A history of Texas and Texans, Part 93

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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Up to the age of thirteen years Alex Kahn attended public school at Fort Worth, and when not in school was on the range as a cowboy. From 1879 to 1884 he was employed in construction work on the Texas & Pacific railroad. During 1885 and the following two years he was at Mobeetie, near Fort Elliott, in the Panhandle of Texas, and from 1888 to 1890 he was employed in mercautile lines as a clerk in the store of E. M. Kahn & Co. of Dallas. These varied experiences brought him in contact with different classes of people and afforded opportunity for the study of human nature, and as a clerk he laid the foundation for his business career as the head of a prosperous concern of no small propor- tions. Mr. Kahn came to Wichita Falls in 1890, and the next year, with a cash capital of only $300, started his present business. Today he has the largest retail ladies' ready-to-wear and gents' clothing and haber- dashing establishment at Wichita Falls. His store has a floor space of 60 by 75 feet, situated at the corner of Eighth and Indiana streets, one of the most desirable locations in the city, and he carries a stock valued at approximately fifty thousand dollars and employs four- teen salespeople and an efficient office corps. The busi- ness is known as the Alex Kahn. In addition to this splendid establishment, Mr. Kahn has large real estate holdings, among which is included his beautiful resi- dence at 1500 Austin street. Mr. Kahn was one of the organizers of the Farmer's State Bank & Trust Co., of which he was for a number of years a director, and which was absorbed by the First State Bank & Trust Co.

While Mr. Kahn has never taken any active part in politics, as an office seeker or holder, he has always maintained an interest and pride in civic affairs, and on election day has cast his franchise with the Democratic party. He has fraternal identity with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, and the Masonic Order.

December 27, 1892, at Weatherford, Texas, Alex Kahn and Miss Minnie E. Couble, a native of Indiana and a daughter of H. F. Couble, were united in marriage, and to them have been given four children; Blanche, Thelma, Darrel A. and Anna Ruth.

WILLIAM J. CUNNINGHAM. Senior member of the law firm of Cunningham & Sewell, the strongest combination of law talent in Abilene, Mr. Cunningham has a de- servedly high reputation throughout Texas both as a lawyer and in public life. By his service in the leg- islature he established a reputation for aggressive and broadminded ability as a lawmaker, and is probably equally well known as one of the fluent and graceful speakers of the state bar, whether in the course of reg- ular practice or on the political platformn.

William J. Cunningham was boru in Baxter county, Arkansas, October 8, 1870, the eighth in a family of fif- teen children born to A. W. and Nancy C. (Magee) Cunningham. The parents, who uow are living retired and enjoying the comforts of life at Bowie in Mon- tague county came to Texas prior to the Civil war. The father enlisted in the Confederate army, and went through the war from the beginning to the end. He was a farmer by occupation, spent many years of residence in Kauf- man county, subsequently moving to Montague county. Seven of the large family of children are now living, and are prospered and honored citizens in various portions of this state.

Mr. Cunningham attained his first schooling in the pub- lic schools of Montague county and at Bowie took up the study of law. When he was twenty-two years of age, in 1892, he was admitted to the bar, and his first experience as a practicing lawyer was at Nacoma. In his practice there he showed himself the master of legal principles, and soon sought a larger field for bis pro- fession at Waco. He acquired in the course of a few years a large and representative clientele in that city and vicinity, and continued to practice in Waco until 1899 in which year he located in Abilene as one of the coul- ing cities of west Texas.

As an able lawyer, he has naturally been drawn into public affairs, and his first important position was an appointment on October 10, 1903, as district attorney for the Forty-Second Judicial district. He served until the expiration of the term in January, 1907, and in the preceding November was elected to fill the regular term of two years during 1907-08. Before completing this elective term he resigned in order to accept and fill out the unexpired term of State Senator A. S. Hawkins. His experience in the state senate brought him promi- mently before the people of Texas, as one of the keenest and best informed legislators of the state capital. Since leaving the state senate he has refused further official honors. Mr. Cunningham was chosen a member of Judge Poindexter's state executive committees during his cam- paign for governor. He has also taken a prominent part in the making of local option laws, and in 1904 stumped the state on behalf of state-wide prohibition. He is a member of the Abilene Bar Association, and was elected a school trustee of Abilene in 1911. Fraternally he is affiliated with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Knights of Pythias and he and his wife have membership and are regular worshipers in the Missionary Baptist church.

Mr. Cunningham owns his present residence in Abilene, and has a nice family. He was married June 12, 1894, to Miss Harriet Elizabeth Jeffries, who was born in Brownsville, Tenn., a daughter of George and Mary E. Jeffries. Their three children are William J., Jr., aged eight years; Florence, aged eleven ; and Myrtle M., aged thirteen.

DR. SAM CORLEY BALL. A family which has been identified with Texas since the year of its independence from Mexico and the establishment of the Republic, is

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represented by Dr. Sam Corley Ball, one of the prom- inent physicians of Northeast Texas and a resident of New Boston. His grandfather was the founder of the family in this state and the doctor's father was one of the most noted of the early physicians in Bowie county.

Dr. Sam Corley Ball was born at Old Boston, in Bowie county, October 10, 1865. His grandfather was Hart- well Ball, who emigrated from Alabama into Texas in 1838, the year of the establishment of the Republic, and settled in what is now Harrison county, near Marshall. He was among the earliest to locate in this section of Texas, for at that date nearly all of the settlement was on the lower regions of the Brazos and Colorado rivers.

The parents of Dr. Ball were Dr. Isaac M. and Lou (Corley) Ball. The late doctor, Isaac M. Ball, whose death occurred at his home in New Boston in 1903, was one of the most prominent physicians and citizens of Bowie county. He was born at Florence, Alabama, in 1829, being seven years of age at the time the family moved to Texas. Then pioneering began at an early age, for in 1846 he moved to what is now Bowie county, where he enlisted for service in the Mexican war, along with six others from this county. The company in which they enlisted got no further than the Mexican border, and saw little or no active service in that period of hostilities. Soon after his return from this military expedition he went east and studied medicine at Jef- ferson Medical College in Philadelphia, where he was graduated M. D. in 1851. From that time until the close of his long and useful life he was a resident of Bowie county, spending many years at what is known as Old Boston and when the old settlement was abandoned, moving to the present flourishing town of New Boston. On returning from Philadelphia he was one of the few college trained physicians in this part of the state, and combining his experience with his natural talent and fine character, he soon acquired a large practice and became one of the most eminent physicians of North East Texas. A complete account of his long and suc- cessful career would be a history of one of finest types of the old time country doctors. The public servant of a large patronage, who was on duty night and day and against the most adverse conditions, over difficult roads

and in all kinds of weather riding to bring his skill and comfort to his patients. Practically all of his active practice was carried on in the days before the introduc- tion of the telephone and before the automobile became so generally serviceable as it has to the modern doctor. To the hundreds of citizens of knew him, he was both a physician and a friend, and his accounts never showed the almost unnumbered acts of kindness which he dis- tributed without stint throughout the large community into which his practice extended. He finally returned from active practice in 1901. At one time he had been engaged in the land business in partnership with the late Judge B. T. Estes, and together they owned twenty thousand acres of land in Bowie county. The late Dr. Ball's wife, who died in 1901, was a daughter of Rev. Sam. Corley, a noted pioneer Cumberland Presbyterian minister and missionary, and who came from Tennessee in the early thirties as a missionary to the Indians, and had a long and self-sacrificing service in Arkansas, Indian Territory and Texas. He was chaplain of his regiment.

Sam Corley Ball received his early education at Trinity University at Tehuacana, and later at the State Univer- sity in Austin. He was a student in the university when its sessions were held in the temporary Capitol building. His medical studies were pursued in the Kentucky School of Medicine, whence is now the University of Louisville, from which he received his medical degree with the class of 1887. Since then for a period of a quarter of a century he has been in active practice and has enjoyed much of the esteem and success which characterized his father's long career in the same vicinity.

The doctor is the owner of a fine farm a mile and a half from New Boston. He is a member of the County and State Medical Societies, and is president of the Northeast Texas Medical Society. Fraternally he is a Knight Templar Mason.

Dr. Ball married Miss Celeste Harris, who was born in Louisiana. Their three children are Louise, Harris and Samuel.

REV. THORNTON R. SAMPSON, D. D., LL. D. Another of the men of Austin who are prominently and creditably identified with Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary is Rev. Thornton R. Sampson, D. D., LL. D., professor of Church History and Polity since 1905, and president of the seminary prior to the election of Dr. Vinson, who now holds that office, and a sketch of whose life and work immediately precedes this brief review.

Dr. Sampson was born at Hampden Sidney, Prince Ed- ward county, Virginia, on October 9, 1852, a son of Rev. Francis S. Sampson, D. D., and his wife, Caroline Susan (Dudley) Sampson. The family on both sides traces its ancestry directly back to the royal blood of England and France, and the Baldwins, Dudleys, Byrds and Sampsons have long been established on American soil, representatives having established themselves here in Colonial days, and having been prominently identified with the country since that time.

Dr. Thornton R. Sampson was graduated from Hamp- den Sidney College in Virginia in the year 1871, after which he studied at the University of Virginia and also at Edinburgh, Scotland, and Leipsic, Germany. He has his D. D. and LL. D. degrees from Davidson College, North Carolina.

Dr. Sampson has traveled a great deal, much of his travels being in the interests of educational and church work. He was in missionary work among the Greeks in Athens and Thessalonica from 1878 to 1892, and did excellent work in the advancement of the Christiau reli- gion during that time. After his return to America he was engaged as secretary of foreign missions for the Presbyterian Synod of North Carolina from 1892 to 1894, and from 1894 to 1897 he was president of the assembly's home and school at Fredericksburg, Virginia. He was president of Austin College at Sherman, Texas, from 1897 to 1900, and in the latter year became the first president of Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary, which office he resigned on account of ill health in 1905. In the latter year he was succeeded in the presidency by Dr. Vinson, and he has since held the chair of Church History and Polity.

Dr. Sampson is chairman of the Association of Re- ligious Teachers of the University of Texas, and when he was president of Austin College at Sherman he was instrumental in bringing about its affiliation with the University of Texas, that being the first denominational school in the State to become so affiliated, an example later followed by every organized denomination in Texas. When Dr. Sampson first became president of the Austin College at Sherman it was the only institution which the Presbyterian Synod of Texas controlled. He was made chairman of the committee on church and Chris- tian education, and in that position he brought about the unification of the educational work of the synod, after helping to organize several new institutions. Today he is still devoting his attention to the matter of getting the university to allow some further religious instruc- tion, with due credits for such courses, a work that will be of the greatest benefit to the furtherance of religious knowledge. In 1914 he was made general agent for the Conference for Education in Texas.

Dr. Sampson is deserving of high praise for the accomplishments of his life thus far, for he is distinctly self-made in the matter of his education. His father died when he was eighteen months of age, and to his mother he owes much for the early training he received from her, and for the Christian principles she inculcated

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when he was at the pliant aud impressionable age-the same having had their undying influence upon his life, causing him to enter church work at a very early age.

Dr. Sampson is an inveterate pedestrian, and his travels on foot have carried him into the remotest sec- tions of the globe. He has walked through England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Germany, Greece, Bulgaria, Palestine and extensively in numerous other countries. He crossed the Alps sixteen times on foot from Switzer- land to Italy, and crossed the Pindus Mountains many times on foot. Three of his children were born in Athens, Greece, and one of them at Thessalonica.

The marriage of Dr. Sampson was solemnized in Mem- phis, Tennessee, on April 30, 1878, when Miss Ella S. Royster became his wife. She is a descendant of the Watkins and Venable families, who were among the first settlers of Virginia. The children of Dr. and Mrs. Sampson are Mrs. Janet Parsons, of Toronto, Canada; Mrs. Mary Drake, the wife of Rev. E. T. Drake, pastor of the Luteher Memorial Presbyterian Church of Orange, Texas; Frank W. Sampson, an engineer for the Southern Traction Company, of Dallas, Texas, and Helen L. Sampson.

WILLIAM H. SEWELL. Junior member of the law firm of Cunningham & Sewell at Abilene, William H. Sewell is a Tennesseean, who came to Texas when a young man just out of college, studied law in this state, and since his admission to the bar about ten years ago has ac- quired a successful practice and is one of the leading members of the bar at Abilene.

William H. Sewell was born in Wilson county, Ten- nessee, Angust 11, 1877, a son of Rev. Luther R. and Josie (Barry) Sewell, both of whom were born in Tennessee, and are now deceased. The father devoted all his life to the ministry of the church. William H. Sewell as a boy attended the public schools of his native state and finished his education in Harding College at Nashville. Leaving college when twenty-one years of age he came to Texas and located in Mitchell county, and read law in the office of W. K. Homan at Colorado. Following his admission to the bar in 1904 he practiced a short time in Colorado and then moved to Abilene, where he had an office to himself, and built up a good clientage. In February, 1909, he joined forces with Mr. W. J. Cunningham.

Mr. Sewell is a Democrat in politics, a member of the Abilene Bar Association, is affiliated with the Knights of Pythias, and belongs to the Christian church. He was married April 26, 1903, to Miss Pinky G. Robertson, a native of Texas, and a danghter of A. B. and Leonore (Smith) Robertson, her father being a prominent ranch- man at Slaton. One child has been born to their mar- riage, William Robertson Sewell.

JOHN DUSKIN GAITHER. As president and principal owner of the largest dry goods store in Merkel, Texas, John Duskin Gaither occupies a prominent place in the business world of that city. He is a modern and pro- gressive business man and his success has come through his careful methods and his ability to perceive an op- portunity when one is presented. Mr. Gaither is chiefly occupied with his mercantile business.

John Duskin Gaither was born in Fayette county, Texas, on the 11th of October, 1880, the son of Burgess Clayton Gaither and Mary Atwood (Young) Gaither. Burgess C. Gaither was born in Lawrence county, Ten- nessee, and lived there until 1871 when he came to Texas and located in Fayette county where he engaged in stock raising. Here he met Mary Young, who was a native of Fayette county, Texas and they were married. They lived in Fayette county until 1883 when they removed to Taylor county. He drove his herd of cattle across the country to his new home, which was a ranch near Buf- falo Gap. Here he continued stock raising until 1887, when owing to a protracted drought continuing through 1886 and 1887, he was forced to discontinue stock rais-

ing. He now turned his attention to farming and was very successful. In 1905 he retired from active life and is now living in Merkel with his wife, having gained a comfortable fortune during his active years. He has always taken an active interest in politics, being a mem- ber of the Democratic party, but he has never aspired to hold any office. Four children were horn to Mr. and Mrs. Gaither. In addition to Johu D. Gaither, these are: Leslie Davenport Gaither, who is engaged with his brother in the mercantile business in Merkel; Maggie Bell, who married Rex E. Dillard and lives in Taylor county, Texas; Forest Young Gaither, who is also as- Sociated with his brother in the drygoods business.

The eldest of these children was John D. Gaither. He received his elementary education in the public schools of Taylor county, and when he became older he was sent to the South Western University, where he remained for two terms. He was anxious to get to work and so at the age of sixteen he began his business career as a clerk in the store of J. W. Evans in Abilene, Texas. He worked as a clerk in this grocery store for three years and then returned to his father's home, and for two years assisted his father on the farm. He did not care for farming, and having learned engineering in a very practical way on the farm, he now went to Fort Stanton, New Mexico, to accept a position as stationary engineer in the Marine Hospital Service. He had a natural bent for mechanies and he was very successful in this posi- tion, which he held for three years. During this time he saved his salary with an idea of starting in busi- ness for himself at some future date. At the end of these three years he returned to Merkel and engaged in a modest way in the grocery business. He later bought an interest in the Merkel Dry Goods and Grocery Com- pany and in time became president and general manager. Since he became the executive head of this concern its business has been greatly increased and the improve- ment in stock and fixtures has been met with an equal improvement in the amount of patronage which it en- joys. The stores now cover a floor space of seven thou- sand feet and ten clerks are constantly employed by the firm while during the rush seasons many more are necessary. It is a highly successful concern and this is largely due to the energy and business ability of Mr. Gaither.

In addition to the store, Mr. Gaither is largely inter- ested in two thousand acres of land in Scurry county. This land is under a high state of cultivation and is operated upon the most modern scientific plan, being largely planted in cotton and corn. Mr. Gaither also owns his own comfortable home in Merkel.

In the fraternal world Mr. Gaither is a member of the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, of the Independ- ent Order of Odd Fellows and of the Woodmen of the World. In polities he is a member of the Democratic party. He is keenly interested in civic affairs and was at one time secretary of the City of Merkel.

Mr. Gaither was married in July, 1906, to Miss Lola May Harris, a native of Limestone county, Texas. Mrs. Gaither is the daughter of Charles Tillman Harris and Connie J. (Wormiek) Harris, who settled in Limestone county in 1854. They were early pioneers in that sec- tion of Texas and are highly respected citizens of the community. Three children have been born to Mr. Gaither and his wife, namely, John Duskin, Jr., Alma Elizabeth and Charles Clayton.

JUDGE CHARLES D. MIMS. It is worth a good deal to win a position of influence in one's own town, but to do so is comparatively easy when placed alongside the task of winning renown throughout a territory the size of the state of Texas. Such renown belongs to Judge Charles D. Mims, of Merkel, Texas, and he is not so widely known on account of political honors or wealth, but because of his work in his profession and because no matter how insignificant may be his task, he puts his

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heart and soul into the business. Judge Mims is active in furthering all movements leading to the improvement of Texas and has led in many reforms that have proved of practical benefit.

A native of Arkansas, Judge Mims was born in Monticello, Drew county, Arkansas, on the 15th of January, 1860. He is the son of William D. Mimus and Sarah B. (Hudspeth) Mims. His father was born in Virginia and his mother is a native of Mississippi. Wil- liam D. Mims left Arkansas shortly after the birth of their son and removed to Smith county, Texas, locating permanently in Tyler. Here Mr. Mims, Sr., edited the Tyler Reporter, making the paper a power in politics, through his brilliant and clear-cut editorials. He was prominent in state politics, and although he himself never cared to hold office, his power over the peu and his command of editorial style made him one of the most influential men in the party in his district. He was said to be the best posted man in the state on national politics at the time of his death. Mr. Mims was a men- ber of the Democratic party and owned and published the Tyler Reporter until his death in 1880. Mrs. Mims is still living and resides in the old home in Tyler. Of the four children born to Mr. Mims and his wife, only two are living, the judge and his sister, Josie E., who is living with her mother in Tyler and who is a prominent worker in religious eireles aud in elub work.

Judge Mims had but a meager education in the school room but he received a broad and practical training in the press rooms and editorial sanetum of his father's paper. It was his ambition to become a lawyer and so at the age of fourteen he began to read law with Gen- eral T. J. Jennings, of Tyler. He would work all day in the press room, helping to print the paper and then his work done for the day he spent the evening study- ing the ponderous law books. At the age of twenty- seven years he was admitted to the bar.

After his admission to the bar in 1887 he began in earnest upon his career as a lawyer. He located in Tyler, and two years later, in 1889, he was elected city attorney. He served for two years in this office and then resumed his private practice, which had by this time, grown to be quite lucrative. He remained in Tyler until 1893 when he removed to Beeville, in Bee county, Texas. Here he began to take an active interest in politics and his name first began to be spoken in political circles. In 1900 he was forced to move to Nacogdoches county, on account of his wife's failing health. He began the practice of his profession here and soon had made a reputation as a skillful lawyer, well versed in the tech- niealities of his profession. He was active in the Good Roads movement, being the father of that movement in that county, and extremely active in seeing it become a practical thing. He was appointed county judge in March, 1907, to fill the unexpired term of Judge W. H. Rateliff, and he served on the bench for two years. It was also during this time that he was elected Chairman of the Democratic Executive Committee, in which posi- tion he served for two years. In 1907 he was also a mem- ber of the State Executive Committee. In both these offices he was brought in contact with many prominent men throughout the state and many of these became his warm personal friends.

When his determination to leave Nacogdoches became known there was general regret, not only among his personal friends hut among his professional acquain- tances. The night before he left the city he was ten- dered a banquet by the members of the local bar which was attended by practically all of the attorneys of the city. Considerable space was given to this good fellow- ship banquet in the next issue of the local paper, from which the following extracts are quoted. "Since his residence in the city C. D. Mims has always shown an active interest in all matters of public welfare and prog- ress and during his time as county judge inaugurated many movements for the good of the county, among

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A history of Texas and Texans, Part 93

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