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 40

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 40
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 40
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 40
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 40
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 40
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 40

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But before passing from this unfortunate affair between two public leaders, both held in so high esteem, it will be just and fair to listen to Mr. Austin's defense, of which an abstract is given in the Texas Almanac of 1857, as follows: " A highly interesting letter was addressed to the Senate of Texas, by Stephen F. Austin, dated Columbia,

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HISTORY OF NAVARRO, HENDERSON, ANDERSON,

December 5, 1836, which throws much light on some important matters connected with his labors in colonizing Texas, and the breaking out of the revolution. General Anstin fully explains, in this letter, the difficulties attending the colonization con- tract at first given to R. Leftwich, and afterward transferred by him to the Nash- ville (Tennessee) Company. It seems, how- ever, that this transfer to foreigners was considered illegal by the governor of Texas, on the ground that the contract gave no such right to the empresarios with- ont the consent of the government; but General Austin procured thie sanction of the transfer at Saltillo, by a decree dated October 15, 1827. The Nashville Com- pany, however, did nothing to settle the country for six years, to 1830, except to make locations for persons not in the country. But they adopted the plan of selling land scrip, in the United States, by advertisement and publication, which ex- ample was followed by other companies and empresarios, and caused the first great alarm in Mexico as to Texas, leading to the prohibition of immigrants from the United States, and all the restrictive mneas- ures against Texas.

" Major Sterling C. Robertson and Mr. Alexander Thompson arrived in Austin's colony in November, 1830, about five months after the expiration of the above contract, with a few families. But having some difficulty with Piedras, the military commandant of Nacogdoches, as they passed through the place, orders were is- sued by General Teran to expel them from the country. General Austin after- ward procured a counter order from Teran,

with permission to receive him himself as colonist. General Austin says this caused him a great deal of trouble, and jeopardized the interests of his own colony. After- ward, when attending the legislature of Saltillo, in January, 1831, General Austin applied for an extension of time to the Nashville Company, or a new contract to Robertson; but this application produced great offense, as the governor ( Viesca) said it would be in direct violation of the law of 1830, forbidding all contracts with citi- zens of the United States, and would in- volve him in trouble with both State and general governments, especially as Rob- ertson had made himself so obnoxious. General Austin says that by this activity in behalf of Robertson he lost sight of his duty to his own colonists, insomuch as this application tended to destroy his influence with the government at a time when that influence was essential to secure the best interests of his colonists. He says appli- cation to colonize that section of country had been made by several foreigners, and that Governor Viesca expressed a prefer- ence for them, and would not interfere with the prohibitory law of 1830. General Austin says he was alarmed at the ruinous consequences that would ensue to Texas should the contracts be granted, as these foreign contractors had uniformly made their contracts a matter of speculation by selling land scrip and imposing upon the ignorant and credulous, and thus bringing great discredit upon Texas, and deterring instead of promoting immigration. It was under these circumstances that he applied for a contract in the name of himself and Samuel M. Williams, who had both become

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Mexican citizens, and were not under the prohibitory law of 1830, against citizens of the United States. This contract was granted with some difficulty, and embraced all the vacant land of his former colony except the coast and extended over the country above the San Antonio road. Gen- eral Austin considers that the obtaining of this contract and thereby keeping out for- eign companies, was among the most valu- able services he had rendered Texas. Instead of having done anything to the injury of the Nashville Company of Robertson, he says he did all he could to serve them. He says he foresaw in 1830 that a break with Mexico was inevitable, but that it was of the greatest importance to keep it off as long as possible to gain time and strength for the contest.

"He says the contract of Austin and Williams was essentially necessary to the best interests of his colonies below, as by settling the upper colony the lower colony would be protected. General Austin al- ludes to the grants he liad made in the upper colony, which he considered valid, though disputed, and it appears that the same land was afterward claimed by others as having been granted under Robertson. General Austin concludes by saying that this exposition is made to elucidate a ques- tion then (1836) before Congress as to what should be done with Robertson's colony."

The present and succeeding generations should bear in mind that those were the times that try men's sonls to the utmost, and should deal gently with apparent in- firmities in honor of the heritage they liave left. These struggles are given only to illustrate the stupendous difficulties of that

complicated time, and to show with what travail central Texas civilization was born.

Retracing the story to where, in 1834, Mr. Robertson deserted old Nashville, and made his colony capital at Viesca, near the Brazos falls, we find that the settlers were pushed up the river in 1834-'35.

But before taking up the settlers, let the old surveyor and Indian hunter, Major George B. Erath, say a word abont old Nashville:

" At the time of which I write, Nash- ville was the county seat of Milam county up to 1847. It is now abandoned, and its place is identified by the International Rail- road crossing the Brazos river where it stood. It was then the outpost, and the nucleus and the theater of the war on the Brazos till 1840 or 1841. All the country west, within ten or twelve miles of the Colorado, was tributary to it. There thie preacher and his congregation held mneet- ings on Sundays with their guns by their sides, and school was carried on in the same way on week days, in the same house. It was a school where young ladies and young men alike were taught, not only literary attainments, but also how to track Indians, how to become inured to hard- ships and fitted for stalwart inen and women, and how to make their land a flourishing country, with all the conveni- ences and good society of which Bosque (and other counties) can now boast. The man I have just named (Judge L. H. Crutchfield) as the first settler of Bosque county, went to school at Nashville with Neil McLennan, Jr., who had, at the time of which I speak, already followed mne for years (as a surveyor) from the time of his

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HISTORY OF NAVARRO, HENDERSON, ANDERSON,

father's settlement on the Bosgne, in what is now McLennan county. Nashville, too, was the asylum of widows and orphans whose husbands and fathers were killed by Indians.

" It may be well that Nashville is wiped from the map; and could its scenes be en- tirely forgotten and the vapors of the inter- national engines carry the stench of bloody barbarism to the four winds of heaven, it would be well! Certainly there is no spot on the globe where Texas frontier scenes and history can be repeated."

He was there and through it all. Let him also speak of what the settlers could expect, in a few pen pictures from his un- published autobiography now in the pos- session of his daughter, Miss Lucy Erath, of Waco. "I have spoken of the wagon transportation as carried on then, and, in fact, with little deviation for ten or twelve years after until annexation, and now it may be well to mention the class of men I found among the wagoners and over the country generally. They were, for the most part, Americans, and a greater num- ber from Tennessee, Mississippi and Ar- kansas. All stages of intelligence were to be found among them, and at least two- thirds could read and write. Farming and stock-raising formed the chief industries of the country, of course, but the farming was carried on in a very primitive way indeed, excepting perhaps near the coast ,where there were slave-owners. Families were to be found very comfortably established, however, in double log cabins with stone chimneys and plank floors-the planks sawed by hand. Then again you saw cabins of logs with bark on, with one room for the

whole family, comers and goers, and for the Texas wind which found the cracks be- tween the logs, and often helped the fire to set its wooden chimney to burning. In the latter case-that of the log-built fire- place conspiring with the fire to roast you on a cold day-you had nothing for it but to climb up and throw your chimney down, thus leaving your small room more at the mercy of the roaring norther.

" Schoolhouses of logs were found in the thicker settlements, but seldom was school kept continuously in them for a year. The same honses, or the shade of a tree, were used for religious services, and preachers of all denominations were pass- ing and repassing. With the exception of the Mexican element, I must say there were very few Catholics.

" Much trade was done by way of ex- change of property, and a cow and a calf had got to be used somewhat as legal ten- der for $10. If a man wished to say he had paid $50 for a yoke of steers, very probably he declared, although he might have paid the money down, that he gave five cows and calves for them. I heard it said repeatedly in those days that cows and calves were ten-dollar bills, and hogs and chickens were the change."

This was the life into which Mr. Rob- ertson's settlers came, and in the following list of grants his settlers may be distin- guished by the date being later than May 22, 1834, when his appeal for the bulliti- cation of Austin and Williams' grant was made. Those before that were grants of the latter. This applies only to those west of the Navasota, for that river was the boundary between the colony of Rob-

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ertson on the west and Burnett on the east. So that it will be seen that the big Austin and Williams survey of 1833 extended into the territory of both these colonies. In the northeast part of the county were those of John Boyd, given on July 13, 1835, and covering Telinacana Hills; Robert B. Longbotham on July 24, of that year, and extending into botlı Navarro and Freestone; Sarah McAnulty on July 7, and partly in Freestone; L. Norvett on July 13, and J. A. Head on March 18, 1835.

The big ones extending on both sides of the Navasota covered the larger part of the county. That of Pedro Varela, given on November 23, 1833, with Mexia on its eastern part, was overlaid in 1835 by sev- eral: J. W. Parker on April 1; M. P. Sanchez on October 13; Robert Foot on October 15; C. S. Engledow on July 23; W. F. Gibbon on March 29; L. Robertson on November 5; J. Vasquez on March 29; and W. Hawkins on March 13.

The next large one was that of Andrew Varela on November 22, 1833, on which were overlaid claims in 1835 as follows: S. M. Parker on April 1; M. Herrin on October 13, covering the site of Spring- field; Elisha Anglin ou February 23, cov- ering a part of the site of Groesbeck; L. T. M. Plummer on April 1; R. B. Frost on May 25; David Faulkenberry on March 18; and J. Hadley on February 25, 1835.

Other large ones are those of J. N. Acosta on November 21, 1833; M. R. Palacios on November 2, 1833, on part of which is that of B. Davis of March 15, 1835; J. L. Cha- vert on November 19, 1833, on which is W. Young of February 12, 1835; and M. C. Rejon on November 18, 1833.

The rest are smaller: W. L. Moss on February 15; J. Young on February 25; A. Powell on August 31 (below Kosse); Richard Eaton on September 17; and Eli Zeal on March 18, 1835, covering Thorn- ton.

It was the Parkers and their friends that became actual settlers, and the story has been so well gathered up from all available sources in an excellent collection of Indian tales, bearing the name Indian Depredations, that its account is the best accessible:

" The following graphic account of the Parker fort massacre has been gath- ered from several reliable sources, but the greatest portion of them has been by the kind consent of James T. DeShield, copied from a little book published by him entitled ' Cynthia Ann Parker.' In fact everything from the conclusion of the ex- tract from Mrs. Plummer's diary to the conclusion of the history of Quanah Parker, is intended to be a literal copy fromn said book.

"Among the many tragedies that have occurred in Texas the massacre at Parker's fort holds a conspicuous place. Nothing that has ever happened exhibits savage duplicity and cruelty more plainly than the massacre of helpless women and children.

"In 1833 a small colony was organized in the State of Illinois for the purpose of forming a settlement in Texas. After their arrival in the country they selected for a place of residence a beautiful region on the Navasota, a small tributary of the Bra- zos. To secure themselves against the va- rious tribes of roving savages was the first thing to be attended to; and, liaving

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chosen a commanding eminence adjacent to a large timbered bottom of the Navaso- ta, about three miles from where the town of Springfield formerly stood and about two miles from the present town of Groes- beck, they by their joint labor soon had a fortification erected. It consisted of a stockade of split cedar timbers planted deep in the ground, extending fifteen feet above the surface, touching each other and confined at the top' by transverse timbers which rendered them almost as immovable as a solid wall. At convenient distances there were port-holes, through which, in case of an emergency, fire-arms could be used. The entire fort covered nearly an acre of ground. There were also attached to the stockade two log cabins at diagonal corners, constituting a part of the enclos- nre. They were really block houses, the greater portion of eachı standing outside of the main stockade, the upper story jutting out over the lower, with openings in the floor allowing perpendicular shooting from above. There were also port-holes out in the upper story so as to adınit of horizon- tal shooting when necessary. This enabled the inmates to rake every side of the stock- ade. The fort was situated near a fine spring of water. As soon as it was com- pleted the little colony moved into it. Parker's colony at this time consisted of only some eight or nine families, viz .: Elder John Parker, the patriarch of the colony, and his wife; his son, James W. Parker, wife, four single children, and his daughter, Mrs. Rachel Plummer, her hus- band, L. M. S. Plummer, an infant son fif- teen months old; Mrs. Sarah Nixon, another daughter, and her husband, L. D.

Nixon; Silas M. Parker (another son of Elder John), his wife and four children; Benjamin F. Parker, an unmarried son of the elder; Mrs. Nixon, Sr., mother of Mrs. James W. Parker; Mrs. Elizabeth Kellogg, daughter of Mrs. Nixon; Mrs. Duty; Samuel M. Frost, wife and two children; G. E. Dwight, wife and two chil- dren-in all, thirty-four persons. Besides those above mentioned, old man Lunn, David Faulkenberry and his son Evan, Silas Bates and Abram Anglin had erected cabins a mile or two distant from the fort, where they resided. These families were truly the advance guard of civilization in that part of our frontier, Fort Houston in Anderson county being the nearest pro- tection except their own trusty rifles. Here the struggling colonists remained, engaged in the avocations of a rural life, tilling tlie soil, hunting buffalo, bear, deer, turkey and sınaller game, which served abundantly to supply their larder at all times with fresh meat, in the enjoyment of a life of Arcadian simplicity, virtue and content- ment, until the latter part of the year 1835, when the Indians and Mexicans forced the little band of compatriots to abandon their homes and flee with many others before the invading army from Mexico. On ar- riving at the Trinity river they were com- pelled to halt in consequence of an over- flow. Before they could cross the swollen stream the sudden and unexpected news reached thein that Santa Ana and his vandal hordes had been confronted and defeated at San Jacinto, that sanguinary engagement which gave birth to the new sovereignty of Texas, and that Texas was free from Mexican tyranny.

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LIMESTONE, FREESTONE AND LEON COUNTIES.

"On receipt of this news the fleeing settlers were overjoyed and at once returned to their abandoned homes. The Parker colonists now retraced their steps, first going to Fort Houston, where they re- mained a few days in order to procure sup- plies, after which they made their way back to Fort Parker to look after their stock and prepare for a crop. These hardy sons of toil spent their nights in the. fort, repairing to their farms early each morn- ing. The strictest discipline was main- tained for awhile, but as time wore on and no hostile demonstrations had been made by the Indians, they became somewhat careless and restive under confinement. However, it was absolutely necessary that they should cultivate their farins to insure substance for their families, They usually went to work in a body, with their farming implements in one hand and their weapons of defense in the other. Some of them built cabins on their farms, hoping that the government would give them protec- tion, or that a sufficient number of other colonists would soon move in to render them secure from the attacks of Indians. "On the 18th of May, 1836, all slept at the fort, James W. Parker, Nixon and Plummer, repairing to their field, a mile . distant on the Navasota, early the next morning, little thinking of the great ca- lamity that was soon to befall them. They had scarcely left when several hundred In- dians (accounts of the number of Indians vary from 300 to 700-probably there were about 500), Comanches and Kiowas made their appearance on an eminence within 300 yards of the fort. Those who re- mained in the fort were not prepared for

an attack, so careless had they become in their fancied security. The Indians hoisted a white flag as a token of their friendly in- tentions, and upon the exhibition of the white flag Mr. Benjamin Parker went out to have a talk with them. The Indians artfully feigned the treacherous semblance of friendship, pretending they were look- ing for a suitable camping place, and in- quired as to the exact locality of a water- hole in the immediate vicinity, at the same time asking for a beef, as they said they were very hungry. Not daring to refuse the request of such a formidable body of savages, Mr. Benjamin F. Parker told them they should have what they wanted. Re- turning to the fort he stated to the inmates that in his opinion the Indians were hostile and intended to fight, but added he would go back to them and he would try to avert it. His brother Silas remonstrated, but he persisted in going, and was immediately surrounded and killed; whereupon the whole force-their savage instincts aroused by the sight of blood-charged upon the fort, uttering the most terrific and unearthly yells that ever greeted the ears of mortals. The sickening and bloody tragedy was soon enacted. Brave Silas M. Parker fell outside the fort, while he was gallantly fighting to save Mrs. Plummer. Mrs. Plummer made a desperate resistance, but was soon overpowered, knocked down with a hoe and made captive. Samuel M. Frost and his son, Robert, met their fate while heroically defending the women and children inside the stockade. Old . Granny ' Parker was stabbed and left for dead. Elder John Parker, wife, and Mrs. Kellogg attempted to make their escape, and in this effort had

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HISTORY OF NAVARRO, HENDERSON, ANDERSON,

gone abont three-fourths of a mile, when they were overtaken and driven back to the fort, when the old gentleman was stripped, murdered, scalped and horribly mutilated. Mrs. Parker was stripped, speared and left for dead, but by feigning death, escaped, as will be seen further on. Mrs. Kellogg was spared as a captive. The result summed up as follows: Killed-Elder John Parker, aged seventy-nine; Silas M. and Benjamin F. Parker; Samuel M. and his son Robert Frost. Wounded dangerously-Mrs. John Parker, old Granny Parker, and Mrs. Duty. Captured-Mrs. Rachel Plummer, daughter of James W. Parker, and her son, James Pratt Plummer, two years of age; Mrs. Elizabeth Kellogg; Cynthia Ann Parker, nine years old, and her little brother Jolin Parker, aged six - children of Silas .M. Parker. The remainder made their escape, as we shall now narrate.

" When the attack on the fort first com- menced, Mrs. Sarah Nixon made her es -. cape and hastened to the field to advise her father, husband and Plummer of what had occurred. On her arrival Plummer hur- ried off on horseback to inform Faulken- berry, Bates and Anglin, who were at work in the fields. Parker and Nixon started to the fort, but the former met his family on the way and carried them some four or five miles down the Navasota, secreting them in the bottom. Nixon, though un- armed, continued on toward the fort, and met Mrs. Lucy, wife of Silas Parker (killed), with her four children, just as they were interrupted by a small party of mounted and foot Indians. They compelled the mother to lift her daughter Cynthia Ann, and her little son, John, behind two of the

mounted warriors. The foot Indians then took Mrs. Parker, her two youngest chil- dren and Nixon on toward the fort. As they were about to kill Nixon, David Faulkenberry appeared with his rifle and caused them to fall back. Nixon, after his narrow escape from death, seemed very much excited and immediately went in search of his wife, soon falling in with Dwight, his own and Frosts's families. Dwight and family soon overtook J. W. Parker and went with him to his hiding place in the bottom. Fanlkenberry, thus left with Mrs. Parker and her two children, bade her follow him. With the infant in her arm and leading the other child, she obeyed. Seeing them leave the fort, the Indians made several attempts to intercept them; but were held in check by the brave man's rifle. Several mounted warriors, armed with bows and arrows, strung and drawn, and with terrifie yells, would charge them, but as Faulkenberry would present his gun, they would halt, throw up their shields, sight about, wheel and retire to a safe distance. This continued for some distance, until they had passed through a prairie of some forty or fifty acres. Just as they were entering the woods the Indians made a furious charge, when one warrior, more daring than the others, dashed up so near that Mrs. Parker's faithful dog seized his horse by the nose, whereupon horse and rider summersaulted, alighting on their backs in the ravine. At this moment Silas Bates, Abram Anglin, and Evan Faulken- berry, armed, and Plummer, unarmed, came up, causing the Indians to retire, after which the party made their way un- molested.

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" As they were passing through the field where the men were at work in the morn- ing, Plummer, as if aroused from a dream, demanded to know what had become of his wife and child. Armed only with a butcher- knife he left the party, in search of his loved ones, and was seen no more for six days. The Faulkenberrys, Lunn and Mrs. Parker secreted themselves in a small creek bottom, some distance from the first party, each" unconscious of the others' where- abouts. At twilight Abram Anglin and Evan Faulkenberry started back to the fort to succor the wounded and those who might have escaped. On their way and just as they were passing Faulkenberry's cabin, Anglin saw his first and ouly ghost. He says: 'It was dressed in white with long white hair streaming down its back. I admit that I was more scared at this moment than when the Indians were yell- ing and charging on us. Seeing me hesi- tate my ghost now beckoned me to come on. Approaching the object, it proved to be old ' Granny ' Parker, whom the Indians had wounded and stripped, with the excep- tion of her under-garments. She had made her way to the house from the fort by crawling the entire distance. I took her some bed-clothing and carried her some rods from the house, made her a bed, covered her up, and left her until we should return from the fort. On arriving at the fort we could not see a single buman being alive, or hear a human sound. But the dogs were barking, the cattle lowing, horses neighing, and the hogs equally mak- ing a hideous and strange medley of sounds. Mrs. Parker had told me where she had left some silver-$160.50. This I found

under a hickory bush by moonlight. Find- ing no one at the fort, we returned to where I had laid ' Granny ' Parker. On taking her up beliind ine, we made our way back to the hiding place in the bottom, where we found Nixon, whom we had not seen since his cowardly flight, at the time he was rescued by Faulkenberry from the Indians.

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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