A history of Texas and Texans, Part 116

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 116

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Mr. Miller's first public service dates back to 1894. when Mayor John T. Browne appointed him city mar- ket master, an office which he continued to hold for four years, through the administration of Mayor H. B. Rice. At the end of that time (1898) he returned to the office of the Post and resumed work as a linotype operator. In 1900 he purchased a half interest in a linotype office, and he has since been interested in job printing. at first under the firm name of Andrew & Miller, afterwards Miller & Bauerfeind, and since 1902 as Miller & Orem. In 1909 the firm incorporated under the name of Miller & Orem Typesetting Company. In 1902 Mr. Miller was again appointed market master, this at the hands of Mayor O. T. Holt, and he filled the office until 1904. when he was elected state and county tax assessor. He is still the incumbent of this latter office, having been successively re-elected every two years since that time, and now being on his fifth term. The crude system of accounts in vogue in the office when he assumed charge has been replaced by modern, up-to-date methods, and under his supervision the work of the office has been put in smooth running order and has kept pace with the de- mands of the times. Since 1904 the valuation of the county has increased from $40,000,000 to $130.000,000 in 1913.

Mr. Miller first married, in 1880, Miss Amelia Bode, daughter of Jacob Bode, a native of Prussia. She died in 1885, leaving two children, namely: Mary, wife of J. W. Hazard, of Houston, and Joseph Isidor, who is married and settled in Houston. In 1889 Mr. Miller married for his second wife Miss Margaret Jane Peary, a native of England and a daughter of George Peary. of Houston. Two children were born of this union: Lee Robert, of Houston, and Lisette, who died in infancy.

While Mr. Miller had little schooling in his boyhood, be embraced the opportunities that presented themselves for educating himself in the newspaper office and else- where, and he now has at his command an intimate knowledge of the German as well as the English lan- guage, and a broad store of useful information which has come to him through the various avenues of business and public office life. He resides at 215 Bayland avenue. Woodland Heights, Houston, and he has identity with numerous fraternal, social, and other organizations, among which may be named: Woodmen of the World, Improved Order of Red Men, Loval Order of Moose, Knights of Columbus, Turn Verein, Sangerbund, No-Tsu-Oh Carnival Association, and Shark's Club. Also he is a member of the Chamber of Commerce, the Real Estate Exchange, and the Park Place Company of

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Houston, being a director of the latter. During his years at the case and the linotype machine he was an active and enthusiastic member of the Typographical Union. Religiously, he and his family are Roman Catholics, members of St. Joseph Church.

LEE L. PUGH, County School Superintendent of Harris county, Texas, has occupied this position for a period of nine years, and during this time his faith that the great heart of the people yearned for what is best for the chil- dren has with each succeeding year become stronger and deeper. And with the co-operation of the people he has succeeded in making great strides along the line of bet- terment in educational work.

Professor Pugh is a native of Illinois. He was born at West Salem, that state, in 1873, son of John P. and Margaret (Wyatt) Pugh, the former of Tennessee and the latter of Illinois birth. John P. Pugh was a de- scendant of the family of Pughs long prominent and influential in Tennessee. In early life he went from that state to Illinois, where he married and settled down to agricultural pursuits. A man of education and pro- gressive views, he soon took rank with the leading up- to-date farmers of Illinois. Lee L. passed his boyhood days on his father's farm and received his education in the Southern Collegiate Institute, Albion, Illinois, and the Southern Normal College, Carbondale, that state, having in view the profession of teaching. This pro- fession he followed in Illinois and Missouri previous to 1899, when he came to Texas and accepted a position as teacher at Crosby, Harris county. He taught one year at that place and the next two years at Harrisburg, and resigned his place as teacher at the last named place in order to accept the office of superintendent of schools for Harris county, having been appointed to fill an un- expired term. In 1904 he was elected to the position for the term of two years, and he has been regularly elected every two years since that time, namely, 1906, 1908, 1910 and 1912.

When Mr. Pugh took charge of the schools of Harris county, he did it with a determination to improve the educational facilities of the rural districts, and he has worked steadily with that end in view. The first im- portant step taken was the adoption of the "County Course of Study," which was done against tremendous odds and which has resulted in systematizing the work of the schools. The schools of the county have been classified into three divisions: Primary schools, which include the first four grades; intermediate schools, the fifth, sixth and seventh grades, and high schools, the eighth, ninth, tenth and eleventh grades. With the raising of the school standard has come higher require- ments for teachers and proportionately better remunera- tion for their work. As showing the progress made in educational lines in Harris county during Mr. Pugh's incumbeney of the office of superintendent, it may be stated that the report of the year ending August 31, 1912, showed the total value of county school buildings to be $356,500, as against $40,000 when he came into the office. The buildings now number 121, of which 22 are brick and 99 wood. And the increase in teachers' efficiency may be judged by the increase in pay, which has been sixty per cent in the past eight years.

In this great workshop for the building of character- the public school system of Harris county-Professor Pugh has endeavored to put forth his best efforts, and in doing so has found a joy in his work known only to the true teacher. In his labor he has at all times felt and appreciated the support of the various boards of trustees, patrons and teachers.

Professor Pugh has his office in the court house, and maintains his residence at 2011 Pease avenue, Houston, Texas. He was married while in Missouri, in April. 1898, to Miss Atla M. Shelby, a daughter of F. P. Shelby, of Illinois, a representative of the Kentucky family of Shelbys. They have one daughter, Ruby Gray Pugh.

Fraternally, Mr. Pugh is identified with numerous or- ganizations, including Knights of Pythias, D. O. K. K., Woodmen of the World, Modern Order of Prætorians, Order of Moose, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and the Houston Turn Verein. Also he has membership in the Houston Chamber of Commerce.

ADOLPH ALBRECHT. A former rancher and cattleman of Texas was Adolph Albrecht, who had gained a pros- perous and esteemed position at an early age, and death came to him when practically at the beginning of a very successful career.

Adolph A. Albrecht was born in Houston, Texas, March 2, 1876, a son of Adolph A. and Mary (Callen) Albrecht, both parents having come from Germany. There were six children in the family, namely: Henry, of St. Louis, Missouri; Mary, who is married and lives in St. Louis; Emma, who is a resident of Houston; Katie, wife of Joseph Bruce, of Brooklyn, New York; Adolph A .; and Lena, attending school in Houston.

The late Mr. Albrecht grew up to manhood in Hous- ton, received his education in the local schools of that city, and when he was twenty-one years old started out for himself by getting work on a ranch, and followed ranching and was foreman on different ranches for some years. His father was a large property owner in Vie- toria county, and the son managed a part of that estate for some years. Mr. Albrecht was a Democrat, but never held office and was not a politician. He belonged to the Presbyterian church and was affiliated with the Sons of Hermann.

Mr. Albrecht was married in 1894 to Miss Minnie R. Ernst, a native of Texas and a daughter of Frank C. and Rosie (Gaines) Ernst. Her father is a large raneher and in business at Marianna, Texas. Her mother is de- ceased. Mrs. Albrecht was one of four children, the others mentioned as follows: Ida, wife of Robert Ar- nold, of Marianna, Texas, and a rancher; Eleanora, wife of George Dider, of Dallas; and Lewis, of Marianna, a rancher. Mrs. Albrecht now makes her home in Dallas, at 1409 Gano street. She has no children.

GEORGE S. PHILLIPS is the dean of the lumber business in Kaufman, Texas. For three decades he has been ac- tively engaged in this business here, and he has lived in Texas since 1855, when he came here with his parents from Kentucky.

John G. Phillips, the father of George S., died in De- cember, 1913, at Waxahachie, Texas. He was born in Missouri, in September, 1831, and grew to manhood in Kentucky, where his parents had grown up and married. He learned the wagon-maker's trade in Kentucky, and after his removal to Waxahachie he engaged in the buggy and wagon-making business, and continued the same throughout his active life. His first settlement in Texas was in Atascosa county, where he remained a few years, but the stock business with which he was connected was not to his liking and he turned to his trade, as above set forth, in the fertile blackland helt and put his reliance upon the community of Waxahachie as to future success.

While the war between the states was in progress, John G. Phillips quit his trade and aided the Confed- eracy as a powder-maker in Waxahachie, where a small plant was maintained, and when the dove of peace finally hovered over our country and men went to work instead of war, he dropped back into his own quiet shop, and there had a long and uneventful career. Religiously, he is a Methodist, and his political affiliation, quiet but sincere, has always been with the democratic party.

Samuel Gore Phillips, the father of John G., passed away without leaving any tangible record of himself or his ancestry. He came to Texas before the war and died in Waxahachie during the progress of that fraternal strife.

John G. Phillips married Miss Sarah Peak, a daughter of George Peak, a Kentucky farmer. Mrs. Phillips was

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born a year before her husband and still survives. Their children are as follows: George S. of Kaufman; Mrs. Thomas Hunter, of Waxahachie; Miss Kate; Claud B., engaged in the lumber business at Houston, Texas.

George S. Phillips was born in Marion county, Ken- tueky, December 23, 1853, and was only two years of age when brought to Texas by his parents. He lived in Waxa- hachie through his school days and until after he had gained his first business experience. He attended not only the public schools but also took a course of study at Mar- vin College, Waxahachie, and he was a clerk in that town until March, 1882. He then formed partnership with S. P. Langsford of Waxahachie in farm and implement busi- ness, which continued to December, 1883. At that time he took charge of the lumber yard of the M. T. Jones Lumber Co. in Kaufman, and he has rounded out a pe- riod of thirty years of service in that same yard. For seven years he was manager of the business. Then he joined a cousin, J. H. Phillips, and bought the property, and Phillips & Phillips carried on the business nntil 190I, when George S. became sole proprietor. Through- out all these years this industry has been conducted on a retail basis, and in addition to Inmber all lines of building material have been handled. The nature of this business has placed Mr. Phillips in a position to enter the field of Kaufman as a builder, and from time to time during his career here he has bought and im- proved property in the residence districts until now numerous homes throughout the town stand as a monu- ment to his foresight as a developer of the county seat.

As a citizen, Mr. Phillips has rendered no publie service save as a member of the educational board of the city, where he gave eleven years continuously to the interests of public education. As an Odd Fellow he wears a badge of honor for a quarter of a century in the order, having joined it in 1881. He is a Past Noble Grand and has been a representative to the Grand Lodge. Also as a Knight of Pythias he has filled the chairs and is a Past Chancellor. Religiously, he is a Methodist. For a number of years he was chairman of the board of stewards of the Methodist church at Kauf- man and he was the first superintendent of the Sunday school here, an office he filled for three years.

In December, 1882, Mr. Phillips was married in Wax- ahachie to Miss Fannie F. Butler, daughter of Andrew J. and Caroline (Beat ) Butler. The children of Mr. and Mrs. Phillips are Mrs. W. H. Kendrick, of Kauf- man; Mrs. Fred Hicks, also of Kaufman; and Misses Daisy K., Vella and Hazel. One son, George, Jr., died at the age of five years,

JOHN H. ELLIS. A seion of the third generation of the Ellis family in Texas, he whose name initiates this review is well upholding the prestige of a name that has been most closely and worthily linked with the annals of civic and industrial development and progress in the Lone Star state, where the paternal grandparents of the subject of this sketch established their home about the year 1840, when Texas was still an independent republic, under the presidency of General Sam Houston.

John H. Ellis, the able and popular tax assessor of Houston county, with residence in the thriving city of Crockett, the judicial center of the county, was born at Lancaster, Dallas county, Texas, on the 20th of April, 1870, and is a son of James H. and Mary ( Rawlins) Ellis, the former a native of Illinois and the latter of Pennsylvania, both having been young at the time of the immigration of the respective families to Texas, about the year 1840. The marriage of the parents was solemnized in Dallas county and there they still reside on the fine old homestead on which they established their residence at the time when they initiated their wedded life, which has been one of ideal relations. To them have been born six sons and one daughter, all of whom are living and of whom John H., of this review, is the eldest; Ross R. resides in Austin, the capital of the

state; William R., King T., and Robert L. maintain their home in the city of Dallas, where the latter is the efficient incumbent of the office of tax collector of Dallas county; and Harry and Ethel maintain their residence at Lancaster, Dallas county, the latter being the wife of V. G. Scott. The paternal and maternal grandparents of him to whom this sketch is dedicated were numbered among the pioneer settlers of Dallas county, where they continued to reside until their death, the names of both families having been prominently identified with the initial stages of industrial development in that favored section of the state. Grandfather Ellis became a speci- ally successful agriculturist and stockgrower and in the operation of his extensive landed estate he utilized the services of a number of slaves.

John H. Ellis, a man of sterling character, of vigor- ous purpose and definite thrift, has won large and worthy success through his identification with the agricultural and stock industries in the state that has long been his home, and he has resided continuously on the old home- stead on which he initiated his independent career. He has developed the same into one of the well improved and valuable properties of Dallas county, and in the midst of the insistent demands of a signally industrious and prolific career he has shown an unselfish and helpful interest in the furtherance of measures and enterprises conserving the general progress and prosperity of the community. Never a seeker of public office, he has quietly pursued the even tenor of his way, achieving much and doing well his part in forwarding the great march of development that has made Texas one of the greatest commonwealths of the Union. His life has been ordered upon the highest plane of integrity and useful- ness and he and his nohle wife have inviolable place in the confidence and high regard of all who know them, both being earnest and consistent members of the Bap- tist church. Mr. Ellis exemplifies the sturdy traits of character that ever indicate the Scottish race, of which he is a scion, and he gives unequivocal allegiance to the cause of the Democratic party. When the great Civil war was precipitated on the nation, John H. Ellis promptly gave evidence of his insistent loyalty to the Confederacy, and he enlisted in the first volunteer com- pany organized in Dallas county, the same becoming a part of the gallant Ross Brigade, which went to the front as a cavalry command, but which later was dis- mounted. In the commands of Gen. Joseph E. Johnston and General Hood the regiment experienced to the full the great tension of the conflict between the North and the South, endured untold privations and hardships, and participated in many of the most bitter and san- quinary engagements marking the progress of the long and weary contest. Mr. Ellis was twice wounded- first in an engagement with the Indians and later in the battle of Inka, Mississippi. He was with the command of General Johnston in the ever memorable final re- treat, marked by constant fighting, and, with the gallant and jaded command, he surrendered. He has ever re- tained the deepest interest in his old comrades in arms and perpetuates the more gracious memories and associa- tions of his long, arduous and gallant military career through his active affiliation with the United Confederate Veterans, the reunions of which he attends with regular- ity, as does he also the meetings of the camp in which he holds membership. He has honored the Lone Star state through his character and achievement and is a well- known and highly esteemed citizen of Dallas county.

John H. Ellis, the immediate subject of this sketch, was reared to the sturdy and invigorating discipline of the old home plantation and, after availing himself of the advantages of the public schools of the village of Lancaster. he completed an effective course in Hill's Business College, in the city of Dallas. At the age of eighteen years Mr. Ellis assumed the position of book- keeper in a mercantile establishment at Lancaster, where he continued to be thus employed until he had attained

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to his legal majority. He then removed to Houston county, where he engaged in farming, near Porter Springs. He thus continued his active work for a period of about five years, at the expiration of which he estab- lished his home in Crockett, the county seat, in which city he has since resided. Here he held the position of bookkeeper for R. D. King, engaged in the general mer- cantile business for some time, after which he accepted a similar office in the large mercantile establishment of the James S. Shivers Company, with which he was thus identified until 1903, when he was elected tax assessor of Houston county, an office of much responsibility and one of exacting order. By successive re-elections he has continued the efficient and valued incumbent of this . position, and that his administration has met with un- equivocal popular approval is shown not only in his retention of the post, but also in the uniqualified con- fidence and esteem reposed in him by the people of the county, throughout the limits of which he has become well known and in which it may consistently be said that his circle of friends is limited only by that of his acquaintances. In 1912 he entered upon his fifth con- secutive term in the office of tax assessor, and in con- nection with his official duties he has also given effective service as a practical surveyor, the two lines of work having given him a broad and accurate knowledge of real estate values, resources and general civic conditions in his home county. It is needless to say that Mr. Ellis is found arrayed as a loyal supporter of the cause of the Democratic party, whose star is once more in the ascendency in national affairs, and as a citizen he has shown himself distinctively progressive and public- spirited. He has not wavered in the religious faith in which he was reared and is a zealous member of the Baptist church, his wife being a member of the Metho- dist Episcopal Church, South. Mr. Ellis is actively affil- iated with Davy Crockett Lodge, No. 193, Knights of Pythias, and Myrtle Camp, No. 277, Woodmen of the World, and his popularity is shown by the fact that he has passed all of the official chairs in each of them. He is also a member of Lothrop Lodge, No. 21, A. F. & A. M., and Trinity Chapter, No. 4, Royal Arch Masons.

The Sth of October, 1892, marked the solemnization of the marriage of Mr. Ellis to Miss Mattie Burton, who was born and reared in Houston county, a representa- tive of one of its oldest and most honored families, and who is a daughter of David L. and Lucy (Baker) Bur- ton, the former of whom is deceased and the latter of whom resides in Crockett. Mr. and Mrs. Ellis have seven children, namely: Hallie, Henry, John B., Mary, Ross, Ralph, and Esther May, and all remain at the parental home, which is known as a place of most gracious and buoyant hospitality.

JAMES WILLIAM MADDEN. Former Secretary of State of Texas and well known throughout the state for his participation in public affairs, James William Madden has had a long and active career as a member of the bar, and has resided in Houston county all his life. He rep- resents the old stock of Eastern Texas, the different branches of his family having located here long before the ante-bellum days, and on one line of the ancestry the family history goes back to the years of the Republic, and even prior thereto. Mr. Madden began his career as a worker for the support of his father's family when he was a mere child and continued for a number of years to bear such burdens and responsibilities; but through it all his aspirations were directed toward at- taining an additional sphere of usefulness in the world. That he attained to such a position and that he has won so manv merited distinctions is the most significant and interesting faet in the life of this well known person- ality.

James William Madden was born in Houston county, Texas, June 16, 1856. His parents were Balis and Mis- souri (Adams) Madden, the father being a native of

Louisiana and the mother of Houston county, Texas. The Madden family, which is of Scotch-Irish descent, came to Texas many years ago, when the father of the Crockett lawyer was hut three years of age. The paternal grand- parents were James and Lucinda (Edens) Madden, The Edens family is one of the oldest and most noted in the annals of Eastern Texas. They came to this country during the era of the Republic of Texas and were given a league of land under the act passed by the govern- ment of the Republic to induce immigration to Texas. The great-grandfather Edens and the grandfathers Mad- den and Adams secured a league of land each in this way. The leagues owned by Grandfathers Madden and Adams were located in Anderson county and the Edens league was in Houston county. The families were all planters of the early times and owned a number of slaves, who worked their plantations.

One of the most notable events of the Texas frontier has a pertinent place in the Madden and Edens annals. This was what is known as the "Edens' Massacre, "' which occurred during the early '30s in the northeast part of Houston county. James Madden, the paternal grandfather, and his family, were all directly involved in this murderous raid from the Indians. Grandmother Madden was tomahawked, being wounded in the side, back and head, and having her collar-bone cut in two. She was left for dead, but succeeded in dragging herself out of the house between the legs of an Indian guard, the Indians in their excitement failing to observe her exit. Crawling to the corner of a fence, she lay there, bleeding, while the Indians set fire to the buildings and destroyed the entire group of houses with the exception of one little outbuilding. Into this little shelter she pulled herself, after the Indians had departed, and lay there alone all night. The Crockett lawyer has heard from her own lips the remarkable statement that she "never slept better in all her life," a fact probably due to the severe loss of blood. There were two principal dwellings on the place, and in times of danger one of them was occupied by the women and the other by the men. This Indian raid had been anticipated and the men had collected in their house, but when the danger had apparently passed they had left their guns stacked and had gone over to the house of the women. It was in this situation that the attack came, while the men were cut off from their arms, between nine and ten o'clock at night. About seven or eight of the party were killed, in- cluding two brothers of Balis Madden. Charred remains were afterward found in the debris of the burned houses, indicating that the bodies of these children were con- sumed after the slaughter. Balis Madden, at the time of the massacre, was a small boy and ran away with the negro slaves to save himself, and with whom he remained in hiding in a hog's hed until morning. The Indians rarely ever molested the negroes, so that the boy was practically safe while with them. Despite all her ter- rible injuries and experiences of that night, the grand- mother recovered in a short time and lived in Houston county until 1889, dying at the advanced age of seventy- seven years. Grandfather James Madden, who was noted throughout the country for his great physical strength, died long before the passing of his wife, and his death was directly due to a strain resulting from some feat of physical effort. The maternal grandfather Adams, about the same time, was injured by a runaway plow-team, and also died.

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A history of Texas and Texans, Part 116

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