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 50

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 50
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 50
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 50
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 50
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 50
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 50

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

Of course, in 1836, with the Parker mas- sacre, the whites made a complete exodus from this region, and it was three years before they began to push back. Captain Smith was organizing a company to cover the advance west of the Navasota in 1839, and Mr. Karner organized one for the region east of that river to the Trinity. They began by building a fort in Leon county, called Fort Boggy. Among those that built it were Mr. Karner, Mr. Irwin and three sons, Mr. Burns, the Middle- tons, the Staleys and Jones. The company organized by Mr. Karner at this point was placed under the command of Captain Greer.

A better organization was made in 1841, at old Franklin, to cover the ground of both the other companies, and it was the last of the rangers in this region, closing its career in 1844, after the Indian treaties. As Freestone is the central of those coun- ties which are both in the list under con- sideration in this volume and were all but a part of the territory covered by the last of the rangers, as well as from the fact that Mr. Karner long made Fairfield his home, it seems fitting that the story of these rangers should be told in Freestone's sketch, although many of the company --- now nearly all dead-were scattered in all these counties afterward, as her leading citizens, and many of its actions were in other than Freestone territory, and with other than Freestone Indians; for by this time the Keechis and Tehuacanas were both greatly reduced in numbers and had withdrawn farther to the northwest.

The company referred to was com- manded by Captain Eli Chandler, with William M. Love as first lieutenant, and frequently officer in command. Among its fifty members recalled by Mr. Karner are C. M. Winkler, then a young man, as they all were, and since so well known a resident of Corsicana; R. Harvey Mat- thews, one of the few still alive, also a resident of Navarro county; John Karner, now of Mexia; the Duncans; Galbreath; two other Loves, besides the lieutenant; McGee, Heard, Sibert, Drumgool and Hardesty.

"Among the Indians we fought," said Mr. Karner, "were the Shawnees, Chero- kees, Delawares, Kickapoos, Ionis and Ana- darcos. Jose Maria, of the Anadarcos, was

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the main leader of them, and the Anadar- cos and Ionis were the most desperate; they wouldn't give up-even the women. I gave Jose Maria the wound that he after- ward died from, while I was up on the Brazos. Some of the Indians had lots of supplies, as the Cherokees did when we fought them up near Corsicana; we turned up a houseful of meat and a half-dozen or so of barrels of hominy they had, after that fight. The Kickapoos were the best armed, though, and the Shawnees and Cherokees had as good guns as we had."

Mr. Karner's accounts have been so well told by Texas' historian, Colonel Brown, some time since, that his narrative is given: "John Karner, who yet lives in Fairfield, Freestone connty," writes Mr. Brown, "from whom I obtained many of the facts embraced in these sketches thirty- two years ago, was born near Strasburg, in the French Netherlands, on the 17th of September, 1818; came to New York in 1829, and to Texas in the spring of 1835; was a soldier at San Jacinto and a pillar of strength on the frontier in the days partly chronicled in these sketches. I was glad to once more grasp his honest and patriotic hand at the veteran reunion, San Jacinto day, 1886. R. Harvey Mat- thews, another gallant veteran, yet living in Navarro county, came from Tennessee in 1835, when but twenty years of age."

"In the summer or autumn of 1840," he proceeds, "a family named Gregg, or Gragg, was moving west on the old San Antonio and Nacogdoches road, Mr. Gregg himself being several days behind. Some miles east of the Navasota they met a man named Jones, hauling corn. Neither party,

strange as it may seem, had a gun. While talking, they were suddenly attacked by fifteen Indians, who killed .Mrs. Gregg and an infant daughter in the wagon, and two of her sons near it. Her two youthful danghters, while the Indians were plunder- ing the wagon, fled and made their escapc. Jones, the teamster, was shot in the ear, but took advantage of the same love for plunder to run for his life. The Indians pursued him on foot, but providentially one of the mules escaped, and in its fright followed Jones, who mounted it, and, as he expressed it afterward, 'made it travel to the air of Hail, Columbia!' A small son of Mr. Gregg was carried into cap- tivity, to be recovered at Caffee's trading- house, on Red river, in 1842.

" In the spring of 1841, young Stephen Rogers was bathing in a pool near his father's house, on Rogers' prairie, Leon county. Discovering a party of Indians encircling him, he ran for the house, but was overtaken and killed with war clubs. As soon as the murderers disappeared, a messenger was sent to Captain Eli Chand- ler, commanding a local company of minute men at old Franklin. Eight men imme- diately started in pursuit, viz .: Dr. Love, Charles Raymond (afterward secretary of the Texan legation at Washington), Cap- tain Matthews (a brother of R. H.), Dr. Sealey, --- McMurray, John Karner, Charles Sevier, and one whose name is for- gotten. Chandler, with a larger number, took a different route an hour or so later.

"The party of eight hurried up to Horn Hill, and lay in wait for the enemy. They soon discovered three Indians chasing buf- falo. They charged upon them, killing

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one and wounding another. They next discovered two other Indians, who, on seeing them, galloped to the summit of a ridge and made that peculiar circle on horseback which is a signal for help and a rally. In a few minutes a large party of savages were seen advancing at full speed, admonishing them of the necessity of re- treating, which they did slowly, keeping compactly together. The enemy, evidently believing they belonged to a large body close by, failed to charge them. In about twenty-five miles they fell in with Captain Chandler, and learned that he had over- hauled the murderers of young Rogers and pressed them so closely that they had abandoned everything, and escaped in the thickets. Chandler secured all their horses and effects, and nine horses they had stolen in the settlement. Several Indians were wounded, but none were known to have been killed.

"In May, 1841, while old Franklin was still the outpost and headquarters of the frontier between the Brazos and Trinity, Captain Thomas I. Smith and Benj. J. Chambers (now of Cleburne), while sur- veying in the country above, discovered that one or more large parties of Indians were in that vicinity. They at once sent a runner with the news to Captain Eli Chandler, of Franklin, commanding a local company of minute men. Chandler promptly responded, having forty-two men all told, including Wm. M. Love as first lieutenant. He traveled rapidly, and on the second day, on a ridge near Tehuacana Hills, discovered an Indian scout, who fled toward his camp with such rapidity as to kill the fine stolen mnare upon which lie

was riding. Instead of camping, though this was about sunset, Chandler traveled all night and at daylight reached the hastily abandoned camp of the enemy. The In- dians had moved and taken a position else- where. Fourteen mounted savages ap- peared and sought to decoy Chandler to the opposite direction. Love, John Kar- ner (now of Fairfield). and Major Hurd, were sent in one direction as scouts, Smith and Chambers in another. The first named soon found the trail of the main body of the Indians, and the company promptly followed it. Very soon the fourteen In- dians fired on them from ambush. Chan- dler charged and dispersed them, twelve running in one direction while two rushed off on the trail to notify the main body. Chandler pursued for about eight miles and found the Indians in a strong position, protected by a grove of oaks, in the forks of Chambers and School creeks. As Chandler advanced upon the position the Indians fell back into the bottom. Love, with eight men, was left in charge of the camp and horses, Chandler pursned, with heavy skirmishing. The Indians made a short stand, in which three warriors were killed. They then retreated, and were be ing pursued through the bottom, when heavy firing was heard back at Love's po- sition. Chandler hastened back and found Love engaged with a portion of the war- riors, who had countermarched, hidden by the timber, and attacked him. A random fight was kept up for an hour or two, in which our only causality was a shot in the hand of Captain Smith.

"The Indians were finally charged, and again driven into the bottom, when niglit

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came on and firing ceased. Love had gal- lantly held his position and the booty of the camp, including nearly all the Indians' horses, saddles, baggage, a thousand pounds of lead and a goodly supply of powder. The Indians, afterward, acknowledged that they numbered eighty-four warriors, besides women and children, and that they lost eight in killed, and ten or twelve wounded.

" The victors, on reaching Franklin, sold their trophies at auction, and realized $3,100 in cash.

" In the succeeding month of June, 1841, Captain Chandler made another expedition in search of the hostiles. He had forty- six men, and moved up the country to a point on the east side of the Cross Tim- bers, between the head waters of Aquilla creek of the Brazos, and Mountain creek of the Trinity. Hearing the report of several guns, Major Hurd, Dr. George W. Hill and E. Leroy Patton were sent ont to reconnoiter. They discovered a half breed Mexican, and, after a chase of two miles, captured and conveyed him back to Chand- ler. He was threatened with death if he did not conduct them to the Indian camp, bnt readily promised to do so. On the way they discovered some warriors and squaws and chased them into camp, where they captured three squaws and one child, the squaws being Choctaws and the men chiefly Ionies. The squaws told them that the son of Mr. Gregg was a prisoner in that encampment. The Indians having fled before the charge, Chandler left seven as a guard at the edge of the prairie, and Lieutenant Love, with ten men, in charge of the camp, and pursued the enemy at

half speed. In about two miles he came upon them and a brisk fight ensued for a short time, in which three warriors were killed, several wounded, and two squaws and two children captured. They drove the Indians into a creek bottom, and, when almost within reach of the boy, Gregg, heard firing back at the camp occupied by Love, or at the guard. They hastened back and found Love back in the edge of the prairie skirmishing with about a hun- dred warriors. The latter had first assaulted the gnard of seven men left on the prairie, viz .: Leroy Van Zandt, James Van Zandt, John Strother, Kitchell, Spooner, P. C. Whitaker and one whose name is forgot- ten. They fought manfully, killing a chief and several warriors. The grass, being several feet high, was set on fire by the Indians, and, to escape destruction, these seven men sought refuge and escape in a creek bottom. Hearing the firing Love hastened to their relief to find the whole surface dennded of vegetation, the men missing and the savages in view. When Chandler reached the scene, between the smoke, the unexpected attack and the missing guard, much confusion ensued.

" It was near night. He selected a good position in the timber, about a mile dis- tant, and encamped. The enemy prowled round the encampment all night, but made no attack, and on the return of day they were not to be seen. Diligent search was made for the seven missing men, but in vain.

" With sad hearts they took up the line of march for home, with eight prisoners, a considerable number of captured horses and other booty. In due time they ar-

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rived at old Franklin to find no tidings of their lost comrades. Gloom, saddened by the wails of women, enshrouded the lit- tle community. Two hours thus passed, when wild shouts were heard at the outer edge of the village. Every man, woman and child rushed out and the air rang with the joyful acclaim, 'They've come! They're safe!' and so they were, but sore of foot, denuded of clothing and well nigh perished of hunger. The warm-hearted Dr. George W. Hill, in the exuberance of his joy, seized his saddle-bags, lying across a fence and containing all the medicine there was in that community, and struck them on a log, breaking every vial and destroying his stock in trade. A general jollification followed.

" It became known afterwards that at this time there were three large villages and several hundred warriors on and near Village creek, and they were to have started on a raid down the country in a day or two. The Indians subsequently stated that they believed there was a much larger force of white men near by; other- wise they were strong enough to have de- stroyed Chandler's party.

" In August, 1841, Captain Thomas I. Smith headed a small party in an expe- dition up the east side of the Brazos. When up in Johnson county, where the broken highlands border that river, he be- came satisfied of the proximity of a large body of Indians and determined to return for reinforcements, but before doing so five Indians chased two of his men into camp. Twenty-two men under Captain George B. Erath and Lieut. Love made pursuit. The trail ran to the foot of a high rocky hill. Erath went to the left and Love to the

right. The trail was on the left for a short distance and then up the acclivity As Erath came near a ledge of projecting rocks, his party was fired upon by five In- dians, and Abram Smith killed. John Karner, R. Harvey Matthews, Wilson N. P. Marlin and Hngh Henry, halted to pro- tect Smith's body, secreting themselves and horses in a ravine near by, while Erath and others continued around the hill. Very soon Jose Maria, the famed Anadarco chief, ejaculating oaths in broken English, began descending the hill to scalp Smith. All four of the concealed persons rose up and fired at him. He fired at the same moment, but he was badly wounded, fell forward, caught his horse by the neck and rode up beyond sight, then fell between large rocks. The savages near him on the hill seemed greatly exasperated. A Shaw- nee appeared behind the only tree on the hill, vehemently cursing the white men be- low. He fired at them and was rapidly succeeded by the others, one at a time, for some twenty minutes, in which time one was killed. Matthews shot one in the breast and only one escaped unhurt. Erath and Love, having united, now came up, ascended the hill and put all able to run to flight.

"They buried Abram Smith four feet under ground in the trail, carefully replaced the earth and then rode back and forth over the grave till all resemblance was obliter- ated. The Indians, as Jose Maria after- wards stated, searched in vain to find it.

" After this episode, Captain Smith moved homeward, but not withont appre- hension of an attack by large numbers; but none was made."

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Such vigorous treatment made matters less difficult for the rangers between that time and their disbanding in 1844, and they became at once leaders in the peace- ful pursuits of peopling the region they had fought for.

The settlers began to come in rapidly, too. In what is now Freestone, -then, in 1846, Limestone, -the chief settlement was down about Troy and Butler, the for- mer now only known as past. In this re- gion there were B. F. Edwards, P. S. Black, Mr. Clapp, L. Walker, R. M. Tyus, M. Bateman, Mr. Goins, Dan Potter, Mr. Prater, John Claypool; and, near Fairfield, Mr. Hobbes. These are all recalled by Mr. Hobbes, in 1846. Pine Bluff, or Troy, was established about 1847, by M. Bateman, and for a long time it was the main town in the county. In 1850 Mc- Daniel, Gill and Manning started Butler, and the settlement about the present site of Fairfield began to be known as Mount Pleasant. About the only ones now living of the days of '46 are Daniel Potter, W. A. Cobb and Elisha Hobbes. There were no lack of bear, deer, buffalo, panther, turkey, and the like in those days.

When the '50s began, or were fairly under way with a county organization, the influx of settlers was the most remarkable that the county has ever seen since. It especially attracted the eyes of large plant- ers and slave owners-in fact, no county of the Middle Trinity Valley was so re- markable in this respect. Freestone at once took rank among the wealthy coun- ties of Texas, and Fairfield was, in reputa- tion, like a modern Waco or Austin. By 1852 there were in the Avant prairie re-

gion such large planters as Rev. W. S. Compton, a Methodist, Major J. H. Blain, Major High, Colonel B. A. Philpot, who recently died and was a prominent senator; also Colonel Moreland, a relative of Hon. L. Q. C. Lamar, Charles Kilgore and others. Fairfield was full of able lawyers, and others equally able-W. T. Watson, W. M. Peck, Frank Oliver, Dr. W. L. Moody, George Roller, J. H. Collet, a merchant, J. C. Yarbro, Dr. Milner, Bragg & Clough, D. H. Love and others. At that time Cotton Gin was a rival of Fairfield and had a good population about it. Dr. J. S. Wills, Dr. T. L. C. Means, J. W. Strong, a merchant, G. R. Patton, John Manning, Reub Kennedy, the Steel family, Colonel Busby, the Robinson family and others. About Woodland, too, a community grew up, gaining for itself a fame for love of excellent education; there were Colonel Wortham, the John Burleson family, the Carter family, the Kirvens, the Sessions and others. Colonel Johnson was another some distance off. General Bradbury was the leading spirit at Troy, and Bragg & Clough were big merchants there for a time, as was McLain, also.

By 1855 the county had seven post of- fices-Avant, Butler, Cotton Gin, Fair- field, Flowerdale, Keechi and Troy. At this time she had 261,771 acres of taxable land, assessed at $579,000-twice as much as Limestone; and her 2,167 slaves covered the round sum of $1,089,900, making her in 1855 the wealthiest county of all under consideration in this volume. Anderson, alone, approached her in slave wealth. She had $118,140 in horses and $96,260 in cattle.

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By 1859 her slaves had risen in number to 2,961 and her population to 6,017, and Fairfield was two-thirds as large as Waco was, and considerable larger than Belton. Her vote was nearly 100 more than that of Navarro.

But the war was the turning point. Freestone's strength had lain in her slaves and her cotton, alongside the navigation of the Trinity river. It is true the war little affected the navigation of the Trinity, but the slaves were freed and the great plant- ers ruined. By 1870 her population had risen to only 8,139.

Prospects of railway communication had a great influence in the '70s, and the new railway outlet at Mexia near her western border, with that of the International near the boundary on the south, made it spring up in population by the close of the decade to 14,921, of which, however, 45 per cent. werc colored.

The decade of the '80s, however, showed the prairies and closer proximity to rail- way communication conspiring against her by attracting immigration to them; from this canse the increase of that decade was scarcely more than 1,000, most of which was white, leaving a larger propor- tion of white than before. The total pop- ulation of 1890 was 15,987, of which 9,224 was white and 6,763 colored. This is practically her present condition.

Her valuation shows a somewhat similar course of development. The value of all assessed property in 1870 was but $984,- 188, while ten years later it had risen to $2,311,323, in 1880. During the decade of the '80s the rise was comparatively slight --- $2,661,538-or a little over $300,000.

There is one feature about Freestone that is of considerable interest. She is an American county, composed very largely of the descendants of the old planter fami- lies and but little intermixed with foreign stock. To a traveler the features that spring from this quality are very notice- able, and one realizes more vividly the excellencies of the old American stock with the American ideas that go with them. It is an atmosphere far different from that of an Illinois county of foreign farmers, for instance. It is a good illus- tration of the value of good stock in hu- manity, as well as in our animal possession of good blood.

In this connection it may be appropri- ate to insert the biographical sketches of two or three old settlers.

G. A. Sessions, one of the earliest set- tlers and leading men of Freestone county, Texas, was born in Lowndes county, Ala- bama, in 1829, and he was the son of John and Elizabeth (May, nee Browning) Ses- sions, natives of South Carolina and Georgia. They came to Alabama just after marriage and engaged in farming, and later he engaged in the war of 1812. The Sesssions family is an old one in this conntry, as it came from England to this country in 1630, coming over with Gov- ernor Dudley, of Massachusetts, and from this family have scattered representatives all over the country. The members of this family were among the patriots who engaged in the destruction of the tea in the Boston harbor, and many of them have taken part in political and national affairs, and also are well represented in the finan- cial world. Francis D. Sessions, of Cin-

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cinnati. has written a history of the family since its advent into the country, as far as lie has been able to collect facts.

The father of our subject died when the latter was only four years of age, conse- quently his knowledge of the family is more limited than that of many others in the older States. The family was well represented in the war for independence, also in the war of 1812, and also in the war of the Rebellion, in both armies. The parents of our subject had only two chil- dren, and G. A. was the only one who grew to maturity. His father was twice inarried and by his wife he had two boys and three girls: James J., who became a ininister of some note in the Missionary Baptist Church, mostly in Mobile, and his death occurred in Monroe county, Ala- bama, in 18 -; Jarrett W. became a farmer and lived in Wilcox county, Alabama, where he died, in 1891; Ellen married Thomas Watts, and later married John Watts, of Alabama; and Sarah, who died in early life. Mrs. Sessions' first husband was the Rev. William S. May, of South Caro- lina, a prominent minister in the Mission- ary Baptist Church. He died in Alabama, but to this marriage seven children were born, namely: Nancy married Eli Harri- son, of Alabama; John, a farmer; Asa died in this State; William S., deceased, became an active politician and represented Lowndes county in the legislature; lie also filled other important offices in the county ; Carrie is deceased; David F. died in this State in 1890, and Nathan was killed in the battle of the Wilderness, in Virginia. Mr. Sessions died in Alabama, July 8, 1835, and Mrs. Sessions was left with a

family of two small children. She re- mained in Alabama until 1849, and came by way of Galveston to Polk county, this State, in 1850, where she remained one year. On the way to this State, and while in the city of New Orleans, the family encountered cholera, which was raging at that time, and from the effects of coming through the infected district Mrs. Sessions and her son by a former marriage died, soon after landing in Polk county. Thins our subject was left by him- sel as far as relatives were concerned.

G. A. Sessions received a common -school education. He had some slaves, with which he farmed in Polk county, on rented land for one year. The first year he worked Judge Jones' farm ou Trinity river. The next year he purchased, and in 1853, made his last crop in Polk county, selling his property, and then, coming to this county, he located close to where Bonner now stands. He purchased 1,000 acres of land, became a farmer and raised stock, and re- mained there until the breaking out of the late war. In 1862, he joined Captain Bradley's company of Wall's Legion and immediately went to Vicksburg, Missis- sippi, and participated in the siege of Fort Pemberton and then in the siege of Vicks- burg. During the latter siege he was captured, but was paroled, July 4, 1863, returned home and after being exchanged he went to Velasco, and was on the coast under Colonel A. Smith. After the war was over he returned home and imme- diately resnmed those occupations he had laid down previous to entering the army. For many years Mr. Sessions was the largest farmer in Freestone connty, and was also

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the largest land-owner, who made agricult- ural pursuits his occupation, and was by far the largest cotton planter. Mr. Sessions still owns over 1,000 acres of land after giving his children homes. He has under culti- vation, at this time, some 600 or 700 acres of land in this county.

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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