A memorial and biographical history of Navarro, Henderson, Anderson, Limestone, Freestone and Leon counties, Texas from the earliest period of its occupancy to the present time, together with glimpses of its prospects; also biographical mention of many of the pioneers and prominent citizens, Part 22

Author:
Publication date: 1893
Publisher: Chicago, Lewis Publishing Co.
Number of Pages: 954

USA > Texas > Henderson County > A memorial and biographical history of Navarro, Henderson, Anderson, Limestone, Freestone and Leon counties, Texas from the earliest period of its occupancy to the present time, together with glimpses of its prospects; also biographical mention of many of the pioneers and prominent citizens > Part 22
USA > Texas > Freestone County > A memorial and biographical history of Navarro, Henderson, Anderson, Limestone, Freestone and Leon counties, Texas from the earliest period of its occupancy to the present time, together with glimpses of its prospects; also biographical mention of many of the pioneers and prominent citizens > Part 22
USA > Texas > Leon County > A memorial and biographical history of Navarro, Henderson, Anderson, Limestone, Freestone and Leon counties, Texas from the earliest period of its occupancy to the present time, together with glimpses of its prospects; also biographical mention of many of the pioneers and prominent citizens > Part 22
USA > Texas > Anderson County > A memorial and biographical history of Navarro, Henderson, Anderson, Limestone, Freestone and Leon counties, Texas from the earliest period of its occupancy to the present time, together with glimpses of its prospects; also biographical mention of many of the pioneers and prominent citizens > Part 22
USA > Texas > Limestone County > A memorial and biographical history of Navarro, Henderson, Anderson, Limestone, Freestone and Leon counties, Texas from the earliest period of its occupancy to the present time, together with glimpses of its prospects; also biographical mention of many of the pioneers and prominent citizens > Part 22
USA > Texas > Navarro County > A memorial and biographical history of Navarro, Henderson, Anderson, Limestone, Freestone and Leon counties, Texas from the earliest period of its occupancy to the present time, together with glimpses of its prospects; also biographical mention of many of the pioneers and prominent citizens > Part 22

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" Mr. Harris Kerr (afterward Judge Kerr) succeeded the Pecks, who in turn was followed by others, chief of whom was a Cumberland Presbyterian minister, known as Parson Moddrall, a man of pure life, lovely character, and a happy faculty of imparting instruction.

" After the war, Major Henry Bishop established a college on the lower end of what was known as Church street, on land donated by Major Beaton, and built by sub- scriptions of the citizens. He had a fine corps of instructors, his brother and sisters, and being a man of intellect and consider- able reputation as an educator, soon gath- ered together a fine school of over 200 pupils, with boarding department and patronage from this and other coun- ties. He was quite successful until the death of his wife, when, becoming dissatis- fied, he closed his school, sold the prop- erty and moved to another portion of the State.

"Prof. Townsend and wife, taught a very successful mixed school for several years, and there were several others who made attempts in that direction, among them Rev. Mr. Richardson, a Presbyterian min- ister, but not securing the desired patronage they moved to other localities.

" Mrs. E. Talley Gulick established a Select Female School in 1879, when Miss Talley, and continued it after her marriage to Dr. J. W. Gulick until 1887. Although a private enterprise, this school numbered seventy pupils, and young ladies educated under Mrs. Gulick have taken their places among the finest colleges in other States, and are now moving in the most cultured society wherever they reside. Mrs. Gulick had been educated in Georgia, her native State, and had taught very successfully in colleges and public schools of Missouri. She was a strict disciplinarian, a thorough scholar, and inspired her pupils to excel- lence with each day's work, that they might soar above the common herd and bask in the sunlight of a strengthened intellect, surrounded also by the beanties of the best literature of the finest minds. When she retired from the active duties of the school room, it was a matter of universal regret.

" In 1880 was instituted the present effi- cient system of public schools, which has given much satisfaction to the people, or- ganized first by Prof. John Hand, now of Dallas, and continued by Prof. Carlysle, the present State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Prof. Charles Alexander and Prof. Fanst.

"Corsicana is behind her sister cities in not having a chartered institution of learn- ing in her midst, but the public schools and high school prepare pupils for the Uni- versity of Texas, at Austin, and are con- sidered sufficient for every purpose."

Navarro county has no colleges and has but two private schools of particular note. One of these is the Academy of the Sacred Heart, a Roman Catholic school whose

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LIMESTONE, FREESTONE AND LEON COUNTIES.

excellent work and beautiful grounds at- tract attention; the other is a good busi- ness college under the management of Prof. Chambers.

Turning now to the common-school system, let a glance be taken at the devel- opment of the smaller schools and those of the independent district. As has been seen from the reminiscences of Mrs. Wink- ler, the common public schools, even in Corsicana, were slow in their progress, limited largely to the last fifteen or twenty years, and by far the most of that in the last five or six years. As an illustration of this it may be said that in 1888 there were hardly any districts voting extra tax in support of their schools, while now there are over thirty of them doing so. This is the best evidence of popular interest that could be given.

Probably this interest began to show it- self first about 1877, and was fostered by the county judges from that time on down to the present. There was Judge S. R. Frost, Judge R. C. Beale, Judge James Autry, Judge J. L. Harle, and finally the present incumbent Judge John H. Rice, under whose administration the greatest changes for the better have been made. It is especially apropos that a county judge should be the motive power back of it, for its care has in the past been thrown upon them, when its claims were enough to occupy his entire attention alone. This was made evident to the people during Judge Rice's incumbency for the first time to permanent results, and a county superintendent's office was created. That there should be general acquiescence in

this, is the second step in progress, namely, from that of mere public interest to ag- gressive intelligent purpose.

The first superintendent selected was Mr. W. D. Love, who began organizing the new office in 1890, and with good re- sults. He was succeeded in 1891 by Mr. M. Howard, who carried the work to still greater efficiency, and in 1892 turned it over to his successor, Mr. Travis Bryant, the present incumbent, of whom equally good things are expected.

Besides the work of the county judges and superintendents in advancing these interests is that of the teachers, especially of the larger towns,-those of Corsicana, for instance, as Mrs. Winkler has men- tioned them, and among whom the State found timber for the State superinten- dency; those of Dawson, where the old Ma- sonic Institute, organized by the people there, made a considerable reputation be- fore it became a public school; those at Blooming Grove, of whom Mr. H. S. Mearler, T. M. Smith and others are rep- resentative; and those of Frost, as for exam- ple Mr. E. J. L. Wyrick, J. B. Jones, and others; those of Kerens, as Prof. Scruggs, and citizens over the county not teachers now, as Mr. Irwin, Mr. R. E. Prince, Mr. S. Smith, Captain J. A. Townsend and others.

This improvement has been due, too, to no small degree to the county teachers' in- stitute, of which the superintendent is president; and to the summer normals held, for it has led an agitation for greater efficiency in the teaching. force, the only real test of the worth of any kind of school system. The standard for teachers is being placed higher every year.

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HISTORY OF NAVARRO, HENDERSON, ANDERSON,

Turn now to some of the actual results in the schools themselves. As has been noticed elsewhere the population of the county is 6,383 colored to 19,986 white, or about as six to twenty. Not counting the three independent districts, which are not under the county superintendent's con- trol, there are thirty-five colored and eighty- five white schools in the county, a fact which shows that the colored people are well provided for, better than the popula- tion ratio would warrant. In number of teachers, however, about 100 white and thirty-five colored, the proportion is pre- served, while in proportionate number of pupils-about 4,800 white to about 1,200 colored, in a total of 6,143-it is plainly seen that the white schools need a greater teaching force than the ratio of total popu- lations between the two races.

Before noting the distribution of the teaching force and school attendance, the building outfit may be noticed. In this respect a strong showing remains for the future, as far as the country schools are concerned, but even now it is creditable. There is one feature in the county's prop- erty that grows out of the growth from private to public systems. This is the comparatively small per cent. of the build- ings owned by the county. The superin- tendent estimates the total value of the county's school property at about $35,000, of which, about $5,000 represents the buildings for colored schools. There are eighty-four white school buildings and thirty-four for colored people. Of the eighty-four for white districts about forty per cent. are owned by the people of the district themselves, built and formerly used

for private schools, and inany, even now, are so nsed after the period of public funds closes. These places that do this are almost invariably places that have a high sense of the value of good schools of long terms, and their school building holds the highest point of honor in the hearts of the whole people. This is true of practically all the larger districts where more than one teacher is required, and often true of others.

Now, as to the distribution of the teach- ing force, which also indicates that of attendance: Not including the three inde- pendent districts, there are twenty schools that require more than one teacher. Three of these have four each and are the largest three in the county. These are Dawson, Blooming Grove, and Frost, which all have excellent schools and outfit. Kerens comes next, and is the only one in the county hav- ing three teachers, and they have schools, too, which are their pride. The other six- teen districts have two teachers each- Chatfield, Bazette, Rice, Cryer Creek, Spring Hill, Griffin, Raleigh, Prairie Grove, Long Prairie, Zion's Rest, Cade, Angus, Harrisburg, Cook, Lone Oak, and Dresden. Other schools have but one teacher each.

There are three districts, however; that are not under the county superintendent's supervision. These are districts that have become strong enough to require special privileges, namely, Corsicana, under Super- intendent E. M. Faust; the State Orphan's Home School under Mrs. Moncrief; and the Odd Fellows', Widows' and Orphans' Home School, under Superintendent C. B. Johnson. As the latter two are special schools, whose excellence is that of a State

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institution and not so identified with the county, fuller mention will be limited to the first schools, namely, those of Cor- sicana.

Corsicana first secured control of her own schools as an independent district in 1881, in response to a direct vote of the people. She secured a superintendent in the person of Mr. John T. Hand, and at once began an erection of new buildings. In 1882 the first of her buildings was erected on the beautiful grounds at the head of Collins street, whose name it bears. This cost $30,000. Three years later, 1885, two other buildings were required, the Eighth street white school structure, erected at a cost of $8,000, and the colored school building whose completion cost $10,000. But two years passed when the First ave- nue edifice was provided, which was to be the special house of the high school, as well as lower ones. This cost $12,000. All of these are brick structures of tasteful archi- tectural proportions, and well located.

The schools were equally well developed in their organization. The people, who made the school age seven to twenty- one, issued $20,000 in bonds for school purposes, voted 50 cents on a hundred, and paid out annually about $22,000 to teachers, gave themselves good superintendents and required the most efficient and advanced organization. The second superintendent was James M. Carlisle, whose reputation as an organizer and educator took him to the State superintendency. The schools were organized into three main depart- ments-primary, grammar, and high school, the latter of a grade to become part of the university system. Mr. Carlisle was fol-

lowed in succession by Superintendent Charles T. Alexander and Superintendent E. M. Faust, the present incumbent.

The primary department now has 526 pupils; the grammar department has 379; and the high school, 108. The high school has a force of four teachers, while the grammar schools have seven, and those of the primary department, ten teachers.

One other feature remains to be men- tioned, and that is the effort of friends of the high school to found a good working public library. This so far has an excel- lent foundation, and will no doubt be devel- oped to suit the needs of the schools in which Corsicana takes sueh just pride.

Mike Howard, late Superintendent of Public Instruction of Navarro county, is a native of the county, having been born near where the town of Blooming Grove now stands, on August 7, 1862. His father, William Howard, was an early settler in that vicinity, locating in the neighborhood of old Dresden in 1848. For twenty years lie resided there, dying on his farm near Blooming Grove in 1868. A farmer by occupation, he passed all his mature years in agricultural pursuits, in which he was reasonably successful. He was a volunteer in the late Confederate army service, being a member of the cele- brated Fourth Texas Regiment, con- manded by Colonel, afterward General, John B. Hood. Our subject's mother, Bettie Welch, was a daughter of another pioneer of the county, Michael Welch, who settled near old Dresden about the date of the organization of the county, 1846. He is remembered by many of the citizens of the county as one of the " old landmarks,"

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HISTORY OF NAVARRO,

HENDERSON, ANDERSON,

but recently passed away. Mrs. Howard was a young woman when her parents canie to Navarro county. She died at her home near Dresden in 1865, leaving two children besides the subject of this sketch,-Dora, now wife of W. F. Campbell, and Henry Howard, both of whom reside in the vicin- ity of Blooming Grove.

Mike Howard was reared on a farm in this county. His youth was divided be- tween the labors of the field and his attend- ance at the local public schools, being inainly engrossed, however, with his duties as a farm hand. He began teaching be- fore he attained his majority, and for ten years he was engaged almost exclusively in school-room work. In the training of the youth of the county, in adding to the efficiency of the public school system and in the general cause of education, he has borne an active part, and the fruits of his labors are to be found on every hand. In 1889 he was appointed Superintendent of Public Instruction of the county to fill the unexpired term of W. D. Love, resigned; was elected to the office in November, 1890, and held it until November, 1892. He made an acceptable public official, and failed to remain longer in office only be- cause he failed to offer for the place.

October 13, 1887, Mr. Howard married Miss Lula Hood, a native of Navarro county, and daughter of W. F. and Lucy (Alcock) Hood. Mr. Hood is a represent- ative farmer residing in the south part of the county. Mr. and Mrs. Howard have two children, Rex and Bula. Mr. Howard is a Democrat in politics and a member of the Masonic fraternity, the Elks and the Chosen Friends. He is now principal of

the First Ward school, having returned again to his old profession of teaching.

CHURCHES.

Texas has the advantages and disadvan- tages that attach to a pioneer field: and in all the religious denominations, no branch of the church's work is handled with more difficulty. The work has the instability of a moving population, so that so much of her work has been intermittent and with- out records. In no branch of the church's work are records so conspicnous by their absence, especially in those churches which have a moving ministry. The difficulty in this matter precludes any extensive treat- ment of individual churches, for while one church may have complete records the next may have none. Much interesting matter, which would otherwise liave been used in some individual churches, must be dis- carded, and the subject glanced at from a comprehensive and denominational stand- poiut, with such aids as the but partially published census returns may furnish.

In passing, it may be observed that the apathy evinced by so large a proportion of churches in preserving their individual history, can be accounted for on hardly any other basis than that the struggle for church existence has been so great, in most cases, that there has been no room for thought of recording it.

Probably there are no two of our American institutions in which her people have more sincere pride and earnest con- cern than her educational and religious ap- pliances; and yet it is a noted fact among statisticians that no two classes of institu- tions are more careless and lax in preserv-

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ing their history than are her churches and schools. Every school or church historian or statistician will readily verify this state- ment in their own experience.

It is most fortunate that the census of 1890 has drawn attention to this fact, and in itself endeavored to supply the deficiency. Here again a difficulty is encountered in the various forms of organization of the different denominations. Some will pay no attention to county lines, and others again differ in what constitutes church membership. The Baptist Church will have one standard of membership and the Catholic another. With all these difficul- ties it is probable that no more reliable intermediary, in seeking a common ground froin which to view these various bodies, has been furnished than that of the census of 1890. Unfortunately for the purpose of this sketch, the expositions of the largest Texas churches have not yet been pub- lished. Enough, however, have been is- sued to indicate somewhat the extent of church facilities.

In the space assigned to this chapter it would be utterly impossible to give a sketch of each individual church in Na- varro county, a fact easily recognized when it is known that there are about a dozen denominations alone in the county, and some of them with numerous individual organizations.

In the State of Texas the State Bureau of Statistics reports twenty denominations; but the commissioner adds: " In every case the information is meager," and " the result was unsatisfactory." However, there are reported 151,533 Methodists of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South; 127,-

377 members of the Baptist Church; 9,982 in the Episcopal Church; 25,739 mem- bers of the Methodist Episcopal Church, usually spoken of as the northern branch, 2,270 of the German Lutherans; 2,414 Presbyterians, of what is usually known as the old-school and the Northern branch ; and 13,555 of the Southern branch; 24,257 members of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church; 157,000 Roman Catholics; 55,000 of the Christian Church, usually known as Disciples or Campbellites; 1,000 Prim- itive Baptists, which were of old time called by the not very euphonious name of " Hard-Shells;" 300 Adventists; 95 Universalists; 125 Dunkards; 100 Free Methodists; 300 Jews; 6,300 Protestant Methodists; 12,162 Colored Methodists; 12,900 African Methodist Episcopal Church members, a different organiza- tion from the preceding, and 100,681 Colored Baptists. This, however, is ac- knowledged to be but a suggestive list, in general indicating the relative strength only.

When the attention is turned to Navarro county, about a dozen of these bodies are represented in much the same relation.

The Methodists and Baptists have kept along close to each other, both in time and in numbers. It is not yet known which is the largest in membership in the county, but since the Methodists lead in the State in numbers it may be supposed, in lieu of more accurate data, that it leads in Nav- arro, althoughi that would not necessarily follow. Of course many of the churchies began at Corsciana, as they did likewise in other counties, at the county seat. This does not mean that there were not church mem-

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HISTORY OF NAVARRO, HENDERSON, ANDERSON,

bers in the county prior to the organiza- tion of Corsciana churches, nor that there was not preaching before that time, for there were both. The church member was the settler, and the pioneer preacher was alongside and sometimes was the gnide of the home-seekers, who looked out a place in the broad prairies along the water-courses.

The labors of these pioneer preachers were of that kind that made them fit for any emergency. They could preach the gospel, defend themselves against an In- dian attack, if necessary support them- selves by farming, and a thousand and one things that any pioneer is called upon to face. They were men of heroic mold, men who loved their fellow men above the comforts of a more settled region. They were men of ability, too.

A service could be held and a congrega- tion gathered with far less ceremony then than is apparently necessary now to most bodies of Christains outside of the Salva- tion Army. A man who came to these wilds and endured their hardships, not to carve himself a home in the new country, but to reach men with the gospel, could scatter the news that he would preach in some grove, or in the cabin of some cen- tral settler, or from a wagon-box on the street, and he had no dearth of hearers. Men heard him gladly-chiefly, often- times, because they had nothing else to hear. The courthouse often was not only the seat of justice and school-room, but church building or " meetin'-house " also. The church building, which was both church and school, has come down even to the present; and likewise the " union

church," which was built for the commu- nity, that any denomination might use it, and, while the lower room was to be de- voted to church and school, a second floor hall was to be the meeting place of the pioneer lodge, or other secular society. Thus it was about some central building clustered all the social and religious in- fluences of the community for miles around. Indeed, many a place as well known as a town, was nothing-and is so yet-nothing but this uuion building above described. This was the real, typi- cal American settlement of our forefathers, and about those old buildings grew up the sturdy American manhood and woman- hood that has made America what it is. The modern grocery corners is a sad sub- stitute for the wholesome influences of the old union building.

Those were not the only places that services were held. The old " camp- meetin' " in "God's first temples " was de- cidedly the pioneer institution, and it has extended down to our time in a modified form. Those were the days when men had more time than anything else, and the present-day cry against long sermons of over a half-hour's length was not heard in . the land. Three hours was what might be called " standard gauge " for the fiery train of pioneer pulpit eloquence to run upon. The camp-meeting meant, too, that these liberal qualities should be taken three times a day for many days. People came and camped out-do yet in places, although with far less frequency. This was very natural and suitable to pioneer conditions. Let a few of these conditions be noticed: People were settled a long

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distance from each other, as a rule, and there was none of the thousand and one ways of seeing and learning of each other that there is now. Even mails were few and far between, and a letter a rarity. There was no local paper to tell us the local happenings that keep us in touch and reach with each other. There were not a few who could neither read nor write. In these conditions, what craving there was for the society of friends, acquaintances, all of our kind-whoever they might be- can only be realized by those who have been there. The camp-meeting satisfied this want, and he who overlooks the social phase of this institution fails to catch at least half its meaning.

There's another feature that is very im- portant, too. In our day we have speeches, papers and books galore, and, if we in- clude the ubiquitous advertisement, our means of information and entertainment are so profuse and overwhelming that even in these respects we have swung to the other extreme. In those days it was not so. Means of information and entertain. ment were as rare as they are now plenti- ful; and the preacher was usually the only man who had sufficient inotive to bring them both to the barren frontier. He was then the herald of "good news " in far more senses than one. He was preacher, teacher, newspaper, novel, history, lecturer, post office, schoolbook, magazine, debating- society, street-corner, telephone and what not else of our marvelous list of means of communicating with our fellow creatures! Is it any wonder then that the camp-meet- ing was hailed with delight as the Mecca of multitudes for many dreary miles away?

From these meetings were carried ma- terial for fireside conversation for many a day.

This, however, was not all. Those were the days when preachers were full of doctrine of vigorous mold, that stiffened men's moral backbone, and made sturdy characters fit for subduing the wild front- ier. Probably in those days a man knew why he was a member of his denomina- tion better than he does now. Conver- sions were more numerous, for the atten- tion was more easily gained; bnt all were not converted who went to camp-meeting, nor church, either one. There is no doubt, though, that there was a far inore preva- lent knowledge of the great religious doc- trines than now, even if it did serve for nothing but controversy oftentimes.

In the early days, before the war, the chief pioneer denominations which were first successful were the Methodists, the Baptists and the Presbyterians,-a unique coincidence, as if the monarchical, demo- cratic and republican forms of govern- ment were each to be tested together in the pioneer field, where their respective merits could have their dne influence. Episcopacy, independency, and presby- terian representation worked hand in hand, and all were the better for it. These may be called the old denominations of the county. Of course there were no colored churches before the war, and yet the old gallery was ofted filled with the attentive slaves, who listened to the same words that were given to their masters in the pews below.

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Author: Publication date: 1893 Publisher: Chicago, Lewis Publishing Co. Number of Pages: 954

Author:
Publication date: 1893
Publisher: Chicago, Lewis Publishing Co.
Number of Pages: 954