A history of Texas and Texans, Part 125

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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tegrity, his fidelity to every engagement and his willing- ness to assist others to the success which he has himself attained have gained him the confidence and good will of all who know him, and few men have a wider circle of stanchi friends. Fraternally, Mr. Weems is associated with the local lodge of the Woodmen of the World. He has been too busily engaged with his business interests to enter the political field, but has ably discharged all the duties of citizenship. With his family he attends the Methodist church.

· On February 17, 1886, Mr. Weems was married to Miss Margaret Josephine Shuffleld, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Newton Shuffield, of Marshall county, Alabama, and to this union there have been born twelve children, as follows: Melvin, engaged in business with his father, married Ellie Moore, and has had four children, Lillian, Bruce, Eva and Melvin; William, deceased; Roy, an

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engineer and machinist, married Etta Phipps; and Maudie, Audell, Owen, Louis, Oma, Robert, Martha, Alefine, and a baby.

BENJAMIN FLOURNOY TEAGUE. To no ' small degree the prestige and strength of the Brenham law firm of Mathis, Teague & Embrey is due to the long and varied experience of its second member, Benjamin F. Teague, who has practiced law for twenty years, but has spent much of his time in public affairs, especially in the state comptroller's office at Austin, and that training gave him an unusual equipment for many of the respon- sibilities which he has since assumed in his private practice.

Benjamin Flournoy Teague was born February 16, 1872, in Cleburne county, Alabama, a son of Elijah Arnold and Rebecca (Poole) Teague. His father, an Alabama planter, moved to Texas in January, 1883, settling in Lee county, where he continued his career as an agriculturist. Besides the well known Brenham lawyer another son is D. E. Teague, who since 1890 has served continuously in the office of sheriff of Washington county.

Benjamin F. Teague acquired some of his early edu- cation in Alabama, was eleven years old when the fam- ily moved to Lee county, and was a student in the schools of Giddings and in 1893 graduated from the Blinn Memorial College at Brenham. His education for the law was also acquired at Brenham, chiefly by reading in the office of Ben S. Rogers, until admitted to the bar in 1894. In 1895 Mr. Teague became asso- ciated with his present partner, J. M. Mathis, in the law firm of Mathis & Teague. This firm dissolved part- nership in 1900 and in the following year Mr. Teague moved to Austin and began his service in the state comptroller's department, of which he subsequently be- came chief clerk. Mr. Teague handled many of the most responsible duties of the office, and was identified with that department of the state government from 1901 to 1911. During that time he continued his training for the law by special courses under Judge J. C. Townes and Judge I. P. Hildebrand. In 1910 Mr. Teague was an unsuccessful candidate for the office of state comp- troller, being defeated by a small number of votes by W. P. Lane. Returning to Brenham in 1911 he again resumed his relations as a partner with J. M. Mathis, and in 1913 the firm of Mathis & Teague was extended by the admission of W. J. Embery.

Mr. Teagne is a believer in the principles of fraternal orders, and has membership in the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the Improved Order of Red Men and the Woodmen of the World. In 1904 he was married to Miss Virginia Gaddy, daughter of Rev. W. M. Gaddy, who was born in Mississippi and for a number of years was minister of the Baptist church at Houston, Texas. Mr. Teague and wife have one son, William Flournoy Teague.

JOHN M. MATHIS. A member of the Texas bar for the last twenty years, and since 1895 in practice at Brenham, John M. Mathis is regarded as one of the ablest representatives of his profession, has for years enjoyed a successful practice both in criminal and civil litigation, and as a citizen has performed a useful and honorable part in his community and state. During the past ten years little litigation either in the criminal or civil courts of Washington county has not had the services of Mr. Mathis as counsel on one side or the other, and he has performed his work with a rare skill that justifies his present reputation and standing in the Texas bar. As an orator his eloquence has been a factor in many political campaigns, and he has spoken for some of the principal candidates in almost every section of the state. Mr. Mathis is senior member of the firm of Mathis, Teague & Embrey.

Born in Smith county, Texas, in 1870, John M. Mathis

is a son of Rev. John S. and Aurelia (Jones) Mathis. His father, a native of Tennessee, who came to Texas about 1860, locating in Smith county, was one of the pioneer circuit-riding Methodist preachers, and later held some of the important charges in the Texas Con- ference. During the war between the states he served as chaplain in the Confederate army for four years. As a member of the East Texas Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, he filled pulpits at Palestine, Marshall, Tyler and other places in that district. After nearly half a century of service to his church and his fellowmen he died March 4, 1908, at the age of seventy- five. His wife was born in North Carolina, and her father, during his residence at Asheville, North Caro- lina, served as sheriff of the county, and coming to Texas after the close of the war located in Cooke county, which he represented in the state legislature and for many years served as sheriff.

John M. Mathis received a liberal education, graduat- ing from the Southwestern University at Georgetown in 1891 with the degree of A. B. Following a brief period as a teacher at Valley View in Cooke county, in 1892 he was selected by R. T. Milner, then speaker of the House of Representatives at Austin, as clerk to the speaker, and this afforded him a valuable opportunity to pursue the study of law which he had begun while teaching school. Later he continued his studies at Rusk under Samuel A. Wilson, formerly judge of the court of criminal appeals, and his son, S. P. Wilson, now a mem- ber of the court of civil appeals at Texarkana. Ad- mitted to the bar in 1894, Mr. Mathis began practice at Rusk, after about a year moved to Wichita Falls, where he was in partnership with his brother, L. H. Mathis, but in 1895 came to Brenham and with B. F. Teague formed the law partnership of Mathis & Teague. Their relations were dissolved in 1900, and Mr. Mathis prac- tieed alone until 1905. Then, with J. P. Buchanan, who had resigned the office of district attorney, and with L. E. Rasberry, he entered the partnership of Mathis, Buchanan & Rasberry. This firm was terminated in 1911, when Mr. Buchanan went to the legislature, and Mr. Teague having in the meantime returned from Austin the firm of Mathis & Teague again took its place in the Washington county bar. In 1913 W. J. Embrey was admitted, making the firm as it stands at present.

From 1899 to 1911, a period of twelve years, Mr. Mathis was one of the school trustees of Brenham, but was eventually obliged to resign the office on account of his increasing pressure of professional business. In 1912 he was one of the Texas state Democratic electors who early in the following year put their formal official seal to the election of Woodrow Wilson as president of the United States. Mr. Mathis is a Past Noble Grand of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and has membership in the Knights of Pythias, the Knights of the Maccabees, the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks and the Cardinals.

In 1892 Mr. Mathis married Miss Louise Mayfield, daughter of Dr. W. N. Mayfield of Georgetown, Texas. Their two children are John M. Mathis, Jr., and Louise Ozelle Mathis. It should be noted that the practice of Mr. Mathis as a lawyer is by no means confined to Wash- ington county, and he has for some years represented large and important cases of litigation in the higher state courts and in a number of counties outside of Washington.

ROBERT BOUDRE SAVAGE FOSTER, JR. It is doubtful if many men of Texas have achieved such a full measure of success in so limited a period of time as that which re- warded the efforts of the late Robert Boudre Savage Fos- ter, Jr., of Navasota. Starting his career with his bare hands, as it were, when he passed away August 30, 1899, when not yet forty-eight years of age, he was credited with achievements that would have satisfied the ordinary man after a full lifetime of endeavor. He was

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a native son of Texas, born in Washington county, Sep- tember 11, 1851. His name "Boudre Savage" came from the French, his grandmother Foster heing of French descent.

Mr. Foster was educated in the common schools and passed a term in Tehuacana College, beginning life as a farmer. He worked a yoke of cattle as early as the age of fourteen years, within three miles of Navasota, the beginning efforts in his successful career, and his labors, prosecuted assiduously, were effective. Although he had no business equipment, he was a natural money- maker and a fine judge of values. As the years passed Mr. Foster added to his holdings from time to time, until he was considered one of the most potent and sue- cessful men of his day in his county. As many as fifty families secured their substance from his farms and agriculture proved his sole interest. He steered clear of stock enterprises, even shunning the opportunity of aid- ing in organizing one of the leading banks of Navasota. He had the best judgment in a trade of anyone, and it was said of him that he could do the planning of eight men and finish by executing the plans. In his political life Mr. Foster was quiet and unobtrusive, even declin- ing service in any capacity not required by law. He was not identified with the church in the vigor of life bnt he believed in its efficacy and was brought up under the influence of Methodist parents. He belonged to no order. In social matters Mr. Foster was very reticent. He talked little upon topies outside of purely business, and when making a deal let the other person do the talking, although he did the active trading himself.

Mr. Foster was married June 20, 1883, at Anderson, Texas, to Miss Mattie Brigance, a daughter of Franklin and Susan E. (Rogers) Brigance. Three children have been born to this union: Mrs. Georgie Rogers, of Brookshire, Texas; Robert Franklin, of Navasota; and Nettie Rose, the wife of William S. Baker, of this city.

Franklin Brigance was born in Sumner county, Ten- nessee, Angust 12, 1818, and died in Anderson, Texas, in June, 1900. He was for sixty years recording steward of the Methodist church, missing two meetings only dur- ing this time, and when he came to Anderson he or- ganized a small class-meeting of Methodists in his log cabin home. He was a charter member of the A. F. & A. M., at Anderson, Texas, and Past High Priest. Mr. Brigance was a son of Charles Newton and Frances Brigance, who lived on the west fork of Station Camp Creek, Sumner county, Tennessee, eight miles west of Gallatin. When fifteen years old he went to two mer- chant tailor uncles, at Huntington, Tennessee, learned the tailor's trade with them, and remained with them four years. He was a resident of Huntington when the news came that Sam Houston had gained a victory over the Mexican army in Texas. This result decided many of the people of Tennessee to come to Texas, and in 1838 Mr. Brigance came out with his parents and settled at Anderson, Grimes county. The old home they left was the one his grandfather established in the early settle- ment, and they arrived in Texas in December, 1838, coming by the boat "Rocky Mountain"' from Clarks- ville, Tennessee, to New Orleans, Louisiana, and by schooner to Galveston, Texas, five days out, and steamed across Galveston Bay and up Buffalo Bayou to Houston, arriving there in February, 1839. There they engaged a wagon and team to convey them to Black's Prairie, Montgomery (now Grimes) county, Republic of Texas, and March 4, 1839, they arrived there and stopped at a house owned by John F. Martin. There they remained until summer, when the father of Mr. Brigance purchased a tract of land on the prairie, began its improvement, and there lost his wife, the mother of Franklin Brigance.

In the fall of 1839 Franklin Brigance responded to the call made for men to defend the settlement against the Indians, joined other neighbors, and rendezvoused at old Timmanville, at the crossing of the old San Antonio and Nacogdoches road and the Navasota river. Their equip-

ment consisted of a mustang pony, saddle aud lariat, rope, rifle, shot-pouch, powder-horn, etc., and the com- missary outfit comprised a wallet thrown across the sad- dle, with each end filled with cornbread made from meal ground on a steel handmill, and the sack also contained jerked beef. The campaign comprised a trip over to the Brazos river and up that stream to Comanche Peak and back again through to Wheelock, Texas, to their homes, after killing two Indians, and losing two men. Another expedition, in 1841, was without results, save that the Indians were scared away, and Mr. Brigance returned with his comrades with neither scalps nor stolen horses. He joined Captain Bowen's company, in 1842, to repel the army of the Mexican General Woll, and to avenge the recent slaughter of the Texans under Captain Dawson, near San Antonio, Mr. Brigance being made orderly sergeant. They camped at San Antonio several weeks on scant rations, being even forced to appropriate the hogs and corn of the Mexicans to appease their hunger. After a move or two of the camp the com- pany was discharged, as the Mexican troops had moved hack across the Rio Graude. They were discharged with- out provisions and had to provide themselves with sub- sistence to get home. Mr. Brigance was detailed as one to forage for food, invested his only nickel in corn meal, and started back to camp with his companion. They were lost on the prairie in the darkness and wan- dered about until past midnight, when they found them- selves back at the mill where Mr. Brigance had bought the meal. There they found other comrades with a fat hog secured from the Mexicans, and right there the fat hog and the meal mixed and a good meal was enjoyed. The meal was baked in the ashes of the campfire, all slept under the canopy of heaven that night, the ordeal was finally repeated in the morning, and after some days of anxiety all hands reached home after passing through a hostile country.

In 1842 Mr. Brigance aud J. J. King, a neighbor, de- cided to visit their old home in Tennessee. They crossed the Mississippi river at the mouth of the Red river and by horseback made the trip to the home of Mr. King's brother, below Natchez, and by boat to Natchez and Vicksburg, where Mr. Brigance continued by boat to Nashville and then to his old home. There he went to school for several months, and also taught school until the fall of 1844, at which time he returned to Texas, via New Orleans by hoat, by ship to Galveston and boat up to Houston, and by mail wagon to Cypress, from where he walked to Fantharp, now Anderson, in Grimes connty. He soon found a little school in the Plantersville neigh- borhood and after teaching a session he abandoned it because the work did not prove congenial, and took up tailoring instead. In June, 1846, he was elected the first assessor and collector of taxes of Grimes county, was again elected in 1848 for two years more, and trav- eled over the country twice a year, the county then extending from the San Antonio road on the north to Spring Creek on the south, a distance of seventy-five miles, and it was twenty miles wide. In 1850 he failed of reelection because he had held office two terms. He was then appointed deputy clerk of the district court by H. W. Raglin and held the position until the next election when he was himself elevated to the office. In 1860 he was defeated for this office and then turned his attention to farming with his force of slaves. In February, 1863, he was selected by his community to superintend the construction of breastworks at Galveston, it falling to the lot of Texas citizens to fortify the city, and there he remained until August, 1863, when he was appointed Confederate tax assessor of Grimes county, and held that position until the close of hostilities be- tween the South and the North. As a result of the war he was stripped of all save his wife and children, and without anything better to do resorted to his old busi- ness, a clerkship.

At the first election after the war he was chosen clerk

apClarks

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of the county and was made deputy assessor, keeping the books of that office also. With the defalcation of the assessor, the responsibility of assessing and collect- ing the taxes for 1868 and 1869 fell to him and he dis- charged their duties and made his returns to Austin without bond, having as much as $23,000 of public funds pass through his hands without honds. In 1869 his disfranchisement prevented his election to office, under the reconstruction plan of the Republican party, but he was appointed deputy district clerk later, uuder J. Lawrence Dieksou. He continued there until his dis- abilities were removed and in 1876 was elected district clerk of the county, aud was reelected from time to time until politics hecame so mixed up that he was de- feated and never again became a candidate. Later on he was appointed to the office of postmaster of Ander- son, in which capacity he served seven years, but in 1896 retired from public office entirely.

The children of Mr. Brigance were as follows: A. Frank, a resident of Navasota; Mattie B., now Mrs. Foster, Jr., of this review; Thomas Alfred, a resident of Beaumont, Texas; Mrs. Burton Routt, of Chappell Hill, Texas; John H., whose death occurred at Waco, Texas, in February, 1914; and Miss Edna Brigance, a resident of Navasota.

ROBERT A. JOHNSON, D. D. S. The Johnson family through three successive generations has been identified with either the medical or dental profession, and Robert A. Johnson is successor of his father iu the same line at Navasota, where the family has been well known for the past twenty-five years.

Dr. Robert A. Johnson was born in Troy, Alabama, February 6, 1885. His grandfather was a physician who belonged to an old and loyal Southern family, all the male members of which participated in the war as Confederate soldiers except the doctor, who remained at home on account of his profession, since in that way he could do more for the community than as a soldier. Of his five children one was the late Osborn S. Johnson, who was born in Alabama January 8, 1857, and practiced dentistry at Navasota. Texas, from ISS8 until his death in January, 1907. He was educated professionally in Vanderbilt University at Nashville, and after a brief practice at Troy, Alabama, moved to Texas, locating first at Bryan and finally at Navasota. He was one of the early members of the State Dental Association of Texas, and as a Democrat with only incidental interest in practical polities served as tax assessor and collector of Navasota. His church was the Methodist. Dr. Osborn S. Johnson was married in Troy, Alabama, to Miss Fan- nie McKinzie. Her father was a cattleman who settled near Corsicana, Texas, and died there. Dr. Johnson and wife have the following children .: Dr. Robert A .; Hayne, of Bryan, Texas; Miss Leona, a teacher in the Navasota schools; Bess, a student of the Sam Houston Normal at Huntsville; and Allister, who is attending school at Navasota.

Dr. Robert A. Johnson grew up and was educated in the public schools of Navasota, and after finishing the public school course in 1903 earned his livelihood by clerking in a local store, and finally entered his father's office to learn dentistry. After some experience under his father, he entered the dental department of the Van- derhilt University at Nashville, his father's old school, and was graduated DD. S. from Vanderbilt in 1909 and took up practice at Navasota and has served a good many of his father's old patrons. Dr. Johnson was married January 14, 1914, to Miss Lula Roan, a daughter of J. H. Roan.

ALVIN P. CLARK. Among the men who have contrib- uted their full quota to the industrial and commercial development of Kaufman and Kaufman county and who have made independent fortunes for themselves out of their continued activities in business circles, may well

be mentioned Alvin P. Clark, a leading furniture dealer and uudertaker of Kaufman and one of the finest citi- zens of the community where he enjoys a most enviable standing.

Born on December 1, 1869, at Lancaster, Texas, Alvin P. Clark is the son of Alonzo S. and Nancy Clarinda (Taylor) Clark. The father was born in New York state in 1837, and in his native state gained an excellent education, which included voice culture, in which he was especially talented. He came to Texas just prior to the inception of the Civil war, and, settling first at Lan- caster, he was for some years occupied as a millwright. He erected a sawmill on the Trinity river east of Lan- caster, among other mills, and a flouring mill at Hutch- ins, where he himself finally settled. During a part of the war period he was engaged in the manufacture of pistols for the Confederacy at Lancaster, and he allied himself stanchly with the institutions and customs of the south, as a resident of that section of the country. He entered the political arena in a local way during the somewhat chaotic days following the war, and in one of his races for the legislature he was a victim of the well known "counting out " process which obtained about that time and was employed on many occasions. He was an able speaker and his charming voice gave him an ever prominent place as a singer and leader of music at re- ligious meetings, and in a number of singing schools which he conducted. He was a member of the Missionary Baptist church and fraternally was identified with the Masonic lodge. He had two sisters, Mrs. Mary Whitaker, who died at Waterloo, Iowa, and Mrs. Esther Hall, a resi- dent of Hoquiam, Washington. Mr. Clark was married at Lancaster to Nancy Clarinda Taylor, whose father came to Texas from Whitehall, Illinois, before the war. Mrs. Clark passed away in May, 1909, and her husband fol- lowed her in July of the same year. Of the three children born to them, Mary A. aud Alvin P. reached mature life. The daughter married T. S. Cartright and resides in Van Alstyne, Texas.

Alvin P. Clark grew up in Hutchins, Texas, whither his parents moved in his young childhood. The schools there provided him with a solid basis for future train- ing, and he devoted himself to the farm until he was well into his youth, when he turned his back upon the fields and engaged in railroad work. He learned teleg- raphy at Hutchins and the H. & T. C. R. R. Company gave him his first position at Van Alstyne as operator and cashier at that station. He subsequently became relief agent of the company and remained with it in that capacity for two years, after which he was in the service of the Santa Fe for five years as relief agent and then was with the Texas Midland at Terrell, where he was assistant manager and dispatcher of that budding sys- tem for two years. Here he met and learned to admire the many excellent qualities of Colonel Greene, who was then dividing his attention between the building of a railroad and managing the local baseball team. Being a pitcher of some renown, Mr. Clark fitted admirably into the dual business system and he added much of genuine pleasure to his employer's life there as well as to his own by vanquishing all the teams who manifested designs on Terrell's pennant. So exciting did the base- ball situation become during his residence there that in a game with Tyler, Colonel Greene sent an engine to Kaufman after Mr. Clark, and his favorite pitcher gratified the genial Colonel by giving Tyler fans and players the severest drubhing of their careers, after which Mr. Clark was returned by engine to his post at Kaufman. Thus did the little pleasures of life mingle with its many duties, and it is entirely probable that the railroad system did not suffer too great loss from the trifling neglects it was subjected to on such occasions.

In 1894 Mr. Clark was transferred to Kaufman and continued as agent of that station until 1898, when he resigned and engaged in business here. His father-in- law was engaged in the furniture business and Mr. Clark

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bought a half interest in the firm, which was Ayers & Clark, and after one year he bought Mr. Ayers' interest. Mr. Clark started in a small way, it is true, but he pre- pared himself for further branching out as he went along and soon was fitted with a license as a profes- sional embalmer. He is a member of the undertakers' organization of the state and of the State Board of Embalmers as well. Some few years ago he purchased the brick block of the Kaufman Improvement Company and enlarged it to meet the demands of his undertaking department, which is one of the important phases of his business, and his establishment today is one of the con- spicuous concerns of Kaufman and the most up-to-date mortuary in the county.

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A history of Texas and Texans, Part 125

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