A history of Texas and Texans, Part 112

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

USA > Texas > A history of Texas and Texans > Part 112

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W. T. Melton received his education in the public schools of his native state. When a youth he was ap- prenticed to the trade of printer. On completing his apprenticeship be worked at his trade in Louina and Wedowee, Alabama, and when but eighteen years of age enlisted in the Confederate army for service in the Civil war, which had just broken out. He served through the war in General Lee's army, participating in numerous important and hard-fought engagements and at all times proving himself a brave, valiant and faithful sol- dier. How largely the great Civil war developed the youth of the country can never be adequately known, but there are those living and those deceased who entered upon the hardships incident to a soldier's life when but lads and so bravely and courageously faced every vicis- situde and uncomplainingly bore suffering and hardship that their valor should be remembered when this united country counts over its heroes. The great struggle be- tween the north and the south, with the important issues it represented, surely produced a class of trained, dis- ciplined men, whose influence has ever since been recog- nized in the peaceful pursuits which have engaged them. It was in the conflict of arms that the temper of Mr. Melton's character was set and bis faculties trained for the large services of bis more mature age. Like many other Southerners, unable to bear conditions as they were in the period of Reconstruction, he sought a new field for his activities in the great southwest, and in 1866 settled near Cameron, in Milam county, Texas, where he worked at bis trade for some time. Moving to Bell county, be be- came proprietor of a newspaper at Belton, subsequently moving to Lampasas, where he was publisher of the Lam- pasas Dispatch, the first paper in Lampasas county. Some time later Mr. Melton moved on to San Saba, where he published the San Saba News, but about 1890 disposed of his printing press, retired from the news-

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paper business, and embarked in the sheep business in Concho county. He was thus engaged until elected sher- iff of Concho county, at which time he moved to Paint Rock, the county seat, where he had his home during the eight years of office. He made an excellent record as sheriff, and was urged by his fellow citizens to accept office again, but declined re-election and entered the real estate business. In 1896 he was elected represent- ative of his district in the State Legislature, where he served one term, and in 1897 went to Brownwood, where he resumed his real estate operations. Mr. Melton came to Brady in 1904, and here became senior member of the Melton Land and Abstract Company, with which he con- tinued to be identified until the time of his death, which occurred April 28, 1909.

Mr. Melton's funeral, which was conducted by the Rev. Bolton of the Fort Worth Methodist Church and the Rev. Matthis of the Brady Methodist church, was a solemnity such as well attests the value of his lifetime. He had become widely known over the state, and the tributes of respect were not alone from his home com- munity. He was laid to rest in the Brady cemetery, and the Masons, Odd Fellows, Knights Templar, Confed- erate Veterans, and all the orders to which he belonged, as well as many private citizens not related by the bonds of fraternal union, united in a great demonstration of brotherly love and esteem for their deceased associate and friend.

For three years Mr. Melton was commander of the Mountain Remnant Brigade of Southern Texas. In Ma- sonry he had reached the Knights Templar degree. From youth a member of the Methodist church, he served for many years as steward and superintendent of the Sunday school, and his work in behalf of religious and charita- ble movements made his death a severe loss to many who had depended upon him.

Mr. Melton was successful in his business affairs and in his political activities, and was no less successful in gaining the love and esteem of his fellow men, and, al- though he has passed to those shores toward which all mankind is hastening, his good deeds will be long re- membered and his memory will remain green in the hearts of those who learned to call him friend.

Mr. Melton was married to Miss Missouri Frances Barron of Alabama. To their marriage were born six children, four daughters and two sons, all of whom are married, with the exception of one son, Thornton Lee Melton. A brief record of the children is as follows: Miss Cora married Jesse F. Cross of Fort Worth and has two daughters, Mesdames Fay Looney and Chas. Miller of Brownwood. Miss Willie married William Vaughn of Brady, and their two children are Barron Melton, aged eighteen, and Hazel, aged twelve. Miss Lula married John Vaughn of Plainview, Texas, and their four children-three sons and one daughter-are: Grady, Bertrand, Mildred and John Melton. Miss Mamie married Dr. T. P. Doole of Eagle Lake, Texas, and they have no children. W. T. Melton, Jr., married Miss Flora Gray of San Saba County, and they have a daugh- ter, Frances Camille. Thornton Lee Melton, who is a teacher of instrumental music at Brady, lives at home with his mother.

JOSEPH F. MEYER. One of the magnificent army of self-made men of America is Joseph F. Meyer, president of the Houston National Exchange Bank, prominent in business circles in Houston and the county and widely known as a successful financier. He began in the busi- ness world when he was sixteen years old, as the propri- etor of an independent business, and while his earlier operations were on a slender scale, they expanded with the passage of time, so that in a comparatively few years he came to be reckoned among the more telling and forceful business men of the city. His career is one that may be viewed with pride by all who honor the success of that man who fights his own way up

from obscurity into prominence, and Mr. Meyer has met with due recognition of his prosperity and success wherever he has gone.

Born in Germany in 1851, Joseph F. Meyer is the son of Frank and Josephine (Meyer) Meyer. The mother of the boy died when he was three years old, and the father brought him to America in 1855, settling in Mem- phis, Tennessee, moving in 1867 to Houston, Texas. In that year Joseph Meyer was sixteen years of age, but he did not regard his extreme youth as any great drawback to his entering into business on his own re- sponsibility, and he engaged in the hardware business in the same year of his arrival here. From then until now he has been identified, more or less conspicuously, with the financial and commercial activities of Texas. Beginning as he did in a small way in 1867, the busi- * ness three years later came to be known as the Joseph F. Meyer Company, of which he was president at the age of nineteen, and as such he has since continued. From the infinitesimal scope of the business in its early life, it has expanded yearly until it has now assumed magnificent proportions, and carries on an ever increasing trade in heavy hardware, wagon makers' sup- plies, farm implements, railroad contractors' supplies, iron, steel, etc., and is one of the biggest concerns of its kind in the city or county.

With the continued prosperity that Mr. Meyer ex- perienced, he began in the early nineties to cast about for other places for the investment of his capital, and in 1892 he was one of the organizers of the Houston National Exchange Bank, of which he was vice presi- dent until 1912, when he became president. He has shown himself a financier of no mean ability, as well as a merchant in the best sense of the term, and he enjoys the confidence of the people of Houston, who know him for his many excellent qualities.

Mr. Meyer is an Independent Democrat in his polit- ical faith, and while it is true that he has never sought political office, it is also true that various offices have sought him, and he was twice elected alderman in the city of Houston, representing the third ward in the city council from 1888 to 1892. He also served one year as county commissioner of Harris county and enjoys the distinction of having been chief of the Houston Volun- teer Fire Department as long ago as in 1880.

Mr. Meyer is a Mason of the Royal Arch degree, and is also a member of the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks. He was married in 1884 to Miss Rebecca Baker, the daughter of George Baker, a pioneer citizen of Houston, where Mrs. Meyer was born and reared. Three children have come to them- George B., Joseph F., Jr., and Frank K. Meyer.

DOUGALD J. PRICE. Forty years of continuous service with one company is a record that reflects the greatest of credit upon any man who may make claim to such a career, and Dougald J. Price is one who has duly quali- fied in that respect. From messenger boy to General Passenger agent is an ascent that few men experience in a life time, and in the case of Mr. Price the accom- plishment is so much the greater in consideration of the fact that he had little or no schooling in his boyhood. He is today one of the foremost men in business circles of Houston.

Dougald J. Price was born in Wilmington, North Carolina, in 1859, and is the son of William J. and Annie E. (Westcott) Price. The father was a native of North Carolina, and was a Naval Stores Inspector for a number of years, later engaging in the business of build- ing saw mills in North Carolina, a business that claimed his attention for many years. During the Civil war he was a participant as a member of a North Carolina Confederate Regiment, and saw much service during the years of hostilities. Both he and his wife are now deceased.

The schools of Wilmington furnished the training of

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Dougald Price up to the age of twelve. When he was fourteen years old he came to Texas and entered the employ of the I. & G. N. R. R. Company as a messenger in the telegraph. In this department, bright mes- sengers are given an opportunity to learn the Morse alphabet, and young Price soon demonstrated his power over the key, becoming in December, 1873, op- erator at Crockett, Texas, despite his extreme youth. He remained in the telegraph service for five years, when he was advanced to the General Superintendent's office, then the accounting department and there spent three years, during which time he became familiar with much of the system. In 1882 he was placed in the General Passenger Department, serving in various ca- pacities there until 1897, when he was promoted to the office of General Passenger Agent of the entire system, and he has successfully carried out the duties of that responsible position from then until the present time.

Mr. Price is prominent in fraternal and social circles in his home city, having membership in the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks, and in the Houston Club and the Houston Chamber of Commerce. He was married in 1880 to Miss Mary E. Jowers, the daughter of Judge W. G. W. Jowers, who was a pioneer of Anderson county. Mrs. Price died in 1909, leaving five children, as follows: George F., Charles M., Annie Marie, Frank MeCullough and Hunter Jowers Price. Mr. Price was married a see- ond time in June, 1911, Miss Nellie Hafford becoming his wife. She died in August, 1912. The residence of the family is maintained at No. 3704 Main street, and is one of the sightly homes of the city.

JAMES W. HADLOCK. The present sewer commissioner of El Paso has been for fifteen years identified by resi- dence with his section of Texas, and has gained ma- terial and large influence in public life. During his ad- ministration as sewer commissioner many improvements have been made to increase the sanitary system of El Paso, and among these might be mentioned the con- struction of ten miles of sewerage, the erection of a pumping plant which is large enough to handle all the city sewage, besides an auxiliary pumping plant for East El Paso. The capacity of these two plants is 4,000,000 gallons per day. It is municipal improve- ment of this kind which counts effectively in placing a city upon a par with the best of American municipali- ties, and it is the ambition of all friends of El Paso and her present official administration to place this city without any superiors among municipalities of the same rank in population, and wealth.

James W. Hadlock, who has had a long and varied career, including many lines of service and responsibility, is a native of the state of New Hampshire, born at Monroe, that state, October 9, 1842. New Hampshire remained his home until he was about thirty years of age, at which time he moved to Boston, where he was for six years engaged in the railway supply and machinery business. From there he came to Texas, locating at Dallas, and while there promoted the Texas Trunk Rail- road, building this line as far as Kaufman. Subse- quently he spent about fifteen years in St. Louis, where he was general western manager of the Burton Stock Car Company. The succeeding two years were spent in the City of Mexico, and during that time he was locomotive engineer, running a passenger train out of the City of Mexico. From the capital of Mexico he came to El Paso in 1898, and being a man of moderate means, en- tered actively into several enterprises which have re- warded him with substantial prosperity during the suc- ceeding fifteen years. For two years he was engaged in the development of a large irrigation plant, three miles east of the city. He then became connected with the Government Customs service and was in the El Paso custom house for five years. During the next year he was engaged in the real estate business, and in 1907

was appointed sewer commissioner, the office which he now holds.

Mr. Hadlock obtained his early education in the pub- lie schools of New Hampshire, and when a very young man began earning his own way as a news agent. This was his occupation until he was nineteen years of age, at which time he enlisted in the Tenth Vermont Infantry, and gave three years of service as a Union soldier. For two years he was on the staff of General Ricketts. At the Battle of Spottsylvania he was standing beside Gen- eral John G. Sedgewick when that general was killed. During the Battle of the Wilderness he was detailed on the staff of Generals Grant and Meade, and during the engagement had a horse shot from under him and himself slightly wounded, although he quickly obtained a new mount and went on with his duties.

After his return from the war, Mr. Hadlock took up the work of railroading, becoming a locomotive en- gineer, and continued that employment regularly until he came west. At Woodsville, New Hampshire, on April 11, 1861, Mr. Hadlock married Miss Mary Helen Cutting, a daughter of Joseph Cutting of Haverhill. Mrs. Hadlock was a woman of strong mentality and many virtues of heart and mind, and her encourage- ment and assistance were always effective forces guid- ing and directing her husband in his business affairs, as well as in the life of the home and society. They enjoyed an unusual length of married companionship, their wedded life being prolonged for more than fifty- one years, and in April, 1911, they celebrated their golden wedding. Mrs. Hadlock passed away on April 27, 1912, at the age of sixty-eight and her last resting place is in one of the beautiful cemeteries of El Paso. She was very popular in social circles, and at her death was paid a somewhat unusual honor by being given a semi-military funeral. She was very charitable hoth in her church and among poor people of all classes in the city. The two children born of their marriage are as follows: Edson J., who is married and a resi- dent of El Paso, and for the past twenty-nine years having been locomotive engineer on the Texas & Pacific Railroad; Fred D., also married and residing in El Paso is a locomotive engineer on the Southern Pacific line. Mr. Hadlock is not affiliated with any one church but favors and helps them all. Fraternally he is a Mason, is a member of the Grand Army Post, of the National Union, and an honorary member of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers. He has for some years been one of the party fighters of the Democratic party and takes an active interest in all matters pertaining to government and political questions.

It is the opinion of Mr. Hadlock that whether a man he young or old, provided he has ambition, and whether he possesses capital or not, provided he is honest and has energy, that such a person can come to any part of Texas and eventually succeed. Provided he has a little capital he will find opportunities that will not dis- appoint him, and that cannot be found elsewhere. This opinion about Texas is undoubtedly the truth of Mr. Hadlock's own experience, since both be and his two sons have prospered remarkably well during their resi- dence here, and they are among the most loyal and enthusiastic friends of El Paso and of the entire state.

ADOLPH KRAKAUER. Among the men of wealth and prominence in the city of El Paso, Texas, Adolph Kra- kauer occupies a position of the highest rank, playing not only an important part in the business affairs of the city but also in her civic affairs. Mr. Krakauer, although foreign born, has lived in this country for many years and is most truly an American. He is rec- ognized as one of the most public spirited men in the city and his progressive ideas have been influential in questions of public interest more than once. He is of that class of men whom one always finds in growing cities, men of initiative and executive power, who are

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not afraid to take a step into the future even though the outcome be not quite certain, and who in conse- queuce are deferred to and admired by all those with whom they are acquainted.

Adolph Krakauer was born in Fürth, Bavaria, on the 23d of May, 1846, the son of Joel aud Babette (El- Sasser) Krakauer, both of whom were born in Bavaria. The young boy received a good education in the Latin schools of the country and later attended the Royal Commercial College of Fürth, from which he was gradu- ated in the class of 1862. After his graduation he first went to work as a clerk in one of the leading commer- cial establishments of Fürth, being thus engaged from 1862 until 1865.

During the latter year he emigrated from Bavaria to New York City, where he soon seenred employment as a elerk. He had very little money in his pockets when he landed in New York, but by dint of hard work both as clerk and bookkeeper, he succeeded in laying by quite a bit, and when he left New York in 1869 he was far better able to cope with the world than when he arrived. He came to San Antonio, Texas, and there became bookkeeper for Louis Zork, the lead- ing merchant in San Antonio at that time and a pioneer ot the city, having settled there in the early forties. Mr. Krakauer remained with him for some time and became a valued employee and later on his son-in-law. After a time he secured an interest in the firm and when he came to El Paso he was well equipped both with experience and in a pecuniary way.

It was in 1875 that he came to El Paso, and at this time the city consisted of seventy-five Mexicans and twenty-five white residents. He entered the employ of Samuel Schutz and Brother, who operated a general merchandise store. Mr. Krakauer remained with this firm as a clerk until 1879 when the proprietors sold out to Ketelsen and Deletau. Under the new ownership Mr. Krakauer became general manager for the store and later became a partner. He sold his interest in the business in 1885 and in January of that year or- ganized the firm of Krakauer, Zork and Moye, Mr. Zork being a son of his former employer at San An- tonio and his own brother-in-law. In January, 1911, Mr. Moye sold out his interest in the business and the firm was then incorporated as Krakauer, Zork and Moye's Successors, Incorporated. The firm deals in hardware, machinery and mining supplies, and is one of the largest wholesale houses in this business in this section of the country. They have a large branch house in Chihuahua, Mexico, and is the largest concern of its kind in western Texas, or indeed in the south- west. Over seventy men and women are employed and the business of the company extends over New Mexico, Texas, Arizona and Old Mexico.

In addition to being the president and leading spirit in this enterprise, Mr. Krakauer is deeply interested in various other enterprises of importance, among these being the Two Republic Life Insurance Company, of which he is president. He is a director in the First National Bank and also in the Rio Grande Valley Banking and Trust Company. He is a large property owner, having interests in the city of El Paso and also throughout the southwest.

Mr. Krakauer has always taken a keen interest in political affairs and has taken a leading part in local polities ever since coming to El Paso, though of late years his business cares have grown so heavy that he can not give much time to polities. He was at one time county commissioner of El Paso county, serving one term. He was later elected alderman and served for four terms, winning the approbation of the public to such an extent that he was elected mayor of the city in 1889, being the first Republican ever elected to this position.

In his religious beliefs Mr. Krakaner is a member of the Jewish church, and has done a great deal for the

people of his faith in this city. He at one time served as president of the Jewish church and is now one of the trustees. During his term as president he assisted very materially in the erection of the Jewish Temple.

Mr. Krakauer is a charming, well educated man, a man of refinement as well as business ability, and a cit- izen to be proud of. He speaks the Spanish language fluently and is widely traveled, frequently visiting the old world with his wife and family.

lu 1873 Adolph Krakauer and Miss Ada Zork were united in marriage, and three children have been born to them. Robert and Julins A. are associated with their father iu business and live in El Paso. Addie married Hugh Dotter and resides in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Mr. Krakauer had a brother and sister in this country, but the former, Max Krakauer, died in Chi- huahua, Mexico, where he was engaged in business as a partner of his brother's. The sister, Hermina, is the widow of Bernard Ordenstein, and lives in El Paso.

J. DAVID AVIS. No history of Texas and the men who have contributed to its development would be com- plete that failed to make extended mention of J. David Avis, who since 1875 has been a participant in the won- derful changes that have transformed the great South- west from a practically wild and uncivilized section into one of the most productive and valuable stretches of the country. First as freighter and Indian fighter, later as cattle dealer and breeder, and finally as leading business man and public official, in every capacity Mr. Avis has ably discharged the duties of life and today is recognized as one of the prominent and substantial men of Wichita Falls. He is a Texan by birth and training, and was the first child born in the town of Montague, Montague county, August 13, 1861, a son of David and Mahala Katherine (Webb) Avis.

David Avis was born in the State of Maryland, and as a young man came to Texas, settling at Montague during the early fifties. Subsequently he removed to Montague, and there, in the later fifties, established him- self in a geueral mercantile business, in which he was engaged during the remainder of his life, his death oc- curring in 1868, when he was fifty-two years of age. During the Indian outrages Mr. Avis built the fort at Montagne for the protection of the early settlers, and his military training thus gained served him in good stead when the Civil war broke out and he became a lieu- tenant in a regiment of Texas volunteer infantry, with which he served until the close of the struggle. His wife, a native of Missouri, came to Texas as a child and settled at Montagne County, there being married to Mr. Avis in 1859. After his death she was again married, and her second husband is also deceased, but she still survives, and is living at Wichita Falls, aged seventy- three years and in the best of health. Four children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Avis, all of whom are living, and of these J. David is the oldest.

J. David Avis received his education in the public schools of Montague county, aud subsequently attended a private school under the preceptorship of Colonel Hall; but the early death of his father made it necessary that he should contribute to the family support, and accord- ingly in 1876, when but fifteen years of age, he left home, built a log cabin on Salt Creek, and there engaged in cattle raising. The long nights were often passed in reading and study by the light of a tallow candle, and thus the youth prepared himself for the duties of after life. He also carried ou farming operations, and was engaged in freighting between Denison and Sherman and to the west and had many thrilling experiences in the outlaw-infested country, as well as taking part in numerous encounters with the hostile Indians. In 1880 he sold his outfit to give his entire attention to cattle raising and selling in Montague county, and in 1882, on coming to Wichita county, continued in the same line of business. He still has large interests in farming

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A history of Texas and Texans, Part 112

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