USA > Texas > A Twentieth century history of southwest Texas, Volume II > Part 70
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
During the Civil war, Alfred L. Wallace saw much active service, his commands serving in Missouri, Arkansas, Indian Territory, Louisiana and Texas. In 1863 he was elected as junior second lieutenant of his company. With both large and small parties he did much scouting duty. Once, in the summer of 1864, he was given five picked men and sent on a ride of more than two hundred miles for the purpose of securing, if possible, information desired by his commanding officer. Much of the time Lieutenant Wallace and his men were far inside the enemy's lines. The difficulties and dangers of the trip were many and great, the little party having frequent skirmishes with scouting parties of United States cavalry, and in consequence unremitting watchfulness was absolutely necessary for their safety. The desired information was secured, and after an absence of more than two months Lieutenant Wallace and his comrades returned in safety to their command, both men and horses- especially the latter-being much in need of rest and recuperation.
Early in the year 1869, Mr. Wallace purchased land on the Cibolo river, in the counties of Bexar and Comal, about twenty-two miles north- east of San Antonio, and began farming and ranching on a small scale. On the 20th of June, 1870, he was married to Miss Esther A. Kincaid, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. David G. Kincaid, of Comal county. To Mr. and Mrs. Wallace was born a son, Willis A. Wallace, June 20, 1871 ; and a daughter, Mary Ada Wallace, February 2, 1873. The son, Willis A., ยท was married September 5, 1900, to Miss Catherine McCalleck, of Du- rango, Mexico. Two children, a son and a daughter, have been born to them, but both died in early infancy. Willis and his wife are now living at Colorado, Mitchell county, Texas, where he is stationed as an inspector in the service of the United States bureau of animal industry. Mary Ada, daughter of Alfred L. Wallace, was married in Eagle Pass. June 14, 1899, to William C. Douglas, who is now an able and popular attorney-at- law at Eagle Pass. To them was born a daughter. Ada Constance Douglas, September 26, 1901.
524
HISTORY OF SOUTHWEST TEXAS
After the death of his wife in Comal county, Texas, September 9. 1874, Alfred L. Wallace rented his farm and ranch on the Cibolo and moved to Maverick county, where he took charge of a large stock of cattle, which he controlled until 1878. He then returned to his home on the Cibolo in Comal county, where he remained farming and ranching until early in the year 1884, when he sold his farm and ranch and moved with his cattle and horse stock to Pecos county, on the line of the South- ern Pacific Railroad, about 365 miles west of San Antonio. He re- mained there until April, 1894, then, coming to Eagle Pass, accepted the position of mounted inspector of United States customs, from which posi- tion he resigned October 1, 1898, and a few months later opened a com- mission business, handling wagons, carriages, farming implements and other machinery.
August 25, 1903, he was appointed county judge of Maverick county by the commissioners' court, to serve out the unexpired portion of the term made vacant by the then recent death of Judge J. W. McCarthy. Mr. Wallace was elected as county judge of Maverick county at the gen- eral election in November, 1904, and again in 1906. To the zeal and efforts of Mr. Wallace Eagle Pass owes its present efficient fire depart- ment and equipment, and in this matter, as in all others of public mo- ment, Mr. Wallace is continually laboring for the best interests of the town and county. He is an enterprising, public-spirited man and citizen, whose worth is acknowledged and whose labors have been effective for the public good. In his social relations Mr. Wallace is an Odd Fellow and is in hearty sympathy with the principles and teachings of that noble fraternity. In all his life he has been found reliable and trustworthy in the performance of his duty as seen by him, and in his present honorable position he has constantly endeavored to be strictly just and impartial to all, which traits and actions have earned for him the respect and confi- dence of his fellow citizens.
Uvalde County.
R. GRAVES MARTIN, a prominent physician and surgeon of Devine, Texas, and descendant of one of the pioneer families of Southwestern Texas, was born at Pleasanton, Atascosa county, April 17, 1876. He is a son of A. G. and Mary (Rutledge) Martin, the former a native of Florida, and the latter born in Georgia. A. G. Martin came to Texas as a young man and settled first in Guadalupe county, coming later to Atas- cosa county, where he settled permanently, engaging in stock farming. When the Civil war broke out he enlisted in the Confederate service and went to the front. While still in the service he was nominated and elected county judge of Atascosa county. This demanded his return home, and he obtained an honorable discharge and came back to take up the duties of his office. He remained in office for many years, being re-elected from term to term as Judge and remaining in the harness until 1900, when he held the position of county clerk. During all these years of public service he still retained the old ranch, and it yet remains in the family. He was a successful stock raiser and a trusted public official, and re- tained through all his residence in Texas a high reputation for integrity and the profound respect of his fellow citizens. For years a member
525
HISTORY OF SOUTHWEST TEXAS
of Missionary Baptist church, he held the offices of deacon and Sunday school superintendent of that body, being also an accredited member of the Royal Arch Masons. His death occurred in 1900, but his wife still survives, having passed her three-score years.
Their family consisted of eight children, of which the following is the chronological order of birth: Rachael, wife of G. W. M. Duck, sher- iff of Atascosa county, and now deceased; Mary, wife of Mr. McCalip ; Henry G., president of the National Bank of Pleasanton, and county and district clerk of Atascosa county; Laura (Mrs. Oden) ; John B., deputy district clerk and present (1906) nominee for county treasurer ; Ada, un- married; R. Graves, and Lois B. (Mrs. Cottein). A. G. Martin, the father, had one son, Isaiah L. Martin, by a former marriage, who is prominently known throughout Southwestern Texas as Judge Martin, having served as district judge for a number of years, in addition to rep- resenting his district in the state legislature. He has left public office now, however, to devote himself to his law practice, and resides at Uvalde.
R. Graves Martin received his elementary education in the local grammar and high school, later attending the Military Academy at Hunts- ville, Alabama, and returning from the academy to take additional work at the high school, obtaining as a result a first-class state certificate, and when nineteen years of age commenced teaching. He was also signally honored by appointment to the county board for examining prospective teachers. Later Dr. Martin started to read medicine with Dr. M. H. McGirk, of Pleasanton, and gained thereby much theoretical and practical knowledge of his profession. In 1897 Dr. Martin took his first course of lectures at the Kentucky School of Medicine at Tunnelhill, Kentucky, at- tending the following season the Memphis Hospital and Medical College, from which institution he received the degree of M. D., in 1900, coming then directly to Devine, where he formed a copartnership with Dr. Evans, a physician of many years' practice. In this work he remained for one year, and then opened up an office at Lavernia, Wilson county, where he remained for five years and built up a large and lucrative prac- tice.
Dr. Martin's marriage occurred in 1902 to Miss Zadie Scull, a native of Guadalupe county, where she was born in 1878, a daughter of Charles Scull. Mr. Scull comes of a pioneer Texas family and still resides at the old homestead, where he devotes his time to stock raising. He is one of the leading members of the Methodist Episcopal church in his neigh- borhood, and is superintendent of the Sunday school. He also holds mem- bership in the Masonic fraternity. Mr. Scull has five children: Zadie, Dr. Martin's wife; Iona, unmarried; Walter G., a resident of Globe, Arizona ; Robert H., at home ; and Janie, who still lives with her parents.
After his marriage Dr. Martin purchased a home in Lavernia, with the intention of remaining there permanently, but at the earnest solicita- tion of Dr. Evans, his old partner, and a number of his friends, he was induced to return to Devine and take up the practice which Dr. Evans wished to relinquish after years of faithful work. In February of 1906 Dr. Martin established himself in Devine and purchased a home. The practice which he has taken up is a fine one, with a wide field, and he has
-
526
HISTORY OF SOUTHWEST TEXAS
the satisfaction of knowing that he has the confidence of his predecessor and of his patients ; that his field of usefulness is a growing one, and one that cannot help but be beneficial to a young physician. Dr. Martin main- tains an exceptionally well equipped office, and is the owner of an excel- lent medical library. He is a consistent member of the Missionary Baptist church, and also belongs to the Masonic fraternity and to the Modern Woodmen.
W. S. DOLE, the senior member of the firm of W. S. Dole & Com- pany, proprietors of a large supply house of Uvalde, has various business enterprises. In the town he is engaged in dealing in all modern appli- ances for bees and the cultivation of honey and is also a dealer in the products of the hives. Moreover, he is extensively and successfully en- gaged in handling thoroughbred short-horn cattle and has a fine ranch. He is also a factor in financial circles as a bank director, and thus his business interests are of so varied and important a nature that he is a valued contributor to the commercial, industrial and agricultural activity, whereon the growth and prosperity of every community depend.
The life history of Mr. Dole began near Beloit, Wisconsin, on the 7th of June, 1852, and he was reared to. agricultural pursuits, spending his boyhood days at farm labor and in attending the public schools. His parents were Richard and Sarah A. (McPherson) Dole, both of whom were natives of New Hampshire, where they were married. The paternal grandparents were Richard and Martha (Johnson) Dole, who were of Scotch-Irish descent. The grandfather was a hatter by trade and fol- lowed that pursuit for many years. In an early day he removed to Wis- consin, settling at Beloit, where he remained for a considerable period or until the time of his death. Both he and his wife were active and faith- ful members of the Congregational church, in which he served as deacon for many years. He was also an enterprising and public-spirited man, and his friends and neighbors recognized his many good qualities. His children, six in number, were as follows: William, Eleazer, Joseph, Richard, Mrs. Louisa Gordon and Abigail.
Richard Dole was reared to manhood in New Hampshire and was there married to Miss Sarah A. McPherson. In 1830 he removed to Wisconsin. settling near Beloit, in a district which was then a new country, giving little evidence of development or improvement. He bought land and began the cultivation of the farm about two miles from the little town of Beloit, which has since developed into a city of considerable im- portance. He was identified with farming interests there for a long pe- riod and was numbered among the prominent, practical and successful agriculturists of the county. In early life he had learned the hatter's trade with his father, but after removing to the west never followed that pursuit, giving his undivided attention to his farming interests until later years, when he sold his farm and removed to Beloit, becoming identified with the progress and development of that city. There he was an influ- ential factor in community affairs and served as alderman for a number of years, exercising his official prerogatives in support of many measures which had direct bearing upon the general good. Later he bought back the old homestead farm and spent the remainder of his life thereon, pass- ing away in 1867. He was recognized as one of the pioneer settlers of that
527
HISTORY OF SOUTHWEST TEXAS
part of Wisconsin and one who in all life's relations was worthy the re- spect and trust so uniformly given him. In the Masonic fraternity he at- tained the Knight Templar degree. His wife died in 1858. She was a de- scendant of an honored old New Hampshire family, her people all remain- ing in that state. Her brothers and sisters were: Mrs. Aseneth Pierce, Mrs. Sarah A. Dole, Stephen and John McPherson. The marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Richard Dole was blessed with three children: Sarah, who be- came the wife of C. Hannahs, and died, leaving four children ; Joseph, who died in Kansas ; and W. S., of this review.
Born on the farm near Beloit, Wisconsin, W. S. Dole was there reared to general agricultural pursuits and subsequently went to the city with his parents, remaining with them until after they were called to their final rest. Following the death of his father, Mr. Dole removed to the west, making his way to the mining districts of Colorado, where he en- gaged in prospecting for minerals. There he continued until 1877, when he went to Southwestern Texas and turned his attention to the stock busi- ness. At that time there was a free range and room for all who wanted to engage in business. Cattle roamed at will over the plains, and Mr. Dole prospered in his new undertakings, conducting ranches in different local- ities in Western Texas. He was for several years on the Pecos river, but Uvalde county was always regarded by him as a most important dis- trict for carrying on the business. At length, when the free range began to be a thing of the past and the land was purchased by local dealers, Mr. Dole bought land in Uvalde county and also leased some. He then devel- oped a good property, where he continued in business successfully for a number of years. Eventually, however, he retired from the cattle busi- ness and gave his attention to the sheep industry. He had a large flock of sheep and was doing well, when the tariff measure passed during Pres- ident Cleveland's administration proved very detrimental to the wool and sheep industry. The sheep men all wanted to sell out at almost any price, as the business proved no longer profitable. Mr. Dole, however, not wish- ing to sacrifice his sheep at a complete loss, conceived the idea of buying up the sheep and fattening them for the market, selling them for mutton. He continued in that business until the sheep were nearly all disposed of and he found that his undertakings had proved a gratifying source of income. In the meantime he had determined to breed up the stock of cattle and utilized his ranch for this purpose. He now handles only thoroughbred short-horn cattle, having all registered stock, some from champion bulls. He has been very successful and yet continues in the business. Farming is carried on only to provide feed for the stock. In 1900 he extended the scope of his activities by becoming connected with the bee industry and has found this also a source of profit. He has built up an apiary of six hundred stands. Uvalde county is famous for its fine honey, which is shipped to the four quarters of the globe and its product reaches as high as two million pounds annually. Mr. Dole has had but one failure in honey in the five years during which he has been engaged in the business, and that was occasioned by a drought. He now gives much attention to the raising of bees and the production of honey and feels that it will continue to be a profitable industry for many years to come. After raising bees for a time he began dealing in apiary supplies
528
HISTORY OF SOUTHWEST TEXAS
at Uvalde, where he keeps a large stock of all supplies needed by the bee culturist. He has large sales, securing his goods mostly from the states of New York and Wisconsin. He also handles the bee products and buys and ships beeswax and honey in large quantities, finding a ready market for the products in various sections of the country as well as among the merchants of Uvalde. His home ranch is in Uvalde county and his family have always resided in the city of Uvalde, where he has a commodious residence. He employs a number of hands on his ranch and is carrying on an extensive and profitable business. He is also a stockholder and director in the Commercial National Bank and is widely and favorably known as a business man of marked enterprise, who in his undertakings is energetic and determined, never faltering in the accomplishment of what he begins when obstacles and difficulties can be overcome by per- sistent and honorable labor.
Mr. Dole was married to Miss Eleanor Ramsey, who was born in Bandera county, Texas, in 1863, and is a daughter of Henry and Mary (Dunn) Ramsey, the former a native of England and the latter of Louis- iana. They were married in Texas, Mr. Ramsey being one of the early settlers of the southwestern part of the state. There he was at one time employed by the United States government as manager of a herd of camels, which the government introduced for a special purpose. Later he engaged in the stock business with good success and was among the prominent and well known stockmen of this section of Texas. Afterward, however, he was cowardly and brutally assassinated. He had settled his family in Uvalde county and after his demise they located in the city of Uvalde, where they yet remain. Mr. Ramsey gave all of his attention to the stock business and was very successful therein. He succeeded in creating a goodly estate and becarne a true Texan, with marked love for and interest in the state of his adoption. He was well known and highly respected. His wife yet survives and resides in Uvalde at an advanced age. She is a worthy member of the Episcopal church. Mr. and Mrs. Ramsey had six children : Harry, now living in California ; Thomas, also of that state; Eleanor, the wife of W. S. Dole; Edward, a stockman in New Mexico; Emma, who is with her brothers in Nevada; and Blandin, who is a miner with Thomas. Mr. and Mrs. Dole are the parents of five children : Minnie, Lenora, Richard, Joseph and Scott, all yet at home.
Mr. Dole is a worthy member of the Royal Arch Masons and his wife belongs to the Episcopal church. He is a Republican but without aspir- ation for office, yet he manifests a public-spirited citizenship that leads him to support all progressive movements for the general good. He has been deeply interested in the development of the county and in the man- agement of his private business interests and has contributed to the gen- eral prosperity. He and his wife are widely and favorably known in this part of the state and with pleasure we present their record to the readers of this volume.
HON. JOHN T. BRISCOE, a prominent attorney of Devine and nominee for Representative of the 97th district, Texas legislature, on the Demo- cratic ticket, was born in Gonzales county, Texas, January 2, 1879. He is a son of George T. and Susie C. (Robinson) Briscoe, the former a native of Tennessee and the latter of Texas. John Briscoe (grandfather
529
HISTORY OF SOUTHWEST TEXAS
of John T.) was a native of Virginia and an early settler of Tennessee and Arkansas, where he was a prominent farmer and extensive slave owner. He saw service in the war of 1812, and was an ardent Democrat in politics, although he was never a seeker for public office. His wife still survives and makes her home with Mr. Briscoe's father, now being in her eighty-eighth year. Her children were four in number: George T., father of John T .; John S., a farmer in Medina county ; and Lena (Mrs. Whitfield) of Devine; and one child, of Medina county, name unknown.
The father, George T. Briscoe, came to Texas in 1875 and settled in Gonzales county, where he married and devoted himself to stock raising, which he continued until 1884, when he moved to the town of Devine. In 1890 he sold his remaining interests in the cattle business and engaged in the lumber trade at that place-a business that has proved to be very successful. He carries a large stock of lumber besides a general line of builders' supplies. He also runs an undertaking business. In all lines of work which he has undertaken he has proved himself to be a capable and far-sighted man, and has at various times done considerable selling and trading of real estate-including town property and farms-both for himself and on a commission basis. In politics he is a Democrat but has never aspired to office, though always concerned in the welfare of his community. He is a member of the Missionary Baptist church, has been a deacon for twenty years, and is also identified with several fraternal societies. George T. Briscoe was married to Miss Susie C. Robinson, a daughter of Stillman T. Robinson, who came from Massachusetts to Texas in 1850 and located in Gonzales county, dealing at first in mer- chandise and later engaging in stock raising, which he continued until his death, which happened in July, 1906, at the age of eighty-one years. He was a member of the Democratic party and a broad-minded and successful business man. His first wife died early and the mother of Mr. Briscoe was her only child. By his second marriage Mr. Robinson had seven children : James, Stillman, A. F., Kate, Lulu, Stella and Jessie.
John T. Briscoe is the oldest of a family of seven children, of whom the following is the order of birth: John T., Leon J., Minnie, Stella, Kate, George, and Bryant. Mr. Briscoe received his early education at the local schools of Devine, but subsequently was graduated from the law department of the Cumberland University of Tennessee. In 1905 he opened a law office in Devine and has met with a flattering success, giving his friends every reason to believe in his fine future. In addition to law work, Mr. Briscoe does some real estate business, and is actively engaged in all public works that go to the upbuilding of his community. The Democrats of Medina county, in convention at Castroville, unanimously nominated Mr. Briscoe as state representative from the 97th district for 1906-7. This nomination is practically equivalent to an election and Mr. Briscoe's constituents congratulate themselves in having secured the services of a vigorous young man, whom they consider will be a credit to them and to himself, and who will hereby gain the means of establish- ing himself as a loyal, broad-minded man, and one whom the public may trust to serve its interests to the best of his knowledge and ability. The Missionary Baptist church numbers Mr. Briscoe among its worthy mem-
Vol. II. 34
530
HISTORY OF SOUTHWEST TEXAS
bers, and he is also connected with the local lodge of the Masonic frater- nitv. .
SAMUEL B. MOSSER, prominently identified with the industrial devel- opment of Alice, Texas, and vicinity, and vice president of the State Bank of Alice, was born in Pike county, Alabama, April 20, 1852. His parents were Samuel and Eunice Goodman Gerald Mosser, she being a native of South Carolina, and a widow of a Mr. Gerald, by whom she had five chil- dren. She is a descendant of the Goodman family of France, who emi- grated to the United States and settled in South Carolina. Samuel Mosser, also of French extraction, was born in France and came to Amer- ica when a boy. His father was a soldier in Napoleon's army and was killed at the battle of Waterloo. Samuel Mosser on coming to the United States settled in the south and later went into business at Mobile, Ala- bama, where he remained for several years and then sold out his business and moved to Troy, where he re-entered the mercantile line and was sub- sequently married. He built up a fine estate, but it was impoverished during the Civil war by the destruction of property and the confiscation of goods, and the close of the war found him in financial straits. His sympathy was with the cause of the Confederacy, but he was too old for active service. He was a member of the Methodist Episcopal church and also held membership in the Masonic fraternity. His death occurred in March, 1866, his wife having died in 1858.
The father of Samuel B. Mosser had several children, but the latter was the only one who grew to maturity. His life has been a strenuous one and one attended by many discouragements, and the success that he has achieved, in the face of so many obstacles, redounds greatly to his credit. Motherless at the age of six years and deprived of a father's care at fourteen, he was thrown upon the tender mercies of the world, without a relative to advise him or to take an interest in his welfare. Since that time he has had to depend entirely on his own resources, and may truly be said to be the architect of his own fate. He remained in Alabama until 1868, when he went to Galveston, Texas, and there the struggle of his life began in earnest and continued with many vicissitudes until the last decade. In Galveston Mr. Mosser remained but a short time, going thence to Indianola, and thence by stage to Victoria and Halletsville, where he remained for a time, working in a saloon and later as a cow- boy. His next move was to Flatonia, where, in 1876, he was married, and settled down to farming in Lavaca county. After farming for a short time Mr. Mosser returned to Flatonia and clerked in a store for one year, when his employer failed and was unable to even pay his clerk's wages. So, again thrown upon his own resources, he obtained a bunch of sheep, which he successfully herded for four years and then disposed of his interest, in 1882 moving to what is now LaSalle county and taking up two sections of state land. Here he remained for one year in the sheep- raising business, when he sold out and moved to Cotulla, where he opened a saloon. During this year his wife died. He continued in business at Cotulla until 1887, when he traded his business property for various inter- ests in Kansas City, investigation later showing that he had been swindled out of the entire amount; and he found himself again practically penni- less. Thence he went to San Antonio, running a saloon there for eight
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.