A twentieth century history and biographical record of north and west Texas, Volume I, Part 106

Author: Paddock, B. B. (Buckley B.), 1844-1922; Lewis Publishing Co., Chicago, pub
Publication date: 1906
Publisher: Chicago, New York, The Lewis publishing co.
Number of Pages: 968

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Erwin J. Smith was a very young lad when brought by his parents to Texas and his early ed- ucation was acquired at Martin Springs, Gray- son county, a small settlement twelve miles north- west of Denison. Later he attended Austin Col- lege at Sherman, Texas, and subsequently spent one year as a student in the college at Lexington, Kentucky, after which he entered the Agricul- tural and Mechanical College of Texas, being graduated from this institution in June, 1888.

He was admitted to the bar in September, 1890, after careful preparatory study, and entered upon the practice of his profession in Denison, where he has since remained. He is regarded as one of the leading young lawyers of the city, to whom there has been and is accorded a large and distinctively representative clientage. His logical grasp of facts and of law applicable to them, as well as his untiring industry and fa- miliarity with legal principles have been some of the most potent elements in his success. In the argument of a case he exhibits a remarkable clearness of expression and adequate and precise diction, which enables him to make others un- derstand not only the salient points of his argu- ment, but also to clearly understand the very fine analytical distinctions which differentiate one legal principle from another.

In August, 1889, in San Antonio, Texas, Mr. Smith was united in marriage to Miss Nannie Wier, a native of that city and a daughter of Henry Wier. She was reared, however, in the family of William Aubrey, a prominent citizen of San Antonio, he having married her mother. They have two children, both of whom were born in Denison: Erwin W. and William A., aged respectively fifteen and twelve years. The wife and mother was called to her final rest July 22, 1894. Mr. Smith was again married in Den- ison in July, 1905, to Miss Claire L. Person, daughter of Colonel A. B. Person, one of the old lawyers here, she being practically reared in this city.

Mr. Smith exercises his right of franchise in support of the men and measures of the Democ- racy. He is a member of the Knights of Pythias fraternity and also has membership relations with the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, and the Woodmen of the World. His views upon questions of public policy are very pro- nounced and his influence may always be counted upon in behalf of good government and the ad- vancement of the interests of the whole people.

W. A. BRISTOL, M. D., following the prac- tice of medicine and surgery in Denison, was- born near Morgantown, Burke county, North

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HISTORY OF NORTH AND WEST TEXAS.

Carolina, in 1859, and is a descendant of the Connecticut branch of Bristols, who emigrated from England to the new world at a very early epoch in the colonization of America. His father, William Henry Bristol, was born near Morgantown, North Carolina, and is now liv- ing in McKinney, Collin county, Texas, where he is engaged in the drug business. He was a sol- dier of the Confederate army, enlisting from North Carolina and serving as captain of his company, doing duty with the western division of North Carolina and remaining with his com- mand throughout the period of the war as a loyal advocate of the cause he espoused and as a brave and fearless soldier on the field of bat- tle. He married Miss Jemima A. Johnson, also a native of North Carolina, and they be- came the parents of nine children, of whom Dr. Bristol is the eldest. Four of the number are still living, the others being: Robert E., who is engaged in the drug business at McKin- ney, Texas; Myrtie M., the wife of Forest Mc- Corly, who is engaged in the grocery business in Farmville, Texas; and Augustus, who is employed in a wholesale grocery business at Denton, Texas.

Dr. Bristol came to Texas in 1871 with his parents, when a lad of eleven years, the family home being established near Marshall, Harri- son county, where they lived for three years. The father was there engaged in the sawmill business and afterward removed with his fami- ly to Collin county, where he followed farm- ing. Dr. Bristol assisted him in the care, im- provement and operation of the home farm un- til twenty-one years of age, when he removed to McKinney, where he engaged in the drug business for seven years. On the expiration of that period he entered Louisville Medical College, Kentucky, and was graduated in March, 1893, on the completion of a thorough course in medicine. He then returned to Texas and en- gaged in practice at McKinney and Rhea Mills in Collin county. On the 24th of December, 1896, he came to Denison, where he has since practiced his profession with excellent success. being recognized as a capable member of the medical fraternity, whose ability has been mani-

fest in his treatment of many important cases. He is an ardent and devoted student of modern medical and surgical knowledge, ever desirous of improving with the years his understanding of his profession. He has that true love for his work without which there can be no success, and he has always been a progressive practi- tioner, constantly improving on his own and others' methods and gaining further encour- agement and inspiration from the faithful per- formance of each day's duties.

On the 27th of July, 1887, in Mckinney, Texas, Dr. Bristol was united in marriage to Miss Emma Warden, a daughter of William Warden, at one time sheriff of his county for eight years. He was born in Missouri but be- came a pioneer settler of this state and was closely associated with the early progress and development of Collin county and did much to uphold its political status and its high stand- ard of citizenship. His wife, who bore the maiden name of McCarley, was a native of Col- lin county. To Dr. and Mrs. Bristol have been born five children, of whom four are living, but William Warden, their third child, died at the age of seven years. The others are : Eugene Carlisle, who was born in Mckinney, Texas; Heloise Alvin, also a native of Mc- Kinney; May Floyd, whose birth occurred at Rhea Mills in Collin county ; and Elsie Emma, who was born in Denison, Texas.

Dr. Bristol is a member of the Masonic fraternity of Denison, also the Knights of the Maccabees, the Woodmen of the World and the Ancient Order of United Workmen. He likewise belongs to the Methodist Episcopal church South, in which he is one of the stewards, hav- ing held the office in Denison for three or four years. He is popular with friends, neighbors, patients and the general public and in his pro- fession has won for himself a creditable place.

CAPTAIN WILLIAM H. WINN, general manager of the Western Abstract Company of El Paso, has been a resident of this city since 1881, and has been identified with various busi- ness enterprises that have contributed to general progress and prosperity as well as individual

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success, making him a citizen of worth and. ing southern friends and finally became con- value, honored and respected throughout the nected with the business interests of that town. community and most of all where he is best known. He was born in Sumner county, Ten- nessee, April 20, 1838, his parents being William J. and Tabitha (Wilkes) Winn. His parents

Following the close of the war Captain Winn went west in 1867, locating at Baxter Springs, Cherokee county, in southeastern Kansas, near the border of the Indian Nation, living there at were natives of Tennessee and spent their entire . a time when the country was a scene of many lives in this state, both passing away in Robert- son county. The Winns were of an old Virgin- ian family, the paternal grandfather of the Cap- tain having removed from the old Dominion to Tennessee.

Captain Winn was reared upon the farm, and at the time of the Civil war enlisted for one year's service with the Tennessee State Troops, being in hearty sympathy with the Confederate cause. He became a member of Company F, Eleventh Tennessee Infantry, under Colonel James T. Raines, and was made second lieuten- ant of his company. On the expiration of one year's service with the state troops he went home and attempted to raise a troop of cavalry. After enrolling thirty-one men he was obliged to flee from that district because of the approach of the Federal army and proceeded as far as Gallatin, when he joined John Morgan's noted organization of raiders and was with that com- mander in his operations all through Tennessee and Kentucky, being one of Morgan's scouts. He was with a party of ten picked scouts sent on ahead to make preparations for the raid into Ohio and while returning to Morgan's headquar- ters to report the position of the Federal troops he was captured within seven miles of the Con- federate camp. All the party escaped, however, with the exception of Captain Winn and one other comrade, who were taken by Woolford's Battalion of Kentucky Federals to Jimtown, Kentucky. After remaining for a time at camp Dick Robinson, Captain Winn was removed to Lexington, thence to Cincinnati, afterward to camp Chase at Columbus, Ohio, and later to camp Douglas, Chicago. There he was impris- oned until February, 1864, when, by a clever ruse he escaped to Carbondale in southern Illi- nois, intending to return to southern lands, but finding this practically impossible he remained at Carbondale, where he found some sympathiz-

sensational events of typical western life. He resided there until 1870, when he engaged in merchandising in connection with the building of the Missouri, Kansas & Texas Railway to the southwest through the Indian Nation. In Octo- ber, 1872, he landed at Denison, Texas, before the road had reached that town and remained a citizen of Denison until 1881. When the rail- road extended that far it became a typical "boom" town and within a few months its popu- lation had increased to several thousand. It enjoyed such lively growth that for years it was called the "little wonder." It was the headquar- ters of many of the big cattle outfits of the ear- lier days and was a typical western city. Captain Winn there engaged successfully in business and was closely associated with its public interests, acting as its mayor in 1875-6. Again he became a pioneer, when, in 1881, he took up his abode in El Paso, turning his attention to mining ope- rations in this vicinity. In 1884 he sold his min- ing interests and invested his money in live stock in this county, giving his attention to the cattle industry for some time with gratifying success. In 1892 he was elected county assessor and served for six years, or until 1898. He then sold out his cattle interests and when his term of office . expired he purchased stock in the Western Ab- stract Company of El Paso, Incorporated, of which he became general manager, and is now in charge of the office and all the details of the business.

Captain Winn's life has been filled with inter- est and romance peculiar to life on the frontier. In connection with Captain Day, now of Fort Worth, he organized the first Masonic lodge in southeastern Kansas, at Baxter Springs. He is financially identified with the upbuilding of this city and vicinity and he is familiar with the life of the old-time cattle man and cowboy and was for years on the buffalo range. He is also

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HISTORY OF NORTH AND WEST TEXAS.

acquainted with experiences of western mining life and his memory presents a clear picture of the events that have marked the settlement of various western sections and which have led to the establishment of a modern civilization with all of its improvements and advantages. The founders of the state are not merely the men who handle the reins of government and control the public policy but are also those who carry civilization into hitherto wild regions and de- velop the natural resources of the state. Such a one is Captain Winn, who came to western Texas in its pioneer epoch and has done much to prove the value of this part of the state as a splendid residence district, giving excellent busi- ness opportunities to its citizens. Captain Winn has one son, C. E. Winn, a prominent business man of Temple, Texas.

CHARLES W. BATSELL. The deserved reward of a well spent life is an honored re- tirement from business in which to enjoy the fruits of former toil, and today after many years of earnest work Mr. Batsell is quietly living at his pleasant home in Sherman, sur- rounded by the comforts that former labor has brought to him. He is a native son of Ken- tucky, his birth having occurred in Taylor county on the 23d of August, 1839, his parents being James M. and Mary (Reynolds) Bat- sell, both also natives of that commonwealth. There the father followed agricultural pursuits for a time, but in 1850 left his native state and with a colony of Kentuckians came to Texas and founded the town of Kentuckytown. Ever since his arrival in this state he has maintained his home in Grayson county, being now a resi- dent of Whitewright. Although he has reached the ninety-second milestone on the jour- ney of life, he is still hale and hearty, and his name is engraved indelibly on the pages of Grayson county's history. Mrs. Batsell died when seventy-eight years of age. To this worthy couple were born eight children, six of whom still survive, as follows: Thomas H., who served as a lieutenant in the Sixteenth Texas Regiment during the Civil war, and died from the effects of wounds received in the bat-

tle of Milliken's Bend; Charles W., whose name introduces this review ; Eliza J., the wife of S. B. Sivells, a retired farmer of White- wright; Catherine, now Mrs. McKenna, and also a resident of Whitewright; John F., a farmer of Fort Worth, Texas; James A., who was a well known merchant at Whitewright, and there his death occurred when in middle life ; Mary K., wife of M. A. Ayers, who resides near Whitewright; and Mrs. J. H. Reeves, also a resident of that city.

Charles W. Batsell received his educational training in the public schools of Texas, and after reaching years of maturity engaged in mercantile pursuits, being thus engaged at Pilot Grove, Kentuckytown, and Sherman, meeting with a well deserved success in all these places. He also owned and operated the Sherman Street Railroad for the long per- iod of fifteen years, but recently put aside all business cares, with the exception of the super- intendency of a cigar and tobacco stand in his son's drug store. He is, however, still a prop- erty owner, owning lands both in the city and county. At the time of the inauguration of the Civil war Mr. Batsell offered his services, and was made a member of Company G, Sixteenth Texas Regiment, in 1861, under Colonel Fitz- hugh, and served throughout the entire strug- gle, being stationed during all that time west of the Mississippi river. He entered the ranks as an orderly sergeant, but was transferred to the Second Mississippi Department as purchasing agent. When his country no longer needed his services he returned home and again took up the duties of a business life, and through his own efforts he has risen to a position of prominence in industrial circles.

In 1861 Mr. Batsell was united in marriage to Miss Elizabeth Clement, a native of Gray- son county, and they became the parents of three children, the eldest of whom, Tom Annie, married, and died in young womanhood in Sherman, Texas. The second child, James M., is engaged in the livery business in that city. He married a Miss Dodge, and they have three children living. Charles W., Jr., the second son and third child, is a well known and prominent

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HISTORY OF NORTH AND WEST TEXAS.

druggist in Sherman. He married Miss Stella

Reeves, and they have one little daughter, . Annie. Mrs. Batsell died in 1878, and Mr. Batsell afterward married Mrs. Rosa F. Tutt, who bore the maiden name of Thomas. She is a member of the Christian church, 'and Mr. Masonic fraternity, in which he has attained the Royal Arch degree. His political affilia- tions are with the Democratic party, and as its representative he was nominated for the office of county commissioner on the 6th of July, 1884, to which he was elected in the fol- lowing November, representing precinct No. I. His reputation in business has ever been un- assailable, and in all the walks of life he is found true to duty and the trusts reposed in him.

Texas for ten years. During six years of that time he was employed in Grayson county and thus contributed in substantial measure to the intellectual development of this part of the state. From his early school life, however, Judge Gafford desired to become a member of Batsell holds membership relations with the , the legal fraternity and directed his reading and study to this end. He continued the read- ing of law during his leisure hours, while pur- suing his literary course and also while teach- ing; and in 1902 he was admitted to practice in the fifteenth judicial district court of Gray- son county. He then opened a law office in Sherman and on the 26th of December, 1903, was appointed judge of the corporation court of this city. He also continues in the general practice of law and possesses a comprehensive knowledge of the principles of jurisprudence, together with a force and ability as an advo- cate or counselor that has gained him a promi- nent position among the representatives of the Sherman bar.

HON. BENJAMIN F. GAFFORD, judge. of the corporation court of Sherman, Texas, and a member of the Twenty-ninth Legislature, was born in south Georgia, July 1, 1871, a son of Patrick Henry and Eleanora (Green) Gaf- ford. The father was a native of Ireland, and coming to the new world was married in Geor- gia to Miss Green, who was born in that state. In 1873 they came to Grayson county, Texas, where they spent their remaining days, the father passing away in March, 1878, at the comparatively early age of thirty-two years, his birth having occurred in 1846. His wife, who was born in 1848, survived until June 12, 1902, and made her home throughout the even- ing of her life with her son Benjamin, who was her only child.

Benjamin F. Gafford was but two years old when brought by his parents to Texas, and was a youth of only seven when he lost his father. He remained in his mother's home until six- teen years of age, when he left her fireside to attend school, becoming a student in Spring- town Baptist College, a boarding school. He afterward attended the public schools, therein completing his scholastic training. He was graduated when twenty years of age and soon afterward was married to a schoolmate, after which he engaged in teaching in northern

It was in 1891 that Judge Gafford was mar- ried to Miss Emma Tummins, of Parker coun- ty, Texas, who was also graduated from the Springtown Baptist College, and to them have been born four children: Grady, Fannie, Pren- tice and Gwendolyn, aged respectively twelve, ten, eight and three years. Judge Gafford has fraternal relations with various organizations, belonging to the Ancient Order of United Workmen, the Woodmen of the World, the In- dependent Order of Odd Fellows and the Ma- sonic lodge. He and his wife are members of the Central Christian church, and in his polit- ical views he is a Democrat. He has always taken an active interest in politics, from his childhood to the present time, and during the `period of his manhood he has done capable, earnest and effective service for his party in campaigns, delivering many public addresses which have strengthened the position of the party through his clear and able presentation of the cause to the people at large, and has continued his political activity to the benefit of county and state as a member of the legisla- ture. Judge Gafford is today one of the best known citizens of Grayson county, owing to

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HISTORY OF NORTH AND WEST TEXAS.

his service here as a teacher and lawyer and his general favorite in all classes.

he served for two years, when he resigned the admirable social qualities, which make him a . office and spent two years as a member of the Sherman police force. In 1902 he was elected to the office of sheriff and in 1904 was again chosen for that position, so that his incumben- cy will continue until 1906.

WILLIAM STONEWALL RUSSELL, sheriff of Grayson county, was born in Oktib- beha county, Mississippi, March 5, 1866, a son of William G. and Louisa (Gibbons) Rus- sell, the former a native of Alabama and the latter of North Carolina. They were married, however, in Mississippi and after residing for some years in that state removed to Grayson county, Texas, in the fall of 1869, and here spent their remaining days, the mother pass- ing away at the age of fifty-seven years, while the father died in his seventy-fourth year. He was captain of Company C in the Thirty-third Mississippi Regiment in the Confederate serv- ice and remained with that command through- out the entire period of hostilities. In the family were seven sons and three daughters and of this number are named the following: Fernando W., a farmer residing near the old homestead in Mississippi; William, who was drowned in 1865 and was serving as a soldier in the Confederate army at the time of his death; John C., an agriculturist of Grayson county, Texas; Mary V., who became the wife of Frank Johnson but both are deceased ; Hen- ry G., a farmer of Grayson county ; Minnie, now the wife of Rabb Smith, a merchant at Whitewright, Texas; James, a farmer of Hood county, this state; and William S., the subject of this sketch.

Mr. Russell of this review is the youngest and his education was acquired in Grayson county and in the public schools and through private study. He was reared upon the home farm near Whitewright but left the parental roof when twenty-one years of age. About that time he met with a serious accident, hav- ing his hand and arm disabled in a cotton gin. He therefore became a clerk in a dry-goods store in Whitewright, where he was employed for a number of years and was then elected city marshal, tax collector and assessor of that town. In 1898 he accepted the position of depu- ty sheriff under A. D. Shrewsbury, with whom

Mr. Russell was married in 1887 to Miss Katie Barrett, a native of Grayson county and a daughter of J. H. and Emeline Barrett of Pilot Grove, Texas. Mr. and Mrs. Russell now have four children: Juanita, Neva, Ros- coe and Marguerite. One son, Harris, the fifth child, died at the age of two years. Mr. Russell is a prominent member of the Masonic fraternity, in which he has attained the Knight Templar degree. He also affiliates with the Knights of Pythias, the Woodmen of the World and the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. The family are members of the Methodist Episcopal church. In his politi- cal views Mr. Russell is an active working Democrat and is a member of the sheriff's as- sociation for the state of Texas, acting on its legislative committee at the present time. He was asistant sergeant-at-arms at the Demo- cratic state convention in 1904 and in the office which he is filling he discharges his duties without fear or favor and in a most prompt and capable manner, as is evidenced by his re-elec- tion.

JAMES M. RADFORD. It is a conceded fact that in all western Texas there is no man who controls and dispatches a greater volume of business than does James M. Radford, and he stands today as a representative of the best type of the American citizen and business man. Like so many others of the leading men of Texas to- day, he owes more to the capital embraced in a fine physical organization, a well poised brain and strong determination than to the inherited wealth of a line of ancient ancestors. His rec- ord is a splendid illustration of what it is possi- ble for a young man to accomplish when he has the disposition to dare and to do.

Mr. Radford is a native Texan, his birth hav- ing occurred in Fayette county, September 23, 1862. His father, John P. Redford, was born in

JAMES M. RADFORD

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HISTORY OF NORTH AND WEST TEXAS.

Morgan county, Georgia, and was married to Harriet C. Nunnally, also a native of that county. They removed to Texas in 1857, settling in Fay- ette county. In their family were seven chil- dren, five sons and two daughters, of whom James was the sixth in order of birth. Two of the children died in infancy. The father was a farmer and stock-raiser, following that occupa- tion through the greater part of his life and for a number of years he was indirectly connected with merchandising. In 1865 he established a. stock ranch in Falls county, about seven miles from where Marlin now stands. About 1867 the Houston & Texas Central Railroad was com- pleted into Bryan, and he removed his family from the ranch to that place in order to give his children the advantage of better schools. He was largely instrumental in building up the town, making heavy investments there and con- tributing in substantial measure to the material progress and improvement of that city. He died in Abilene, Texas, in 1902, and his wife still resides there.

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A twentieth century history and biographical record of north and west Texas, Volume I, Part 106

Author: Paddock, B. B. (Buckley B.), 1844-1922; Lewis Publishing Co., Chicago, pub Publication date: 1906 Publisher: Chicago, New York, The Lewis publishing co. Number of Pages: 968

Author: Paddock, B. B. (Buckley B.), 1844-1922; Lewis Publishing Co., Chicago, pub
Publication date: 1906
Publisher: Chicago, New York, The Lewis publishing co.
Number of Pages: 968