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 26

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 26
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 26
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 26
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 26
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 26
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 26

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The county furnished considerably over her voting population: some have esti- mated it as high as a thousand men, but

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HISTORY OF NAVARRO, HENDERSON, ANDERSON,

this is no doubt too high, as the number of companies and probable vote, would seem to indicate. The companies of Martin and Marrion suffered the greatest losses; it is thought that not more than one-third of these ever returned. The rest suffered heavily too.

The freedom of the negroes was effected very quietly and but few went away. Some of the older citizens tell how, un- der reconstruction, there was an armed force of negroes with bayonets at the polls. and voters had to walk to the box between a line of them and remove their hats. The trouble lasted only less than a year, and was by no means so severe as in some counties in the State. People turned their attention to repairing the waste of years, and business was good from 1867 to 1871 on account of it.

A man must be at least thirty years old now to remember those things, except by hearsay; and well it is so that the years do not bear bitterness with them, and new generations north and south may unite to face the issues of a new generation.

The old soldiers, in recent years, have organized themselves into an ex-Confeder- ate Veterans' Association, with headquart- ers at Athens, and with Captain Marion Morgan as commander.

TOWNS, ETC.

The first post office established in the new county of Henderson was that at the old Trinity river port, Buffalo, in the north- west corner of the present county. The postmaster, Lewis Goddard, received his appointment on March 8, 1847, the same day that the Palestine postinaster obtained

his. About ten years later there were five post offices, all of which, except Buffalo, still exist. These were Buffalo, Athens, Fincastle, Brownsboro and Malakoff. Of course Athens was the metropolis, and by 1859 contained a population of 177, with 43 votes. Her slave population was 23. It must be remembered, however, that Waco itself was but 749 at this time, so that Athens was a promising place. Now there are fourteen post offices, with Athens still the metropolis, and the only one large enough to be quoted separately in the cen- sns of 1890, which gave her 1,035 at that time. Of the others, an old surveyor esti- mates Malakoff and Chandler as next in size, the former at 250 and the latter at 200. There are three others, which his estimate places as high as 50; these are Brownsboro, Fincastle and Trinidad. Goshen, New York, Pine Grove and Mur- chison are placed next, and the list closes with Catfish, Wildcat, Berryville and Payne's Springs. Five of these fourteen are on the railway, and, with one excep- tion, are the largest; these are Atliens, Malakoff, Chandler, Brownsboro and Mur- chison, and of these Athens is estimated by the source above mentioned as high as 1,500; but these are given as mere esti- mates in all cases, as detailed accounts will be based on the census of 1890.

Malakoff and Trinidad are railway dis- tributing points west of Athens, and Brownsboro, Chandler and Murchison to the east. Fincastle is the largest point off the railway and covers the trade of the southeast, while New York and Pine Grove in the south and Goshen in the north do likewise for those regions.

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LIMESTONE, FREESTONE AND LEON COUNTIES.

This total town and village estimate would equal 2,120, out of a population of 12,285, or 1 to 5, which looks suspiciously large for so rural a county as Henderson, and illustrates the uncertainty that at- taches to population estimates, even when made by those most able to do so. Still this estimate is probably as accurate as is usually made. There are few Texas coun- ties that have one in towns or villages to every five in the county.

Henderson made great gains in popula- tion between 1880 and 1890, and the con- sideration of this will display the real town-building era in Henderson's whole career. It will not be necessary to say more of the Trinity's efforts to make a town at old Buffalo, which were intermit- tent and of but shadowy success; nor of the pre-railway location of suchi post office settlements as were Brownsboro, Malakoff and Fincastle, for these have been con- sidered in the chapter on settlement, to which they really belong. Even Athens, as late as 1880, was but a county seat vil- lage of 368, and was by far the largest village in the county. Indeed the whole county had but 9,735 inhabitants, and trade was done chiefly witlı Palestine, although the Trinity rafts carried the cot- ton for many years.

What was the cause of this striking change in 1880? "The first construction train to enter Atliens over the 'Cotton Belt ' Railway between Tyler and Corsi- cana," said Mr. Murchison recently, " ar- rived on Christmas eve of 1880, when the town had in it only about 300 people." Therein lies the story.

This well-known trunk line crossed the county witlı 44.88 miles of track, which is now valued at $365,861. The story of its inception and development has been so fully told in the chapter on the railways and towns of Navarro county in this vol- ume that repetition is unneccessary, as it is instantly accessible to the reader.

The results are that with a population of 9,735, distributed in six precincts, and the largest town in the county having but 368 people, she rose during the '80s to a population of 12,285, with Athens at 1,035, and four other railway points raised to villages of respectable proportions. Her precincts were increased from six to eight. The largest one, that is, No. 1, including Athens, had 4,044 people in it. Precinct No. 4 had 2,814 as second in size, and No. 5 came third with 1,117. One other was above a thousand, No. 7 with 1,092. The rest ranged from No. 3 with 913 down to No. 6 with 641, giving No. 8 a population of 897 and No. 2 a total of 767.

Before turning to an account of the only town given separate mention in the census of 1890, it may be stated that Malakoff was founded by Dr. Collins, who named it in honor of the famous Russian, but only rose to the position of second place in the county when the railway arrived. One of the county's oldest citizens, Oliver Scott, lives here, having come to the new county as a seventeen-year-old youth in 1848, be- fore Athens was located. The other rail- way points sprang into towns at the touch of the railway.

Athens was a naine suggested to Judge Brown, one of the cominissioners for the new county seat of Henderson county in

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HISTORY OF NAVARRO, HENDERSON, ANDERSON,

1851, by a young girl of his host's family, Miss Dulholland, who wanted to celebrate the old Alabama home place of the same name. This young girl is now living in the place she named, as the venerable and esteemed Mrs. Avriett, the only citizen of Athens remaining who saw its founding.

The first house built was a log one just north of the present jail, and used as a courthouse. The second was a log one on the north side of the square. The first frame honse was that of Mrs. Collins, in 1851, on the northeast corner of the square. The first stores were Carroll's and Mere- dith's, on the Brown site. Luker and Graham lad one on the northeast corner of the square, and Joab McManus one on the east side.

By 1855 there were Dean's Hotel, Collins' store and Wood's store on the southwest corner and south side of the square. In 1858 and 1859 there was some growth. General A. B. Norton, now of Dallas, was a merchant liere. But, as has been said, the growth was so slow that even down to 1880 there were but 368 inhabitants in the place.

The citizens gave the railway great en- couragement. This took the more ma- terial forms of right of way and a bonns of $10,000. The depot grounds were placed on the north side of the town as at present. The first brick blocks were put up by Mr. Murchison in 1882, on the north side of the square, and consequently nearer to the depot, and business began locating on that side and toward the depot. Then 1890 came, with a trebled population in ten years. It kept on too, and has be- comne a tile-manufacturing center of con-

siderable importance .. In April, 1890, this stability was witnessed to by the or- ganization of the First National Bank of Athens, with a capital of $50,000, and with T. F. Murchison as president.

The town was incorporated about 1881, with John McDonald as the first mayor. A government was kept np for about four years and then allowed to lapse.

Newspapers had an eye on Athens long before the arrival of the railway, and in 1873 the Athens Bulletin became the pio- neer in this line. The Courier was an- other a little later, of short duration, as was also the Narrow Gauge of a later date. The real predecessor of the present weekly at Athens was the Athenian, founded in 1884. It was in 1886 that George M. Miller and J. B. Bishop es- tablished the Athens Review, whose pres- ent vigorous management is due to its present proprietor. John H. Walford.

Malakoff is a splendid business point, and Chandler, founded by Mr. Chandler, is a sturdy rival to it. Brownsboro has both a new and old town on account of the railway, the former having several stores. Other places have one or two stores or a mere post office with the usual school and church buildings.

SCHOOLS.

" I moved to Henderson county in Jan- uary, 1848," said Joab McManus in a re- cent letter. " At that time there were only about twenty-five families in the county, and they were scattered all over it. There were no schools until the fall of 1849. Mr. E. J. Thompson tanght the first school in the northern portion of the

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county then." Mr. Thompson taught in several other parts of the county also, and had among his pupils the venerable sur- veyor, Oliver Scott, now of Malakoff.

The private schools held sway from that time on until in the '80s. The common- school system becanie really effective. Athens and the more pretentious settle- ments always aimned to do a little better than the country settlements could, but even Athens had but little to show be- fore the '80s.

In illustration of the growth of the system data will be taken in the middle and at the end of the decade of the '80s.

Take the year closing in '86: there were then 58 white schools and 21 schools for the colored race maintained, making a total of 79 schools in Henderson county. By the year closing in 1890 there were 70 white and 23 colored schools, making a total of 93 organized school communities in Henderson county, and all in operation, this time with one high school at Athens.

In 1886 there were 1,380 in the white and 525 in the colored schools, with 450 paying tuition, a total of 2,355, and the school average lengtli at 3.5 months. By 1890 the average length was raised to 4.2 months for the white and 4 months for the colored schools, while there was a total of 2,900 enrolled in all the schools in actual attendance, 2,286 being white and 614 colored.

The total number of teachers employed in 1886 was 66, while in 1890 the total was 101, or 77 white and 24 colored, with 15 of the white teachers and 1 of the colored bearing college or normal school diplomas.

In the matter of buildings there was no report made in 1886, but in 1890 there were 19 buildings owned by the county and 51 used (belonging to the district chiefly), a total of 70 for the white schools; while there were 4 for the colored people with 19 more used, a total of 23. This made a grand total of 93 buildings used. These were all of wood.

In 1886 the total amount paid teachers was $13,873.32, -while the somewhat smaller sum of $13,488.68 was paid them in 1890. It seems that a larger amount than usual was put into buildings instead of teaching force. Her total receipts were $17,949.18, and disbursements $15,540.93.

Of course her improvement continnes right along. The schools are still under the county judgeship direction.

CHURCHES.

" There was no religious society in Hen- derson county until the years '51 or '52," writes the veteran old settler near Athens, Joab McManus, who arrived in January, 1848. "The first was organized at Athens by Rev. Robert Hodge, a Cumberland Presbyterian. Soon after that a Missionary Baptist church was organized, and then a Methodist church. The first settlers of this county were a kind, noble-hearted, and generons people. They followed farming and hunting game; there were plenty of deer, turkey, some wild buffalo, and other wild animals."

The first church building recalled, how- ever, was that of the Baptists at Athens, a house which all denominations used until after the war. Among the early preachers were Rev. McMillan, who used often to

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speak at the courthouse of that day. " Parsons " Morrow and M. V. Smith were early Baptists. Rev. H. D. Morrison was another early Cumberland Presbyterian. Revs. Chalk and S. D. Sansom were among the early Methodists.

Excepting one Norwegian Lutheran church and one Christian or Disciple church, both comparatively late arrivals, the white denominations have been limited to the old pioneer societies, with the Baptist, and Methodist far in the lead.

The Baptist churches have exceeded all the others in their multiplication. There are about twenty in number, with local memberships ranging in number from a dozen up to a hundred. Most of these were organized in the '80s. Athens' per- manent organization is the oldest and dates back to 1857, and New York to 1865. These are the oldest. All these societies are united with Anderson county's churches in the Saline Association.

The Methodist Episcopal Church South planted its earliest church organizations in this county at Athens, Red Hill, and New York. This denomination has made rapid strides, too, so that in 1890 it had nine churches, all supplied with buildings, aggregating a total value of $6,400, and a large membership of 1,360 persons. In 1892 it had thirteen organizations. The two churches at Athens and Malakoff to- gether constitute one station, the only one in the county. These churches are in Tyler district of the East Texas Conference, and inost of them are in New York circuit. This conference is now forty-seven years old.

The Cumberland Presbyterians, though the oldest, have not made such additions. In 1890 they had increased to three organ- izations, with two buildings and 109 mem- bers. Their buildings were valued at $5,000.

The general features of early religious life and the changes that led to the organ- ized religious life of the colored race have been noticed so much at length in the sketch of the religious life of Navarro county in this volume that it will be a complement to all the religious sketches of this volume, which should be read in connection with it.

MISCELLANY.

The following statistical view of Hen- derson county is the latest issue from the authorized work of the State Statistician at Austin.

Henderson county was formed from Houston and Nacogdoches counties in 1846. It lies between the Trinity and Neches rivers, which form respectively its western and eastern boundaries. It was named in honor of James Pinckney Henderson, the first Governor of Texas after annexation.

Agriculture is the chief industry of the people. Stock-raising is confined to the farms, and the stock raised almost solely for domestic purposes.

The surface of the county is diversified into level upland, high sandy hills and wide river bottoms. The soil of the up- land is a gray sandy and that of the river bottoms a rich loam. All the cereals of this section are grown and yield well. The different kinds of vegetables are grown

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withi marked success. Fruits grow to a large size and fine flavor. Peaches and apples do particularly well.

The Trinity and Neches river, Cedar and Kickapoo creeks and their many tributaries supply abundant water at all seasons of the year.

The uplands are covered with the several varieties of oak and hickory. On the bot- tom lands are found water oak, white oak, sassafras and many other valuable timbers.

The St. Louis, Arkansas & Texas Rail- waypasses the whole length of the county, from the northeast to the southwest. It has a mileage in the county of forty-four miles, with property assessed at $365,861.

The Baptist, Christian, Methodist and Presbyterian churches are each represented by church organization.

The county was organized in 1846, and and contains an area of 965 square miles.

Population .- United States census 1880, 9,735; 1890, 12,285; increase, 2,550.

Number of votes cast for governor in 1890-Democratic,1,195; Bepublican,487; total, 1,682.

Athens is the county seat: population 1,035. The other principal towns in the county are: Fincastle, population 350; Malakoff, population 239; Brownsboro, population 133; Goshen, population 129.

Value of Property .- The assessed value of all property in 1890, $2,343,099; in 1891, $2,475,322; increase, $132,223.

Lands .- Improved lands sell for from $3 to $12 per acre; unimproved for from $1 to $6 per acre. The average taxable value of land in the county is $2.28 per acre. Acres State school land in county, 8,835.

Banks .- There is one national bank in the county, with a capital stock of $50,000.

Marriages .- Number of marriages in the county during the year, 138; divorces, 7.

Schools .- The county has a total school population of 3,241, with 23 schoolhouses, and gives employment to 101 teachers. Average wages paid teachers: White- males $49.35, females $37; colored-males $43, females 30. Total number of pupils enrolled during the year was 3,611; aver- age attendance 1,803, and the average lengtlı of school term 4.15 months. The esti- mated value of schoolhouses and grounds is $9,400, school apparatus $458, making the total value of school property $9,858. Total tuition revenue received from the State, $12,964.

Farm and Crop Statistics .-- There were 17 mortgages recorded in the county dur- ing the year, the amount of such mortgages being $20,726.80. There were recorded 944 chattel mortgages to produce crops, the total amount of such mortgages being $47,200. There are 884 farms in the county; 590 renters on farms; 233 farm laborers were employed on the farms of the county during the year; average wages paid, $9.50 per month. Value of farın im- plements, $11,102.

The farmners of this county purchased during the year 49,571 pounds of bacon, 1,914 pounds of lard, 5,609 bushels of corn, 6,725 gallons of molasses.

Products and value of field crops for 1890:

Cotton-acres, 18,608; product, 6,628 bales; value, $269,903. Corn-acres, 15,- 571; product, 198,189 bushels; value, $142,186. Wheat-acres, 60; product,

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HISTORY OF NAVARRO, HENDERSON, ANDERSON,

1,100 bushels; value, $575. Oats-acres, 1,209; product, 15,406 bushels; value, $8,602. Barley-acres, 5; product, 20 bushels; valne, $15. Rye-acres, 2; prod- uct, 70 bushels; value, $45. Potatoes, sweet-acres, 218; product, 25,626 bush- els; valne, $12,605. Potatoes, Irish- acres, 26; product, 1,954 bushels; value, $1,736. Peas-acres, 377; product, 1,373 bushels; value, $1,379. Beans-acres, 101; product, 547 bushels; value, $547. Hay, cultivated-acres, 4; product, 29 tons; value, $262. Hay, prairie-acres, 17; product, 117 tons; value, $591. Millet -acres, 3; product, 8 tons; value, $72. Sugar cane-acres, -; product, { hogs- head sugar; value, $20. Sugar cane- acres, 197; product, 648 barrels syrup; value, $13,316. Sorghum cane -- acres, 29; product, 50 barrels molasses; value, $935. Sorghum cane-acres, 7; product, 7 tons; value, $56. Tons cotton seed produced- acres, -; product, 3,314; value, $26,512.

Fruits and Garden .- Acres in peaches 466, value $120; in apples 88, value $220; in plums 28, value $10; in pears 3, value $35; in melons 71, value $2,963; in gar- den 189, value $19,798; in grape vines -, value $8.

Bees .-- Stands of bees 1,117; pounds of honey 15,347, value $1,631.

Wool .-- Number of sheep sheared 1,159, pounds of wool clipped 3,117, value $577.

Live Stock .- Number of horses and mules 4,353, value $167,504; cattle 23,194, value $114,015; jacks and jennets 15, value $1,745; sheep 1,152, value $1,210; goats 2,132, value $1,368; hogs 13,238, value $12,116.

County Finances .- The rate of county tax on the $100 valuation for 1890 was 57g cents. On December 31, 1890, there was a balance in the county treasury of $7,220.47. The indebtedness on December 31, 1890: Outstanding courthouse bonds $8,000; road and bridge bonds $1,000; total county indebtedness $9,000.

The county expended during the year $290 for erecting public buildings; $16.75 for repairing public buildings; $4,196.06 for roads and bridges; $1,666.65 for sup- port of paupers; $1,000 bonds redeemed; $400 for grand jury; $828 for petit jury. Total amount expended for the support of the county government $8,397.46.

Criminal Statistics .- There were incar- cerated in the county jail of the county during the year 37 persons-males 36, fe- males 1; white 16, colored 21-on the fol- lowing charges: Murder 1, theft 7, bur- glary 2, assault to murder 5, rape 2, all other charges and crimes 20.

Miscellaneous .- There are in the county 10 lawyers, 3 dentists, 46 mercantile estab- lishments, 4 sawmills, 1 fire brick and tile manufactory, 8 retail liquor dealers, 4 jug factories.

J. Y. GREEN,

the leading farmer of Henderson county, was born in North Carolina in 1832 and was the ninth child born in a family of twelve children to the union of Williamn and Nancy (Porter) Green of North Car- olina, Haywood and Buncombe being the counties of their nativity. The Green fam- ily are among the oldest in the country, . having come from England to America before the war of independence and in that

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war the father of William was a soldier. William Green was a farmer by occupa- tion, married in North Carolina and inoved to Georgia in 1832, and both he and his wife resided there until death.

Our subject received only a limited edu- cation. His parents having died when he was a small boy made quite a difference in his future prospects. At the age of seven- teen he was thrown completely upon his own resources and engaged in farming a part of the time and in attending school. For the five following years our subject managed a plantation and a number of negroes, but in 1858 started out to see something of the world and during this time he came to Texas, making the trip by way of New Orleans and Shreveport. He at this time paid a visit to two brothers who were residents of Van Zandt county, but in 1859 he returned to Georgia and was there at the breaking out of the war.

In 1861 Mr. Green joined Company B, Seventh Georgia Volunteers, at Atlanta, with the understanding that he was to be transferred to a Carroll county regiment, which was done as soon as the regiment reached Richmond. He was then trans- ferred to Company F, of the same regi- ment, commanded by Colonel Lucius J. Cartrell, and was assigned to the Army of Virginia. Mr. Green took part in the battle of Manassas, in that of Williamsburg, and participated in every battle fought by General Longstreet's corps except Antie- tam. He was in the battle of Chickamau- ga and was in the armny that surrendered to General Grant at Appomattox. In three years of service he was twice wounded, but not badly enough to give him any fur-

lough, and he received only a furlough of thirty days in the whole time.

When the war closed our subject was several hundred miles from home, with but $1 in his pocket, but off he started on foot and walked the most of the way, landing at home in June footsore and weary and completely wrecked financially. If there can be any comfort in the old say- ing that misery loves company our subject found plenty of comfort, as the country was filled with poor men out of employ- ment, ruined by the fortunes of war. Mr. Green remained with a sister until the winter of 1865, and at that date he with R. F. Taylor came to Texas. The latter now lives in Wood connty. Our subject bor- rowed $10 from Mr. Taylor in order to reach his brothers. For ten years after entering the State he engaged in the saw- mill business in partnership with his brother, and at the expiration of that time he removed to his present farm, immedi- ately beginning to improve the place and here he has since *resided. He and his brother purchased the place while they were in the milling business and our sub- ject now owns 2,000 acres of land, 600 of which is well fenced and 300 acres in a good state of cultivation. On this farm is one of the finest fruit orchards of fourteen acres in the entire county, consisting of peach, apple, pear and plum trees. One acre of this orchard is devoted to late peaches, having 108 trees upon it that av- erage five bushels per tree, for which Mr. Green receives 90 cents per bushel. Some varieties of pears yield exceedingly well, the preference being given to the Kupher; in apples the Winesap, Shockley

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HISTORY OF NAVARRO, HENDERSON, ANDERSON,

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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