A history of Texas and Texans, Part 108

Author: Johnson, Francis White, 1799-1884; Barker, Eugene Campbell, 1874-1956, ed; Winkler, Ernest William, 1875-1960
Publication date: 1914
Publisher: Chicago, American Historical Society
Number of Pages: 906

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Some little time after this Mr. Spellman and his brother were employed in railroad work as sub- contractors on the grading of the M. K. & T. railroad at Fort Worth; on the Pecos River section of the Texas & Pacific; on the Texas Central, or the Waco Tap; on the Fort Worth & Denver in Wise county; then on to the Texas Midland construction and later to the Vicks- burg, Shreveport and Meridian in Louisiana. After this long season of railroad contracting, the brothers pooled their savings and bought one hundred and ninety acres of land, paying cash on the purchase of $800. This tract, it should be stated, forms a part of the domain which "Mike" Spellman now owns. They continued together for a number of years, and when they dis- solved partnership, their holdings had increased very materially, Mike Spellman's portion heing 357 acres. This he continued to actively cultivate until 1908, when he moved his family to Forney. While on the farm he built several small houses upon it, a mammoth barn, and a central country home of ten rooms, all of which improvements served to mark his place conspicuously among the more advanced farmers of Kaufman county.

On coming to Forney Mr. Spellman purchased the Rhea home on Center street, which he remodeled into one of the commodious and attractive homes of the town. Many years ago Mr. Spellman identified himself with hanking interests, and he has for fifteen years been a director of the Farmers' National Bank of Forney, and for thirteen years he has been president of the First National Bank of Crandall. He is a Democrat, and is a member of the Council of Forney, on which body he has given excellent service in behalf of his home com- munity.

In August, 1907, Mr. Spellman was married in Dallas county to Miss Carrie Huffines, a daughter of Charles Huffines, who came to Texas from Simpson county, Ken- tucky, in 1882. Mr. and Mrs. Spellman have three children: Corinne, Patsy and Helen. The family are members of the Presbyterian church of Forney and Mr. Spellman is a deacon in that body.

Few men in the community or the county have a better position, either in business or social circles than has Mr. Spellman, and he has risen above the unto- ward conditions and circumstances of his youth in a manner that entitles him to the highest praise. No ele- ment of luck or chance, or any assistance from outside quarters has entered into his success. It has been evolved bit by bit from his own energy, ambition and native wit and ingenuity. He has been for years a power in his community, and with his family he enjoys the con- fidence and esteem of the representative people of the town, as well as the genuine friendship of a host of friends.

NEWTON HANCE LASSITER. One of the best known and most successful attorneys of Fort Worth, Mr. Lassiter, besides a large private practice as attorney, represent-

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ing several railways and other corporations, is presi- dent of one of the important insurance companies of Fort Worth, and at different times has become a pub- lic-spirited leader in movements for civic betterment.

Newton Hance Lassiter was born on a farm in Hen- dersou county, Tennessee, on the thirteenth of Septem- ber, 1862. His father, Henry Lassiter, was a native of Tennessee, being of the same family as Andrew John- son, governor of Tennessee, and later vice president and president of the United States during and succeed- ing Lincoln's administration. Henry Lassiter married Eliza Boswell. The father was engaged in farming and was fairly prosperous until the Civil war, which swept away all his property. Later he continued in the same calling and recovered considerable part of his former prosperity. In 1871 the family moved to Lexington, Tennessee, where the father died in 1873, leaving a comfortable estate. The mother died in Fort Worth in 1912 at the home of her son, Newton H. There were five children, three of whom died in infancy.

Newton H. Lassiter has a brother, Robert Lee Las- siter, who also took up law as his profession, and for some time was a member of the Fort Worth bar, but considerations of health led him to abandon his pro- fessional career, and he is now engaged in farming at Lawson, Arkansas.

Newton H. Lassiter received his education in the schools of Lexington, Tennessee, and later in Cum- berland University at Lebanon, where he was grad- uated in law in 1881. During his earlier life Mr. Las- siter suffered the handicap of ill health, and for a time this caused him to turn aside from his professional career and engage in farming. Finally opening an office at Lexington, Tennessee, in a short time he had built up a good business throughout the surrounding county. Lexington at that time was off the line of railroad, and it was as a result of his desire to have a field where the opportunities were greater that he de- cided to come to Texas. Thus in 1885 he found a loca- tion in Fort Worth, and has witnessed and been a part in the development of this city for nearly thirty years.

It was in March, 1885, that he arrived in the city which was to be his future home, and his decision to make a change proved to be a wise one, for his success here not only equaled but surpassed that in his home town. In 1887 he was appointed local attorney for the Cotton Belt Railroad Company at Fort Worth, and represented that corporation ten years. Two years later, in December, 1889, he received appointment as general attorney of the Fort Worth & Rio Grande Railroad Company and acted in that capacity for twelve years. As a railroad attorney his reputation grew and gave him notice much beyond the ordinary limits of local practice. In 1892 the Chicago, Rock Island & Texas Railway Company appointed him local attorney and he continued with the Rock Island Rail- way Company until 1902, when he was appointed assist- ant general attorney of the road. Few lawyers in Texas have been more successful in handling the com- plicated business of a railway counsel, and his ability led to his promotion in October, 1910, as general attor- ney of the Rock Island System in Texas. At the same time of his appointment as general attorney of the Rock Island, Mr. Lassiter was also made general attor- ney of the Trinity & Brazos Valley Railway, and repre- sents both lines at this time.

Mr. Lassiter represents a number of important finan- cial concerns in Fort Worth, among these being the Employers Liability Assurance Association of London, England, and the Aetna Life Insurance Company of Hartford, Connecticut. He has always taken an impor- tant part in business affairs, and being a really public- spirited man, has done much to aid in the advancement and progress of the city along lines which have in- creased the advantages and resources of the community in every way. Mr. Lassiter is president of the Fort

Worth Life Insurance Company, and is a director of the American National Bank of Fort Worth. In 1911 he served as president of the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce, and has membership in various business and social and civic organizations. He is an Elk and be- longs to Lodge No. 124 at Fort Worth.

Mr. Lassiter was married on July 9, 1890, to Miss Sarah Elizabeth Davis, a daughter of Henry and Sarah Elizabeth Davis. Two daughters have been born to them: Helen Davis Lassiter, who was born May 1, 1892, and Henry Ruth Lassiter, born July 1, 1894.

WILLIAM L. BROWNING. As the proprietor of the Iowa Park Improvement Company, Incorporated, which he purchased in 1911, William L. Browning occupies a place among the leading business men of the town, and the head of one of the most prosperous institutions of its kind in the country. Mr. Browning was born in Penola county, Texas, on September 25, 1870, and is a son of John R. and Julia (Ballard) Browning.

Concerning the parents of Mr. Browning, it is known that they were natives of Tennessee and that they came to Texas in 1866, locating in Panola county, where they devoted themselves to farming and stock raising. In later years they moved to Wise county, and there the father and mother now reside at the age of eighty-two years, respectively. They became the parents of nine children, and William L. Browning of this brief review was the seventh in order of birth.

As a boy William L. Browning attended the schools of Lampasas county, in Texas, and then took up agri- cultural pursuits, continuing to be engaged thus in various parts of the state for some time. He finally settled in Wise county, where he continued for twelve years, coming to Wichita county in 1906 and identify- ing himself with the farming activities of the county. He was successful in that industry, and in 1911 added another enterprise to his activities, when he bought out the Iowa Park Improvement Company, and has since busied himself with its affairs.

Mr. Browning is a citizen of the most exemplary type, and takes his place among the men of the com- munity who are continually adding to its development and upbuilding. He is a Democrat, but not especially active in politics, and has served his town as a trustee on the school board. His churchly affiliations are with the Baptist church.

On July 20, 1895, Mr. Browning was married to Miss Emily Mount, of Rome, Texas, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. J. H. Mount of that place, both of whom are deceased. Five children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Browning, as follows: Carla Browning, born on May 31, 1897, in Wise county, now attending school; Edna, born in 1899, also in Wise county; Nolan, born in 1901; Ernest, born in 1906, and Paul Browning, born in Wichita county in 1909.

ROBERT L. BLAFFER. In the operations over the south- east Texas oil fields, during the past ten years, one of the best known workers has been Robert L. Blaffer, now head of the R. L. Blaffer & Company, with offices in the Carter Building at Houston. Mr. Blaffer is a man of southern birth and parentage, who was equipped with a college education, but began life at a very early age and has worked his own way into prominence both in business and social affairs.

Born in New Orleans, in 1875, he is a son of John A. and Clementine Amelia (Schneider) Blaffer. His father, who saw four years of service in the Confederate army, under General Lee, was a lumber merchant at New Orleans, and for many years after the war continued in the same line of business in that city where he still resides. With an education acquired in the schools of New Orleans and at Tulane University, R. L. Blaffer started his business career at the age of sixteen. The experience of his early years was chiefly in the coal business. He possessed the initiative and enterprise

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necessary for independent effort, and readily adapted himself to the new opportunities presented when the oil excitement at Beaumont became acute in 1901. In 1902 he began business at Beaumont as an oil producer, and it is along that line that his activities have continued to the present time. In 1906, with the shifting of the center of interest to the Humble oil fields, Mr. Blaffer moved his headquarters to Houston, which city has since been his home. The firm of R. L. Blaffer & Company, have large interests in both the Beaumont and Hnmble oil fields, and are among the largest independent pro- ducers of oil in this part of the state.

Mr. Blaffer is one of the directors of the South Texas Commercial National Bank of Houston. He belongs to all the best Houston social clubs, and as a Mason has membership in Hermitage Lodge, No. 98, A. F. & A. M., at New Orleans.

In April, 1909, occurred the marriage of Mr. R. L. Blaffer and Miss Sarah Turnbull Campbell. Her father was W. T. Campbell of Lampasas, a well known banker, who was one of the original members of the Hogg- Swayne Syndicate and of the Texas Company. Mr. and Mrs. Blaffer have one son, John Hepburn Blaffer. Their home is 1009 Elgin Avenue in Houston,

LEONIDAS B. SOWELL, M. D. Successful both as a phy- sician and as a farmer, Dr. Leonidas B. Sowell has gained prominence in this city and county, where all his life has been spent. He is the son of a physician who gained prominence in these parts, and the son is carrying on his work in a manner that is highly creditable to him, both in his profession and as a farming man. He was born at Scyene in Dallas county, Texas, on May 29, 1872, and is the son of Dr. Connor B. and Texis (MeGee) Sowell. Dr. Connor B. Sowell died September 14, 1885, and Mrs. Sowell makes her home in Waxahachie, Texas.

Dr. Connor B. Sowell was one of the first physicians of Forney, and he located in the town when it was merely a station on the line of the Texas & Pacific, being one of the first medical men to engage in prac- tice here. He was a son of Rev. A. M. K. Sowell, widely known in his day in religious circles as a min- ister of the Baptist faith, who gave the vigor of his entire life to the work of his church in Dallas and Kaufman connties. Rev. Sowell was born in Missis- sippi, and his education was a matter of observation and absorption rather than of actual training. He came to Texas in 1859, having entered the Baptist min- istry in his native state, and he became one of the most energetic and effective preachers in these parts. He served as pastor at Kemp, and also preached at Long Creek in Dallas county for many years, although he did not confine his activities to those places alone, for his voice was heard in the admonition of his fel- lows in every community in this section of the state, and none was more highly esteemed in the ministry than was he. He continued to wage his war against sin until his strength left him, and he died at the age of eighty-eight years. He married Mary J. Moore, who died when about eighty years of age, and their children were as follows: Hamilton, engaged in lum- bering and stock raising in New Mexico; Mary, who died in Kaufman county as the wife of George Strat- ton; Sallie, who married Samuel Murphy and spent her life in Kaufman county; Dr. Connor B., father of the subject; Alice, who married Dr. Stroud and passed the closing years of her life in Terrell, Texas; Thomas and Marion both died here; Emory, who was a Con- federate soldier and died in the service: Jason, a resi- dent of Forney, who has served Kaufman connty many years as county assessor and county commissioner; and Archibald Sowell, assistant county assessor of Kauf- man connty.

Dr. Conner B. Sowell was born in Mississippi, in 1853, and he gained his education there in the com- mon schools sneh as the district afforded after the war.

He was ambitious and enterprising, and it was chiefly his own initiative that made possible his college educa- ton, and he was graduated from Tulane University in 1871, in the department of medicine, after which he went to the University of Louisville, and added an- other course, graduating in 1883. He began and finished his medical practice in Forney, forming a partner- ship here in 1874 with Dr. N. E. Shands, and con- tinuing with him in professional work for several years. He gave his life to his profession, for which he was amply fitted by talent and training, and he was en- dowed by nature with many social gifts that endeared him to his community.

A good business man, Dr. Sowell acquired a goodly quantity of farm lands around Forney and was begin- ning to develop them into creditable farms when he was called by death. He was known for one of the early business men of the town, for be it was who established the first harness store in the place, as a member of the firm of Sowell & Turner, and also the first grocery store, nnder the firm name of Sowell & Sowell. He early recognized the utility of barbed wire for fencing purposes, and he was one of the first land owners to bring in a car load and enclose his fields therewith, the vogue of that community spread- ing rapidly from his example.

In 1871 Dr. Connor B. Sowell married Miss Texis McGee in Dallas county, Texas. She was a daughter of Dr. M. J. M. MeGee of Kaufman county, who came here from Sulphur Springs, Texas, where Mrs. Sowell was born in 1852. Their children were six in num- ber, and are named as follows: Leonidas B., of this review; Pearl and Daisey, who died in childhood; Miss Willie, a music teacher in Forney; Miss Beuna, a kin- dergarten teacher of Waxahachie; and Curg B., who died in Forney, Texas, at the age of nine years. Dr. Sowell was a man who undeniably possessed the key to social success. A real lover of mankind, he per- formed his professional work with an eye to the ben- efiting of his fellows, and the result of his activities was that he gained a popularity that was measured only by the limits of his acquaintance. He was active in church work, and when he died in 1885 he was an elder in the Presbyterian church.

Leonidas B. Sowell, M. D., was born in Sceyne, Dallas county, as has already been stated, but his parents moved to Forney very soon after his birth, so that this has been his home practically all his days. Sceyne, it might be mentioned, was the home of the famous Younger Brothers, who terrorized the state for a time, and while resident there the Sowells formed the inti- mate acquaintance of some of the world's famous bandits. Leonidas Sowell was given a publie school education in Forney and he attended Trinity Univer- sity at Tehuacana to the senior year. He gained his medical training in the University of Louisville, also the Alma Mater of his honored father, and he was graduated from that well known institution in 1893. Not yet twenty-one when he was awarded his med- ical diploma, Dr. Sowell promptly engaged in practice here where he was reared, and where his father had long been identified in medical practice before him, and he has already given some twenty years of his life in the profession. In 1913 he took a post-gradu- ate course in the New Orleans Polyelinie and has in other ways fortified himself in the knowledge of his profession, of which he has been and still is a close student, keeping well abreast of the advance in med- ical research. He has identified himself in an active manner with the medical societies of the country, being president of the Kaufman County Medical Society, as well as a member of the same, and is also a member of the North Texas and the Texas State Medical Societies.

Like his father, also, he has manifested a consid- erable interest and activity in farming, and carries

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on some rather extensive operations in that line. He employs every modern method along the lines of labor saving devices, etc., and is progressive to the last word.

Dr. Sowell is a Democrat, and a member of the Ma- sonie fraternity, being a past master and having rep- resented Forney three times in the Grand Lodge of the State.

In September, 1897, Dr. Sowell was married to Miss Pauline Rugel, a daughter of J. C. Rugel, once a mer- chant but now a banker of Mesquite, Texas, and a settler from Tennessee, The children of Dr. and Mrs. Sowell are Miriam, Rugel, Flora and Frederick. The family are Presbyterian people, with membership in that church, which has for generations claimed for its own representatives of both families. The Sowells enjoy a fine social position here and in the county, and have a leading party in the representative social activ- ities of the place.

ARTHUR M. MOSSE. Among the men to whom the city of Denison is indebted for its prestige as a center of commercial activity is found Arthur M. Mosse, retail and wholesale dealer in saddles, harness and buggies and the proprietor of a business which is at once indicative of his superior qualifications, his straightforward meth- ods, his laudable ambition and his indefatigable energy. Although not a native son, he was brought to this city when an infant, and his entire career has been spent in the community in which he now occupies such a high position among business men. Mr. Mosse was born in the city of Toronto, Canada, February 20, 1876, and is a son of W. T. and Maggie Mosse and of Irish and French descent.

W. T. Mosse was born in Chicago, Illinois; was there reared to manhood and received an ordinary public school education. He spent some time in Canada, where he was married to a native daughter of the Dominion, but in 1877 came to Denison, Texas, and for a long period of years was connected as a merchant with the firm of Mosse & Company. He was an industrious and hard-working citizen and through a life of integrity and well-directed effort won success in business and the esteem of his fellow citizens. His death occurred July 6, 1913, while the mother still survives and makes her home in Denison. Five children were born to W. T. and Maggie Mosse, namely: Arthur M., of this review; Miss Blanche, who is engaged in school teaching; Charles, engaged in the blacksmith business in Denison; Roy, a clerk in the employ of the Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railroad; and Miss Mabel, who is attending the Denison High School.

Immediately upon completing his education in the schools of Denison, to which city he had been brought when a child of one year, Arthur M. Mosse entered upon his business career in the line in which he is now en- gaged. He has been the proprietor of his present estab- lishment for nearly ten years and now occupies a two- story building. 25x120 ft., at No. 416 West Main street, where he carries a full line of saddles, harness and bug- gies and all the appurtenances usual to a business of this character. He has, through enterprise and straightfor- ward dealing, built up a retail trade that extends all over Grayson and the surrounding counties, in addition to which he does a large wholesale business in saddles, selling to the retail dealers in the adjoining country. The excellence of his goods has gained him a widespread reputation and created a healthy demand for his arti- cles, and this reputation he continues to steadfastly maintain. A man of tireless energy, he devotes himself strictly to his business affairs, and every detail of his transactions is at his instant command. This devotion to his affairs has precluded any idea of his entering the political field actively, although he takes a keen and in- telligent interest in matters which affect his community and is at all times ready to aid in promoting and bring-

ing to a successful issue beneficial movements. His sup- port is given to the democratic party. He has been prominent fraternally as a member of the Knights of the Maccabees, of which he is clerk and recorder for the local order; of the Woodmen of the World, of which he was council commander for seven years; of the Woodmen Circle, and of the American Insurance Union. He is also a valued member of the Denison Chamber of Commerce.

On June 23, 1898, Mr. Mosse was married at Ladonia, Texas, to Miss Maude Stout, daughter of John M. Stout, who was a painter of that place, and seven children have been born to this union : Alvin, aged fourteen years; George, aged twelve; Mildred, aged nine; Dorothea, aged seven; Winston, aged five; Maxine, aged three; and Arthur M., Jr., the baby, one year old. Mr. Mosse owns his own home at No. 731 West Elm St.

JAMES C. HODGE, M. D. With the character and at- tainments of a successful and hard-working physician, Dr. Hodge is a lifelong resident of Texas, and has for thirty years practiced medicine at Athens in Hen- derson county. The early family associations of Dr. Hodge were with pioneer conditions in this section of Texas, and his father was one of the most devoted and able of the early ministers of the Gospel.

Dr. James C. Hodge was born in Henderson county, October 21, 1852, a son of Rev. Robert Hodge. Rev. Hodge was born in Tennessee, moved to Mississippi, and in 1850 came to Texas. Locating in Anderson county he spent two years there as an itinerant preacher. From there he moved to Henderson county, buying a farm in the Science Hill locality, where at that time the best schools in the county existed, and he was a trustee of those schools during the remainder of his life. His death occurred in 1866 at the age of sixty-two. His work as a minister and as a citizen can be only briefly mentioned here. He organized the First Presbyterian church at Fincastle in Henderson county, at Concord in Anderson county, and Brushy Creek in Anderson county, and the first church of that faith in Athens in 1855. He belonged to the Bacon Presbytery. In 1860 he took the census of Henderson county. In politics he was always a Demo- crat, and led a life of long and honorable usefulness. Ile had only a common school education, but was a student both of books and men and began preaching when about twenty years of age.

In the state of Mississippi near Jackson, in the old home of Governor Runnells of that state and father of Governor Diek Runnells of Texas, Reverend Hodge was married to Miss Bethany Hall, a niece of Governor Runnells just mentioned and a cousin of the Texas Gov- ernor. She died in 1860 at forty-six years of age. She was born in Mississippi in 1815, and her children are mentioned as follows: Harden A., who died wearing the Confederate uniform during the war; Mrs. Captain Geo. P. Wallace of Mississippi, who died in Texas; Au- relia, who married Asbury Mitcham and died in Texas without children; John, who died in Henderson county; Margarite I., who became the wife of William Morris of Hill county, Texas; Magnus Hall, who served four years in the Confederate army as a member of "Howdy " Martin's Company; Richard S., who died in early life; Harmon, who went through the war fighting for the southern cause, and died unmarried. Rowena, who married W. J. Wallace, and left no chil- dren; and Dr. James C. of Athens. Rev. Hodge's sec- ond wife was Mrs. Lizzie Richardson.

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A history of Texas and Texans, Part 108

Author: Johnson, Francis White, 1799-1884; Barker, Eugene Campbell, 1874-1956, ed; Winkler, Ernest William, 1875-1960 Publication date: 1914 Publisher: Chicago, American Historical Society Number of Pages: 906

Author: Johnson, Francis White, 1799-1884; Barker, Eugene Campbell, 1874-1956, ed; Winkler, Ernest William, 1875-1960
Publication date: 1914
Publisher: Chicago, American Historical Society
Number of Pages: 906