead. Eleazer Andrews, who was engaged in farming in his native state until his death, in 1862, mar- ried Mary Hix. She was born in Randolph county, N. C., a daughter of Davis and Rebecca (Laughlin) Hix, and died at the home of her daughter, Mrs. Nixon, in Texas, where she came to live after the death of her husband. Mr. and Mrs. Andrews were the parents of six chil- dren, namely ; Adeline, who spent her life in North Carolina ; William W .; Jason L .; Julia; Fannie, now Mrs. Nixon; and Mary. All of these, with the exception of the oldest daughter, came to Texas to reside.
Mrs. Nixon has six children living, namely: Beulah, Corinne, Myrtle, Alta, P. I., and Zebulon. Beulah married E. F. Wood, and has five children, Louisa, Fannie, Maggie, Laura, and Kent. Corinne, wife of Walter Hyman, has three children, Harold, Aline, and Estelle. Myrtle married Frank Allen, and has one child, Frank. Alta married Knox Walker, and they have one daughter, Frances. P. I., who was graduated from the Luling High School, studied three years in the Texas State University, and studied for two years at the Asheville Military Academy, in Asheville, N. C., is now studying medicine at the Johns Hopkins University, in Baltimore, Md. Zebulon, the youngest child, is now, in 1907, attending the Texas State University.
PAUL J. GREENWOOD. Prominent among the active and able attor- neys of Caldwell county is Paul J. Greenwood, of Luling, who during the twenty-five or more years that he has been in practice in this city has met with eminent success, and won an honorable record in the legal profession. A son of Thomas Calhoun Greenwood, he was born Jan- uary 8, 1861, in Caldwell county, Tex. His paternal grandfather, Thomas Greenwood, was born in Virginia, of English ancestry, and lived in his native state during his earlier life. Subsequently removing to Mississippi, he purchased a large tract of wild land in Monroe county, where he was one of the original settlers. With the assistance of slaves, he improved a homestead, on which he resided until his death, at the age of three score and ten years. . He married Lydia Moore, and of the children born of their union, seven grew to years of maturity, namely : Samuel, Abner, Albert G., Thomas Calhoun, De Witt C., Calpurnia C., and Lydia.
The son of an early pioneer of Mississippi, Thomas Calhoun Green- wood was born in Monroe county, that state, April 13, 1823, and there received the rudiments of his education. In 1843 he was graduated from La Grange College, in La Grange, Ala., and immediately afterward began the study of law. Being admitted to the bar in 1844, he subse- quently practiced law in Monroe, Chickasaw, and Choctaw counties, and for a time edited and published a paper in Aberdeen, Miss. In 1852, with a colony consisting of fifteen or more families, he started westward in search of a new home. Journeying with teams, and taking with him household goods, slaves and provisions, the party cooked and camped on the way, and after a number of weeks on the trail arrived in Guadalupe county, Tex. At that time a large proportion of the soil of Southwestern Texas still rested undisturbed by the plowshare, and
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the primitive dwellings of the settlers were few and far between. Deer, buffalo, and wild horses had not then fled before the advancing steps of civilization, but roamed at large. Fond of hunting, and charmed with the natural beauty of the country roundabout, and its salubrious climate, Mr. T. C. Greenwood decided to locate at Seguin, one of the most enterprising towns of Guadalupe county. Opening a law office there, he was actively employed in the practice of his profession for a number of years. Like his father, he was an old style Baptist, and soon after coming to Texas he began preaching in that denomination, engaging in religious work in different places. In 1853 he formed a partnership with John Ireland, who was later governor of Texas, and was as- sociated with him until 1856, when, on account of ill health he was forced to abandon his profession for awhile. Removing then to land that he had purchased in Caldwell county, Mr. Greenwood began the improvement of a farm, and received such benefit from the outdoor life that he was again enabled to resume his professional duties, and from 1874 until 1882 was engaged in the practice of law. His health again failing, he returned to his farm, on which he has since resided. He married Julia Crocker, who was born, April 23, 1823, in South Carolina, and of the eight children born of their union seven grew to years of maturity, namely: Thomas, Calpurnia, James, Carrie, Emmett, Paul J., and Eugenia. Thomas who served in the Civil war in the company of W. P. Hardemann, in Col. Thomas Green's regiment, died in Cald- well county in 1877. Calpurnia married William Redus, of San Antonio. James, a well known attorney of Seguin, has served as judge, and has represented his county in the state legislature. Carrie married A. M. Benner, and lives in Gillespie county. Emmett resides with his parents.
Completing the course of study in the common schools of his dis- trict, Paul J. Greenwood attended the Agricultural and Mechanical Col- lege at Bryan, after which he continued his studies at Baylor Univer- sity, in Waco. Subsequently studying law with his father, he was ad- mitted to the bar in 1881, and immediately opened an office in Luling. Well fitted for his chosen career, Mr. Greenwood has been exceedingly prosperous as an attorney, and in the years that have since elapsed has built up a large and lucrative patronage, and has gained a noteworthy position among the influential and esteemed citizens of the city.
In November, 1881, Mr. Greenwood married Ada Kyser, who was born, in 1863, near San Marcos, a daughter of William and Elizabeth Kyser, early settlers of Hays county, Tex., locating there in 1851. Mr. and Mrs. Greenwood are the parents of two children, namely: Paul Cook and Grace. Politically Mr. Greenwood is a stanch Democrat, and fraternally he is a member of Hardemann Lodge, No. 179, A. F. & A. M., also Luling Lodge No. 194, R. A. M., and of Luling Lodge No. 2II, I. O. O. F.
MRS. JENNIE (EVERTON ) CLARKE. In looking over a list of the good and gracious women whose achievements are recorded in charitable and religious circles, we find no name more worthy of commemoration than that of Mrs. Jennie (Everton) Clarke, founder and superintendent of the Belle Haven Orphan Asylum, in Luling, Tex. She is a devout Chris- tian, an enthusiastic worker in the cause of temperance, and as a lecturer
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has traveled the length and breadth of this, and other, states. She is a forceful speaker, her personal appearance adding to her power on the plat- form. Tall and large, of commanding presence, and naturally bright and intelligent, she wins and retains the attention of her audience, as an enter- taining and instructive lecturer meeting with noted success. A daughter of the late Dr. William T. Everton, Mrs. Clarke was born in Luce town- ship, Spencer county, Ind., of distinguished English ancestry. She be- longs to the rather small, but well known, Everton family, which numbers among others of note Allen Peyton, who for a number of years rep- resented Spencer county in the Indiana State Legislature ; Judge Richard- son, of Evansville, Ind .; Dr. Snyder, who was graduated from the Michi- gan State University, and is now officially connected with the Brooklyn Eye and Ear Infirmary, in Brooklyn, N. Y .; and his sister, Dr. Kate Snyder, also a graduate of the university of Ann Arbor, Mich., and now a practicing physician at Evansville, Ind.
Thomas Everton, the great-grandfather of Mrs. Clarke, and the founder of that branch of the family from which she is descended, was born near Liverpool, England, at Everton, a famous summer resort, named for this family, where for centuries the Everton family has been prominent and influential. Emigrating to the United States at an early day, he settled in Virginia, and with the colonists fought in the Revolu- tionary war. Subsequently removing with his family to North Carolina, he spent the remainder of his life there. He left among other children a son Thomas, who was the next in line of descent.
Judge Thomas Everton, Jr., was reared and educated in North Caro- lina. Attaining manhood, he migrated to Kentucky, and as a pioneer lived there a few years, being engaged in clearing and improving a farm. Removing in 1816 to Indiana, he purchased one thousand acres of land in Spencer county, and from the dense forest began the improvement of a homestead. He was very successful in his undertakings, and having cleared a large tract, he erected a substantial set of farm buildings, and there resided until his death, in 1845. He was patriotic and loyal, serving in the Indian wars of 1811 and 1812 under Gen. W. H. Harrison, the hero of Tippecanoe, and was active in public affairs, serving for twelve years as county judge, a position that he held at the time of his death. He married Hetty Luce, a native of Kentucky. Her father, Abner Luce, who was also born in Kentucky, settled as a pioneer in Spencer county, Ind .. in the township which was named Luce in his honor. Daniel Boone and the late Gov. Morton were both connected by marriage with the Luce family, which has attained prominence in several states. The late M. R. Luce, of Lockhart, Tex., came to this state in 1850, and subsequently held various positions of trust in Caldwell county. He reared fourteen chil- dren, and at his death left twenty-three grandchildren. His brother. Lafayette Luce, served as county clerk of Burnet county for fifteen years, and is now living at San Marcos. Another branch of the Luce family is represented by Oliver Luce Mclaughlin, founder of the Old Men's Home. in Cincinnati, Ohio. Of the union of Thomas and Hetty (Luce) Everton, two sons and ten daughters were born, the sons being William T., Mrs. Clarke's father, and David M. David M .. who married Kate Howe, a daughter of Dr. Howe, of Flora, Ill., was for a number of years a prac-
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ticing dentist at Cornhill, near Georgetown, Tex., and his two sons are successful dentists of the Indian Territory.
William T. Everton was born, March 9, 1833. in Luce township. Spencer county, Ind. Intelligent and ambitious, with a love of books, he attended school regularly when young, obtaining a substantial foundation for his future education. Having a strong inclination towards the medical profession, he subsequently went to Windsor, in the province of Canada. where he studied with Dr. Pettit. Returning to the States, he located as a physician in Ramsey, Ill., and practiced there, and at other places in Illinois and Indiana, until 1876. Coming in that year to Texas, Dr. Ever- ton practiced medicine for a number of years in Brazoria, meeting with good success. The latter part of his life he lived retired, and died at the home of his daughter, Mrs. Clarke, in Luling, October 4, 1903. Dr. W. T. Everton married, November 9, 1854, Martha McSwane, who was born in Hardeman county, Tenn., January 17, 1837, a daughter of Edward Mc- Swane. Edward McSwane, grandfather of Mrs. Clarke, was closely related to Thomas H. Benton, who was for thirty years United States Senator from Missouri, and was one of the most famous men of our country, particulary for his thorough information on finance and his great and long speeches on "Political Economy." His daughter Miss Jessie was as well known in Washington society for her extraordinary beauty, as he was for his statesmanship, and her history reads like a romance. When she was very young, John C. Fremont (afterwards General Fre- mont, path-finder of the Rocky Mountains) persuaded her to elope and marry him. The proud old Senator was unrelenting for many years, be- cause she had married an obscure surveyor of the government in the wilds of the west. He soon made his mark in California and by his bravery and boldness in early days was instrumental in linking the Atlantic and Pacific in an indissoluble bond. He was at one time candidate for President of the United States on the Republican ticket. Mrs. Fremont survived her husband several years and died at her beautiful home in Los Angeles, Cal .. about 1902, at the advanced age of 79 years. She was an authoress of note, and among her best publications were "Story of the Guard," "A Chronicle of the War," with a German translation, "Sketch of Her Father," and "Souvenirs of My Time."
Born of Scotch ancestry in Tennessee, Edward McSwane lived there until 1843, when he removed with his family to Indiana. Settling in War- wick county, he purchased a tract of timbered land, and in the opening that he made soon erected a log cabin for family use. There were then no railways in that part of the country, and Evansville and Newburg, on the Ohio, twenty-two miles away, were the nearest markets. He engaged in agricultural pursuits, paying much attention to the raising of tobacco. in which during the later years of his life he dealt extensively, living there until his death, in 1859. He married Polly Huddleston, a native of Hardeman county, Tenn., and they became the parents of a number of children, among whom were Dr. John McSwane, a well-known physician, who for several years was lecturer at the Saint Louis Medical College : William McSwane, a noted teacher in Southern Indiana, married Luella Gleason. a daughter of Dr. Gleason, of Petersburg, Ind., and their daughter, Miss Grace, was formerly a well-known temperance lecturer of
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that state ; and Martha, who married Dr. Everton. Of the children born of the union of Doctor and Mrs. Everton, five are living, namely : Octavia, formerly a teacher, is the wife of William Crosby, of Brazoria county ; Mattie, who, also a school teacher, married Walter Crosby, of Lockhart ; Elmer, a clerk in a store at Ardmore, I. T., inarried Stella Simms, daugh- ter of the late Dr. Simms, of Harwood, Tex .; Melvin, a dentist, living in Schulenburg, married Mrs. Merrick, of Indiana ; and Mrs. Clarke (nee Jennie Everton).
Having received an excellent common school education, Jennie Ever- ton afterwards took a course at Xenia College, in Xenia, Ill., and at the age of sixteen years commenced teaching school, a profession which she followed several terms. On September 6, 1890, she married Lee Eckols, who was born, December 15, 1861, in Gonzales county, Tex., a son of Hon. J. W. and Laura (Harris) Eckols. Reared on a farm, Mr. Eckols continued engaged in agricultural pursuits until after his marriage. Lo- cating then as a merchant in Luling, he continued in business here until his death, May 3, 1894, while yet in manhood's prime. Of this union one child was born, a daughter named Nora Eckols. In 1896 Mrs. Eckols married Rev. A. G. Clarke, a native of New York city, who was then a popular and brilliant preacher in the Christian church. Of a religious temperament, Mrs. Clarke united with the Church of Christ when nineteen years of age, and has since been an earnest and faithful worker in the cause of Christianity and of temperance. As above mentioned she has traveled and lectured extensively, and as a public speaker has met with genuine success, and from press and pulpit has received many eulogistic notices. She speaks on various topics, among the more interesting of which are "The General Diffusion of Bible Knowledge," "The Glorious Triumphs of Christianity," and Temperance.
In 1889, at her home in Luling, Mrs. Clarke first established an orphanage, and has since devoted her life to the care of destitute and homeless children, finding pleasant homes for many who would other- wise be dependent upon charity for their subsistence. Finding her own house inadequate to accommodate all whom she wished to succor, she subsequently bought a farm adjoining the corporation, erected and fur- nished a commodious two-story house, in which she is now caring for thirty-four orphans. This asylum, under the efficient management of Mrs. Clarke, is a model institution of the kind, and every contributor towards its support that has visited it has surely gone away feeling that every cent given is wisely invested. This orphanage and the one in Nashville, Tenn., are the only ones connected with the Church of Christ. A woman of strong convictions and great mental energy, Mrs. Clarke has prospered in her various charitable and religious works, and by her sterling integrity of character has won the esteem and confidence of the community in which she has so long resided.
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