A history of Texas and Texans, Part 51

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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Probably to Mr. Feely as much as to any other in- dividual is due the fact that the courthouse is now located at Van Horn. He was an earnest advocate of this place as the county seat, and he made a vigorous and successful campaign for this end. He has also been an aggressive factor in securing the new courthouse, which is at this writing rapidly nearing completion and a structure which is a credit to the new county. Fraternally, Mr. Feely is a Mason, and owns a pleasant home in Van Horn, where he is esteemed as one of the leading citizens. In 1894 he married Miss Ida Trammel, a daughter of James Tram- mel, a native of Dallas. Their six children are named as follows: Ones, Eula, Lorina, Clyde, Dorothy, and Ida Derrell.

SOLOMON H. LEVENSON. No man can more quickly perceive the great opportunities which this country offers to the industrious man than can the foreigner, especially if he comes from one of the countries of the old world where there is a large agricultural population. Solomon H. Levenson, coming to the United States from Russian Poland, was quick to see opportunities that might have been unapparent to the native-born American, and his success has been largely due to this insight into condi- tions and his determination to make a success of what- ever he undertook. He is now one of the most successful merchants in El Paso as a member of the firm of Leven- son & Rosenberg, wholesale and retail dealers in dry goods, men's furnishings, and shoes, with two stores in El Paso. The Palace is at 314 Overland street and The New Bazaar is at 118 E. Overland street. Both these men are progressive and wide-awake merchants and are regarded as among the most influential and capable busi- ness men in the city.

Solomon H. Levenson was born in Russian Poland in September, 1881, the son of Samuel and Anna (Rogal- sky) Levenson. Both his father and mother were natives of Russia, and his father was a well-known merchant of Vilna, Russia, up to the time of his death, in 1913. He was fifty-five years old when he died, and his entire life had been spent in his native land. His wife, who was reared and married in Russia, is still living in her old home, having reached the age of fifty-three. Five chil- dren were born to Samuel and Anna Levenson, and of these Solomon was the eldest.

As a child and young boy, Solomon Levenson attended the schools of his native land, and then he attended a commercial and business college for two years. After completing his business training, he became a book- keeper, and for several years was thus engaged. In 1902 he came to America, first going to Hibbing, Minnesota, where he remained until August, 1904. During his resi- dence in Hibbing he was employed by the Great North- ern Railroad Company. In 1904 he came to El Paso and went to work as a clerk in a mercantile house here. He only remained a short time, and then went to Dawson, New Mexico, as manager of the branch house of the Southwestern Mercantile Company. After two very suc- cessful years in this position, he returned to El Paso, and worked here until August, 1911, when he established his present business in association with Mr. Rosenberg.

From a small beginning, the business has expanded nicely, until today the firm carries a stock of about $35,000, and ten salesmen, besides himself and his part- ner, are required to take care of their trade.

Mr. Levenson is one of the energetic business men of the city and one who has a fine faith in the future growth

and development of the place. His confidence has found emphasis in his investment in El Paso real estate and in the opening of a second mercantile establishment, which they named The New Bazaar and which is located on East Overland street, as has already been noted. Mr. Levenson is one of the stockholders of the Texas Bank and Trust Company of El Paso, and is otherwise identi- fied with business enterprise in the city, aside from his mercantile establishments.

In politics, Mr. Levenson gives his allegiance to the Democratic party. He is a member of the Knights of Maccabees, but has no other fraternal affiliations.

On December 20, 1908, Mr. Levenson was married to Lena Bromberg at El Paso, and one child, Bessie Leven- son, has been born to them. She was born on March 1st, 1910, in this city.

CHARLES DEUTZ. The name Deutz has been closely identified with the hardware business in Texas for more than half a century. The pioneer work was done by the late Joseph Deutz, whose splendid ability and vigorous salesmanship made him one of the most successful of Texas past merchants. He began business in San Antonio in 1856, moved to Laredo in 1879, and kept his hands on his affairs and gave them the benefit of his judgment till 1896. The business is now carried on under the style A. Deutz & Brother.

Its trade is international, and for many years the name Deutz has had a recognized commercial value on both sides of the Rio Grande. In 1911 the firm built their present splendid store on Hidalgo street in Laredo, one of the finest buildings of its type in the Southwest, and there are very few finer hardware stores in the United States. They have a large wholesale as well as retail trade, and carry an extensive stock of hardware, implements, vehicles, queensware, plumbing supplies, engines and machinery for both agriculture and mining, and the brothers have a reputation for flawless integrity as well as for keen enterprise. The building, of one story, is located on a prominent corner, and has front- age of 150 feet of solid plate glass, with marble base and aluminum strips. A hanging awning with prism glass overhead extends along the entire front. There are two very large display windows and two other dis- play windows, and all three vestibules are laid with selected tile. The ceiling of the building is steel, with two rows of iron pillars supporting the roof. The entire building has a frontage of 150 feet and a depth of 110 feet, 87 feet of this depth being used for floor space. The rear of the building is divided into several rooms, one as a retail stock room and the other as a manufac- turing and repair shop, while in the center a balcony, or mezzanine floor, makes two rooms, the upper being used as a general office. The building is constructed of brick, and to increase its protection against fire is equipped with fire hydrants placed conveniently for immediate use and fire extinguishers. There are three large skylights, and provision for artificial lighting by electricity and natural gas. The store equipment com- prises the Heller system of shelving, and all the show- cases are of plate glass with marble base. The estab- lishment is equipped with a modern telephone system, with private switchboard, so that every department of the store is connected with every other and with the general office. As a large part of the business is country trade, the system also provides for adequate long-distance telephone service. As one of the oldest established firms in the Rio Grande valley, its trade extends up and down for many miles from Laredo, and probably no other firm in the line express so much goods across the boundary into Old Mexico.

Charles Deutz, junior member of the firm of A. Deutz & Brother, comes naturally by his ability as a hardware merchant. He assisted his father from early boyhood in buying for the firm and in shipping goods to Old Mexico, and has proved a worthy successor to his hon-

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ored father. Charles Deutz was born in San Antonio, Texas, in 1871, a son of Joseph and Agatha (Lineke) Deutz. The late Joseph Deutz, who as born at Coblenz- on-the-Rhine in 1827, came to America when twenty-one years of age, in 1848. The steamer landed him in New York City, and that was his home for two years. He was attracted to southwest Texas, because it was one of the chief centers of German colonization in the United States, and arrived in San Antonio in 1850. For sev- eral years his experience was that of a worker for others, and in 1856 he married and began in the hard- ware trade for himself. From almost the first he inter- ested himself in the extension of his business into Mex- ico, and in 1862 moved across the boundary and became a member of the firm of Guilbau, Herman & Company at Monterey. His stay in Mexico at that time was profitable and gave him a fair knowledge of conditions which have ever since been utilized in the hardware business conducted under the Deutz name. Returning to San Antonio in 1866, Joseph Deutz continued in the hardware business as a member of the firm of Norton & Deutz until 1879. In the latter part of that year he established his business headquarters at Laredo, and that city was his home the remainder of his life. The business at Laredo was first conducted under the name of Deutz & Koehler, and subsequently became J. Deutz & Sons. Though he retired from active duties in 1896 he always maintained a vigorous and hearty old age. For several years he served as president of the Laredo National Bank.

His death at his home in Laredo on October 18, 1912, meant the loss of one of Texas' pioneer merchants and finest citizens. At the time of his death he had the. distinction of being the oldest living hardware merchant in Texas. His initiative and strength of character were the chief factors in his success, and at the same time he was greatly admired for his thorough honesty and uprightness and his many exceptional per- sonal qualities. As an example of the spirit of progress which always. animated him, as early as 1857 he was using shelf boxes of his own invention and may be considered as the originator of the system which has contributed materially to successful retail methods in modern times. He bought up eigar boxes in large quantities, covered them with green paper and placed them on his shelves, with samples of the articles within fastened on the outside. News of his extensive pur- chases of cigar boxes came to the ears of the revenue officers, and they suspected that Mr. Deutz was refilling them with cigars. Secret service men investigated, but were soon convinced that the merchant was using the boxes in extremely practical as well as legitimate man- ner. Mrs. Joseph Deutz died in Laredo in 1892.

Charles Deutz was liberally educated, attended the noted German-English school in San Antonio, from which so many prominent men in southwest Texas re- ceived their early training. After a two-years' course at the Agricultural and Mechanical College at Bryan, he returned home in 1887 and in his father's store con- tinued his thorough business training under the careful eye of the latter.

Charles Deutz has been a hardware buyer for twenty- seven years and probably no other man of his age in the United States can say the same. He was one of the four Deutz brothers who succeeded to the business in 1896, and in 1903 Deutz Brothers sold the business to Adolph Deutz and Charles Deutz, and since that time the firm name has stood as it is today, A. Deutz & Brother, with Charles Deutz as its manager.

BATES MCFARLAND. At the end of forty years' active practice in the law Bates McFarland stands as one of the ablest and prominent members of the Texas bar. For more than a decade he has been located in the city of El Paso. He represents one of the old and honored families of Texas, and his father before him was one of the able lawyers aud judges of the state.

Mr. Bates McFarland was born February 24, 1850, at the old town of LaGrange, in Fayette county, Texas, a son of Isaac B. and Adaline McFarland. The father died at Rockport, August 20th, 1899, at the very venerable age of eighty years. His career was one that brought him into association with the leading men of Texas dur- ing the middle half of the last century. He had for sixteen consecutive years served as a district judge, dur- ing which time he resided at Brenham, and was for many years engaged in the active practice of law. Although a thorough Texan in every sense of the word, he was a staunch Republican.

Bates MeFarland received his college education at Trinity University, at Tehuacana, and subsequently grad- uated from the law department of the Cumberland Uni- versity, at Lebanon, Tennessee, where he was given the degree of LL. B.

Since 1873 Mr. McFarland has been regularly engaged in the practice of law in this state. For about ten years he had his offices at Brenham, and from there moved to Rockport, and then, in 1900, to El Paso. Notwithstand- ing his father's affiliation with the Republican party, Mr. MeFarland has always been a staunch Democrat and one of the influential men in civic affairs.

On February 1, 1879, at Courtney, in Grimes county, Mr. MeFarland married Miss Bettie B. Holland, a dangh- ter of Col. James K. Holland of Courtney, Texas. Her father and grandfather were both intimately identified with legislative affairs in the early years of Texas, both as a Republic and as a state. The four children of Mr. McFarland and wife are named as follows: Bates H., who is now abont thirty-seven years of age; Lilly E., the wife of F. G. Belk, about two years younger than her brother; I. B. MeFarland, age about thirty-one, and Adaline A., age twenty-nine.

By his long career of residence and professional activ- ity Mr. MeFarland has indicated his affection for Texas and Texans, and there is no one more positive in his be- lief as to the great future of this state. He is thor- oughly well informed about the natural resources and op- portunities of the state at the present time and is pos- sessed of a large knowledge, gained from personal ob- servation, covering the history of the state during the past thirty or forty years.

WILLIAM HENRY BARTON. Of one of the old and rep- resentative families in east Texas, Mr. Barton grew up in Rusk county and had a college education. He began his business career as a merchant in Overton, and has also followed farming and merchandising at Overton for the past thirty years; is a banker there, and one of the most influential and prosperous citizens.

William Henry Barton was born in Henderson, Texas, July 4, 1855, a son of James M. Barton and a grandson of Benjamin Barton. The grandfather came to Texas during the early forties and was killed in Harrison county in the moderator and regulator war, about 1842. Benjamin Barton married a Miss Baker, and their chil- dren were: James M .; Ben, who was killed by the In- dians; Tead and Lem of Texas; Watson of Hubbard, Texas; Bailey of Texas; Elliott, who died in Rusk county, leaving a family; Melissa, now deceased, who married William Baker, and Zilphia, who married Thomas MeCarty,

James M. Barton was born in Pickens district of South Carolina, was reared on a farm, had a limited education, and soon after his father's death, in Harrison county, Texas, settled in Rusk county, at Millville, where he was elected sheriff and served for some eight or ten years in that important office at a time when the duties of sheriff meant almost constant association with the rough and lawless element. James M. Barton was not only a sol- dier of the Mexican war, in General Taylor's army, but when the Civil war came on he took sides with the Con- federacy and was commissioned a captain, his service being principally east of the Mississippi River. He was

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in the battle at Corinth, and saw much other active sery- ice, until the failure of his health caused him to give un his commission. When he left the army he held the rank of colonel in his regiment. After the war, Col. James Barton was engaged in business as a merchant at old Bellview, and afterwards at Hallville, and still later at Longview. The burning of his store at Longview caused him to leave the business, and he then retired to his farm at Bellview, giving his time and attention to the quiet vocation of farming until his death, in September, 1879. At the time of his death he held the office of sergeant-at-arms in the Texas Senate.

Col. James M. Barton married Miss Emily Miller, a daughter of Judge John C. Miller, who came from Geor- gia in an early day and was county judge of Rusk county for many years, and lived on his farm, near Henderson, until his death, in 1876, when about sixty-five years old. Judge Miller married a Miss Thompson, and of their children, besides Mrs. Barton, there were: Mrs. Jo- sephine Mitchel, Captain W. A. Miller, and Dr. H. L. Miller. Mrs. James M. Barton died in September, 1878, at the age of fifty years. Her children were J. A., Virgil and Belle, twins, of whom Belle married James H. (Cy- clone) Davis of Sulphur Springs, Texas, and Virgil died at Kilgore, Texas, leaving a family; William Henry and Dr. Augustus Wiley of Overton.

William H. Barton grew up at Henderson and vicinity, and finished his education in the old Trinity University, at Tehnacana. After reaching manhood, he started in as a farmer, an occupation which he varied by work in his father's store, and finally, in 1883, he entered merchan- dising at Overton, and his record of steady and reliable business dealings has been continuous in that place for thirty years. When he first offered goods to the public as a merchant, his capital comprised about seven hun- dred dollars, and he had a wife and child to support. Though merchandising has been his regular vocation, a portion of his time has been devoted to farming, and at the present time he is vice president of the Farmers & Merchants State Bank of Overton. Mr. Barton has also built himself one of the comfortable homes of the little city. His public service has likewise been important and stamps him as a public-spirited citizen. For eighteen years he was one of the school trustees, and also has been a member of the board of aldermen. His church is the Methodist, and he is a member of its board of stewards. Fraternally, he is affiliated with the Masonie Lodge.

On October 7, 1879, occurred the marriage of William H. Barton and Miss Jeffie Davis Wynne, a cousin of Col. R. M. and W. B. Wynne. Her father was Colonel Rob- ert E. Wynne, who came from Tennessee and whose wife was Miss Mary Watkins of the old San Angustine family of that name. Mr. and Mrs. Barton's oldest child, Wil- liam Peyton Barton, graduated from Tulane University with his medical degree in 1904, and is now a practicing physician at Overton; Robert Virgil married Miss Lois Gray, and their children are Gray and Sue; Henry Miller Barton is associated in business with his father ; John Wynne is a student in Columbia University, in New York City, and the youngest is Mary Emily.

JAMES M. JONES. The present popular and efficient county clerk of Rusk county, James M. Jones, has spent his life chiefly within the confines of the county and is a member of a family widely known in this part of Texas. He was born in the community of Pine Hill, where his father, the Hon. J. Rasmus Jones, settled Feb- ruary 5, 1867, coming here from near Milledgeville, Georgia. The latter's public service to Texas has been given as a member of the lower house of the legislature, in which service he won prominence as an investigator of the state's penal affairs, as a man of measures, and as a debater and legislator.

J. Rasmus Jones, or "Ras" Jones, as he is known among public men of Texas, was born in Georgia, August 26, 1834. His education came from his perusal of

the old blue spelling book and from seventy-two days as a pupil in school. He was a natural seeker after knowl- edge, and when going on an errand for his father or to mill he was wont to carry his spelling book with him to make good use of his idle time. To avoid the jeers and scoffs of the other boys about the mill because of his friendship for the junior Webster, he would hide the small volume under his coat and seek a lonely place where he could commit its contents to memory, and it is said that he became so familiar with it that even in the decline of life he could call the next word of any column one would pronounce to him. Being of an inquiring turn of mind, "' Ras" Jones acquired the habit of learning alone. His fund of information came to mark him as a learned man, and the accuracy of his knowledge surprised his friends and his legislative colleagues as he displayed it in the midst of debate upon the floor of the house or in stating facts in the course of his speeches. He was master of himself and of every situation when he occupied the floor. Interruption did not perturb him and he answered questions with such readiness and resumed the thread of his discourses with such ease and confidence as to gain him a wide confidence among his contemporaries of the legislature. Mr. Jones was elected to the house of representatives of his state first in 1884. His politics harmonized with the dominant party of Texas, and he represented Panola county at intervals during sixteen years. He suffered defeats at home once or twice during this long service, but the character of his service always dimmed the lustre of his successor and his return to power invariably followed. Among his committees was the one on Roads, Bridges and Ferries, of which he was chairman for a time, and it was his report of the in- vestigating committee of the penitentiary management that opened the eyes of Texans. He was a member of this committee and its investigation revealed such a shortage to the state that taxpayers stood aghast at the muddle their partisan friends had made of things for the commonwealth. Mr. Jones was so long before the people and mingled so freely with Texas leaders as to establish his reputation as a strong conversa- tionalist. In his home or among his neighbors his bearers never tire. He delivers himself pleasantly and with a fascination that never fails to entertain and instruct. He delighted in communing with men of recognized mental worth and formed friendships among the great Texas public men. He always aided the ambitions of Senator Bailey and had a warm place in his heart for Governor Ross, and in the contest of 1905 he gave valuable support to the candidacy of Hon. Pat Neff, the successful contestant. During the Civil war he offered himself to the Confederacy, but was rejected for military duty and was assigned to hospital work as a nurse. Mr. Jones was a successful farmer after the old methods and had a strong belief that a mule and a plow, with himself at the helm, was the most potent force possible in the production of a crop of cotton. So wide a con- fidence was bestowed upon him among Henderson mer- chants that they always bought his cotton without the usual formality of inspection. All they seemed to care was that it was the product of his own farm and of his own picking, for that meant the best fiber of the season. He sought no new method and seemed to give little thought to the experiments going on to increase the erop per acre or to find a new staple with a larger yield per stalk. His unimportant fraternal work has been done as a Master Mason. His religious faith is that of the Missionary Baptist church.

"Ras" .Jones was a son of John A. Jones, who came to Texas some years after his son and died on his farm near Pine Hill. His family comprised L. Augustus, who died at Pine Hill, Texas; J. Rasmus and Carrie, who married a Mr. Newman. These children were by his first wife, who died in Georgia, and by a second union Mr. Jones had Harrison of Clayton. Texas: Joseph: George; Christopher, who is deceased; "Coot"; Thomas,

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who is deceased, and Mattie and Nannie, both of whom married.

J. Rasmus Jones married Miss Emily Rosseau, a daughter of Lucius Rosseau, of a French family. Mrs. Jones died June 8, 1906, having been the mother of these children : Dr. John R., a physician of Arkansas; Charles of Garrison, Texas, ex-county clerk of Panola county; Mrs. Lizzie Liles of Winnsboro, Texas; Emma, who married W. A. Liles, and is now deceased; W. R. of Brownsville was educated in the public schools of Rusk county, was admitted to the bar after teaching for a time, was elected county attorney of Panola, and after serving four years as district attorney resigned to take up the practice of law at the mouth of the Rio Grande; James M., of this notice; Daisy, who married W. E. Lawrence of Clayton, Texas; Homer, who served as a page of the Texas house of representatives as a boy and now resides at Pine Hill, and Belle of Clayton, Texas, who married first J. W. Langley and is now Mrs. J. H. Jones.

James M. Jones was born May 2, 1876, acquired his education in the public schools at three months yearly, was appointed a page in the Texas legislature and served as such in the session of 1889, gained some ex- perience as assistant to a teacher in Pine Hill, and when he abandoned the atmosphere of the school house entered a drug store at Minden. A few months later he came to Henderson and took a position in an abstract office. He was made deputy tax assessor by Mr. W. D. Arnold and served three and one-half years, and a like period as assistant postmaster under Mrs. E. V. Flan- agan. He was appointed deputy county clerk in 1902 and served under Clerk Lonnie Smith during his ad- ministration, and in 1912 made the race against two competitors and was nominated for the office and elected in the following November. His services have been of such a nature as to inspire confidence in the people of the community and to show that they made no mis- take in choosing Mr. Jones for the position.

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A history of Texas and Texans, Part 51

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