USA > Texas > A twentieth century history and biographical record of north and west Texas, Volume I > Part 40
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).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85 | Part 86 | Part 87 | Part 88 | Part 89 | Part 90 | Part 91 | Part 92 | Part 93 | Part 94 | Part 95 | Part 96 | Part 97 | Part 98 | Part 99 | Part 100 | Part 101 | Part 102 | Part 103 | Part 104 | Part 105 | Part 106 | Part 107 | Part 108 | Part 109 | Part 110 | Part 111 | Part 112 | Part 113 | Part 114 | Part 115 | Part 116 | Part 117
At the present time Judge Barwise's princi- pal interests are in a farm of eleven hundred acres near Seymour, in Baylor county, this fine property being owned jointly by himself and son, Myron H. Barwise. The judge spends much of his time on this estate. Judge Bar- wise is a Mason with the Royal Arch degrees, and is a devoted member of the Wichita Falls Presbyterian church, of which he was the prin- cipal organizer and a charter member.
Judge Barwise was married in Missouri in 1852 to Miss Lucy Hansell, who was born in Manchester, Indiana. She died at Wichita Falls August 10, 1903. There are six children living from this union : Thomas H. and Mar- shall A. are prosperous farmers in Wichita county ; Frank H. is in business in Fort Worth ; Myron H. is an engineer on the Wichita Valley Railroad and also a farmer ; Lucy is the wife of
241
HISTORY OF NORTH AND WEST TEXAS.
Judge A. H. Carrigan, of Wichita Falls, and Joseph H., Jr., is one of the attorneys for the Fort Worth & Denver Railroad, at Fort Worth. The upright and able character of the father is reflected in these worthy children, and they have proved themselves honorable and sub- stantial members of their respective communi- ties. Judge Barwise gave the children excel- lent training and a good start in life, and al- though their home was in a new country two of his children, Lucy and Joseph H., received splendid college educations.
HICKMAN HENSLEY, one of the leading business men of Jacksboro, was born at the Hensley home on Carroll's creek, five miles east of Jacksboro, Jack county, Texas, in 1871. His father, John Hensley, was a native of Ten- nessee, but during his boyhood days came to Texas with his parents, the family home being established in Jack county, and they were num- bered among its earliest settlers. The farm was located in the southern part of the county, on Keechi creek, where Hickman Hensley, the father of John, pre-empted a tract of state land and started to carve out a home for himself and family in this then new and unimproved coun- try, this continuing as their place of abode for several years.
At a very early age John Hensley started out to make his own way in the world, his first em- ployment consisting in getting out salt at Salt Hill, in the southern part of the county. He was an industrious lad, saved his money, and when enough would accumulate he would buy a head or two of cattle, and in this way secured his start in the cattle industry. His herd gradu- ally increased, and when a young man he be- came the owner of quite a bunch of stock and was beginning to be ranked with the successful cattlemen of northwestern Texas. On Car- roll's creek, five miles east of Jacksboro, at the age of twenty years he was married to Miss Kate Sanders, and the young couple immedi- ately took up their abode at the place of their marriage, which land still belongs to the Hensley family and has been their home place for many years. Mr. Hensley continued to be successful
in his operations, and at one time owned be- tween eight and ten thousand head of cattle in this county. He also had extensive ranching interests in northwestern Texas, and was well known among the prominent stockmen of his day. He was a typical westerner, generous hearted to a fault, and from his early manhood was universally known as "Uncle John," this being probably due to the fact that he raised and educated some of his nephews. When first embarking in the cattle business he adopted the brand "22," and his cattle were always thus known. As a pioneer Mr. Hensley took a prominent part in the Indian history of Jack and surrounding counties. As a member of the Texas Rangers he was engaged in many In- dian battles, and in the early '7os, when the red men had become intolerable with their murderous and thieving depredations, he was appointed a delegate with others to go to Fort Sill, Indian Territory, and interview General Sherman, who was then at that point, for the purpose of enlisting his aid in getting rid of the savages. They succeeded in inducing the general to come to Jacksboro, although he could not believe the situation as bad as reported, but it happened, however, that a short time after his arrival here a government pack train, with a detail of soldiers, carrying supplies westward to Fort Belknap was attacked by a band of In- dians under Chief Big Trec, and almost every one of the government outfit was massacred. This took place in Young county, about thirty- five miles west of Jacksboro, and a monument has since been erected there to their memory. This massacre convinced the general that in- stant action was necessary, and he put suffi- cient force in Texas to dismount the red men and drive them back to the reservations in the territory. Previous to this time, in the latter part of the '50s, when John Hensley was a very young man, he was sent to Austin as a repre- sentative of the Rangers to interview Governor Sam Houston with the view of getting state aid in furnishing supplies and equipment to the Rangers. In this he was successful and Gov- ernor Houston appointed him quartermaster to receive and attend to the distribution of the
242
HISTORY OF NORTH AND WEST TEXAS.
supplies and equipment. Although he moved his family to Jacksboro and gave them a home in town, he practically lived all his life at the old place on Carroll's creek, and there his death occurred from apoplexy on the 29th of No- vember, 1903. During his life he had been im- portuned many times to become a candidate for high official positions, such as representative, but always refused. Mrs. Hensley is still living. In their family were three sons and five daugh- ters, the latter being Mrs. Charity Wilson, Mrs. Lou McConnell, Mrs. Hattie Jackson, Mrs. Maud Wells and Mrs. Angie Briggs.
Hickman Hensley, one of the three sons of the family, was early inured to the duties at- tending the cattle business, receiving his edu- cation in the local schools, while his business training was obtained in Eastman's Business College at Poughkeepsie, New York. His brothers, Biff and John Hensley, were also educated at that institution, and after the death of the father the three sons were appointed ad- ministrators of the estate, having ever since been engaged in the cattle and other industries under the firm name of Hensley Brothers. They own about five thousand acres of pasture and farming land at the Carroll creek place, and are largely engaged in handling and feeding cattle. Hickman Hensley is also interested in the ice and electric light plant, is the owner of the Hensley livery stable and in many other ways is interested in the growth and develop- ment of Jacksboro and Jack county. In 1896 he was elected to the position of district clerk, to which he was re-elected in 1898, for two terms, at the present time being the only native son of the county who has been honored with official county positions.
In the city of Jacksboro Mr. Hensley was united in marriage to Miss Alma Johnson, a daughter of Everett Johnson, an honored pioneer of Jack county, where he located in the early 'Gos, coming from New York, and for many years enjoyed the distinction of being the only Republican in the county. To this mar- riage has been born a daughter, Hazel. Mr. Ilensley is a member of the Presbyterian
church, and affiliates with the Knights of Pythias fraternity.
DR. JAMES P. BLOUNT, whose labors in various lines have contributed to the public wel- fare and prosperity as well as to his individual advancement, is now the president of the Den- ton County National Bank at Denton, Texas. He has, however, figured as a representative of the medical fraternity and in political circles of the county, and his influence has been of no restricted order, but has furthered the public good, so that the consensus of opinion accords him a place with the representative citizens of this part of the state. He was born in Carroll county, Mississippi, March 11, 1849, his parents being Judge J. M. and Sophia (Caudle) Blount. The father was born December 27, 1822, and removed to Texas in 1856, becoming a pioneer resident of Denton county. Much of the dis- trict was still unclaimed and the work of im- provement and development seemed scarcely begun. In fact, he assisted in laying out the town of Denton, which became the county seat and with its public measures he was closely as- sociated and aided in shaping the policy of the county, his name thus being inseparably inter- woven with its history. His ability being recognized by his fellow townsmen, he was elected to the office of county judge, which posi- tion he filled for several years, his decisions being characterized by strict impartiality and equity. His name is also found upon the legis- lative records of the state, for in 1866 he was a member of the Texas senate, going out of office with the administration of Governor Throckmorton, who was removed by the fed- eral military authorities as an impediment to reconstruction. Judge Blount afterward filled a number of minor offices in the city and county of Denton and promptness and fidelity charac- terized the discharge of his duties, his labors being of benefit to the locality which he repre- sented. He was successful in his business life · and built a beautiful home in Denton, where as an honored and esteemed citizen he maintained his residence for many years. He was prom-
243
HISTORY OF NORTH AND WEST TEXAS.
inent in the Masonic fraternity, exemplifying in his life the teachings of the craft, and was also a devoted member of the Baptist church. . measures looking to the welfare of the district He died February 22, 1899, while his wife and state. He was a member of the committee passed away February 5, 1869.
Dr. Blount acquired a good academic educa- tion and took up the study of pharmacy as an active assistant in the drug store of his brother-in-law, Dr. G. W. Hughes, a prom- inent physician, who was also Dr. Blount's pre- ceptor in the study of medicine. The latter subsequently opened a drug store of his own in Denton, having a splendidly equipped estab -- lishment and in connection with its conduct he practiced medicine. As a druggist he pros- pered, carrying on the store for several years, but other duties claimed his attention and he retired from trade. On the Ist of March, 1889, he was elected president of the First National Bank of Denton, which position he resigned and in 1892 organized the Denton County Na- tional Bank, of which he has been president since its establishment. This is a strong and influential financial institution, thoroughly rep- resentative of and closely affiliated with the rich agricultural and business interest of Den- ton and the county. Dr. Blount has practically given up the practice of medicine, for his bank- ing duties require the greater part of his time and attention. He is an able financier, con- ducting the bank along safe and conservative lines and yet in keeping with the progressive spirit that is so manifest in all the business life of Texas today. With his son, James G., he is a member of the large mercantile firm of Jar- rell Bass & Company, of Denton, and he has property interests of considerable value. He is a man of resourceful business ability, carrying forward to successful completion whatever he undertakes, his labors resulting beneficially to the town as well as contributing in substantial measure to his individual prosperity.
For many years Dr. Blount has been a potent influence in political circles in Denton and the county, his fitness for leadership being recog- nized by his fellow citizens, who elected him to represent the Twenty-sixth district in. the Nine- teenth legislature of Texas in 1885. There he
was connected with much important construc- .tive legislation and was the champion of many
on state affairs and constitutional amendments, on public health and others. The biographer , of the Nineteenth legislature said of him : "Dr. ' Blount made a bold, conservative, hard-work- ing representative, a man of fine mind, a truc Democrat. He ever spoke and voted in the in- terest of the people, exercised a strong in- fluence, and helped enact some of the most important laws enacted by the body of which he was a member." For twelve years Dr. Blount was chairman of the Democratic Execu- tive Committee of Denton county, actively en- gaged in the work of his party and contributing in substantial measure to its success, but he re- signed the position in 1900 on account of the death of his wife. He was a delegate from the Fifth congressional district to the National Democratic convention held in St. Louis, Mis- souri, in June, 1888.
` In April 1869, Dr. Blount was married to Miss Jessamine Kearby, a daughter of Judge E. P. Kearby and a sister of Senator Kearby and Major Jerome Kearby. She departed this life June 28, 1900, leaving two sons and a daughter: James G., Eva Shelley and Jerome Blount. In his fraternal relations Mr. Blount is a Mason and is past district deputy grand master in the grand lodge of Texas. At the present writing he is king in the Royal Arch chapter, with which he is affiliated and at one time was its treasurer. His interest in city af- fairs is further indicated by the fact that he has served as trustee of the schools of Denton and he has co-operated in many measures that have been of direct and tangible benefit to the city. His reliability stands as an unquestioned fact in his career, for in his varied business transactions he has maintained a high standard of commercial ethics. He has been watchful of every indication pointing to success, has readily recognized opportunities and in the control of the varied interests with which he has been closely associated he has manifested keen sagacity and thorough understanding of
244
HISTORY OF NORTH AND WEST TEXAS.
the work that he has undertaken. His credit- able record as a physician and merchant is further augmented by the reputation that he has gained as a financier.
STEPHEN BETHEL STRAWN is an old- timer and capitalist of Palo Pinto county, and the town of Strawn, of which he is a resident, was named for him and was laid out on a part of his ranch. He has been an honored citizen of this part of the state for many years, having passed through the pioneer difficulties and dangers, and from a time when he owned noth- ing in the world but his own ambition and energy he has made progress to a comfortable degree of material welfare and a position of in- fluence and prominence among his fellow citi- zens.
This honored pioneer was born in Giles county, Tennessee, April 30, 1837. His parents were William and Euly (Carvel) Strawn. His father, who was born in Tennessee, took his family to Missouri in 1842 and, locating in Lawrence county, lived there till his death. His occupation was farming. The mother also passed away in Missouri.
Mr. Strawn was brought up on a farm. When he was still in young manhood he came to Texas, and after stopping a time in Eastland county settled in Palo Pinto county, which has been his permanent home since 1860. Arriving here without any capital, he began working by the day and month, and.it was in this way that he got the start in life which has since enabled him to outstrip many others in the race for success. In two years he had accumulated enough so that he could invest in some prop- erty of his own, and from this nucleus has built up a large estate. Since coming to Palo Pinto county he has lived within three miles of where the present town of Strawn is located. He began farming and stock-raising in a modest way, and in fact has always been con- servative in business, avoiding anything that savored of plunging, but the sure process which he has used has netted him increasing means until he has become rated as a wealthy man.
Of later years he has sold off a good deal of his land, but still owns some fifteen hundred acres, the southwest corner of which is only three miles from Strawn. His home place of eighty acres adjoins Strawn on the northwest.
During the first years of his residence in this county the Indians were still troublesome, har- assing the settlers and stealing their stock, and Mr. Strawn has more than once used his gun in defense of himself and property against the red men. During his early business career in this county, especially in the cattle industry, he was associated with J. N. Stuart, another of the old-timers of Palo Pinto county, whose life history will be found on other pages.
The town of Strawn is situated in what was Mr. Strawn's pasture at the time of its found- ing, which took place when the Texas & Pa- cific Railroad reached here in 1881. Part of the town-site was donated by Mr. Strawn, and the town was named in his honor. It has always been a very prosperous little commercial cen- ter, and especially so since the development of the coal mining industry in this vicinity.
Both in town and county affairs Mr. Strawn has taken an active and public-spirited part, having been one of the first justices of the peace in this part of the county, and having served four years, or two terms, as county commis- sioner. He is vice president of the Bank of Strawn, of which he was one of the organizers in March, 1904; is a stockholder in the Western National Bank of Fort Worth and a director in the First National Bank of Gordon, Texas ; also has important real estate interests in Strawn and is a member of the firm of Strawn & Com- pany, who have the leading mercantile business in the town.
Mr. Strawn is a member of the Masonic lodge and his church membership is with the Cum- berland Presbyterian church. Mr. Strawn was married in Eastland county, this state, to Miss Emeline J. Allen. They lost a daughter, Amanda, and their other children are Mrs. Sarah Elizabeth Strain, Louis Porter Strawn and Mrs. Ona Edwards.
245
HISTORY OF NORTH AND WEST TEXAS.
JUDGE JOSEPH MAGOFFIN, vice presi- dent of the State National Bank at El Paso, has a pioneer history in connection with the devel- opment of Texas that makes him a represen- tative citizen of the early days, while the ex- tent and importance of his business interests in later life also justify the presentation of his history in this volume. He was born in the city of Chihuahua, Mexico, in the year 1837, his parents being General James W. and Gertrude (Valdez) Magoffin.
under the new regime, which task he success- fully accomplished. Not long after its com- .pletion he went to San Antonio, where his death occurred in 1868. His name is inseparably linked with the history of Texas and he did important service for the development of El Paso. He enjoyed most intimate relations with · the federal government during and following the Mexican war and up to the time that hos- tilities were inaugurated between the north and the south. Being a citizen of Missouri he had the friendship of Senator Thomas Benton, and it was through the influence of the latter that
The father was born in Harrodsburg, Ken- tucky, and emigrated to Mexico in the early '30s, embarking in business in the city of Chi- the rank of colonel was bestowed upon Mr. huahua. After the state of Chihuahua was Magoffin in recognition of his splendid service in the Mexican war. It should also be stated that while General Samuel Houston was gov- ernor Mr. Magoffin was appointed by him as brigadier general of the state troops. He was a very prominent man of unquestioned fidelity to any cause that he espoused, and his fitness for leadership gave him much influence over public thought and opinion. His wife belonged to a prominent Mexican family and was born and reared in Coahuila. Her death oc- curred in Independence, Missouri, in 1845. formed he was appointed the first consul to that state by the United States government and served in that capacity for a number of years. His mercantile operations broadened and he be- came a successful business man of his adopted city, having his goods hauled by his own freight teams from Independence, Missouri, which in those days was the most prominent city and trading point of the frontier border. In 1844 he left the southern country and removed with his family to Independence, where he remained until after the breaking out of the Mexican Judge Magoffin of this review was a young lad of nine years when his parents left Coahuila and removed to Independence. He attended school in that city and also continued his studies in Lexington, Kentucky, whither he went with his brother Samuel, while later he was a student in Wyman's high school at St. Louis, Missouri. When the war between the states broke out he was with his father at El Paso and was largely familiar with military tactics because of the father's connection with the fort. He volunteered for service in the Confederate army and was honored with a commission as captain on the staff of General Sibley in the Trans-Mississippi Department, serving throughout the New Mexico campaign. He remained in that department during the whole progress of the war with the exception of the brief period spent in Virginia during the time of active hostilities around Richmond. Later he was in the Louisiana campaign and as a staff officer with General Majors he was war, when he returned to Mexico, this time as a secret agent for the United States govern- ment attached to Doniphan's expedition, hav- ing a commission from the president. Subse- quent to the close of hostilities and the treaty of 1848, which made the Rio Grande river the international boundary line, General Magoffin located at old Fort Bliss on duty for the fed- eral government at a point one mile west of the present site of El Paso, now constituting Bas- sett's addition to the city. He located this fort in 1849. The little hamlet that sprung up where El Paso now stands was called Franklin, which name it retained until 1860, when it began to be called by the present name of El Paso. Gen- eral Magoffin was a central figure in the life and development of the new town and remained there until 1862, when he returned north for a brief period. In 1867 he was appointed by Gov- ernor Hamilton chief executive of Texas in the reconstruction and organization of El Paso
246
HISTORY OF NORTH AND WEST TEXAS.
made commissary general of the department west of the Mississippi river. Engaged in that service he was stationed at Victoria, Texas, managing the gathering of supplies for the army when the war was closed.
Judge Magoffin subsequently returned to St. Louis, Missouri, where he remained for about a year with his brother-in-law, Charles C. Richardson, and in 1868 he again went to El Paso, where he has since lived, and through- out this period of almost forty years he has been a leading and prominent factor in the upbuild- ing and substantial improvement of the city. He has been honored by his fellow townsmen with numerous offices of trust, beginning with that of justice of the peace, while later he was county judge, county commissioner and mayor for several terms. He was also customs col- lector of the El Paso district under President Cleveland, and his official service has always been characterized by a prompt and unfalter- ing performance of duty. In other lines he has contributed to the welfare of the city, making a creditable name in financial circles as one of the organizers and the vice president of the State National Bank, which is the pioneer banking institution of El Paso.
Judge Magoffin was married to Miss Octavia MacGrael, belonging to an old Texas family, her father being Peter MacGrael. They now have a son and daughter, James W. Magoffin, of El Paso, and Josephine, who is the wife of Captain Glasgow, on the staff of General Wade, at Governor's Island. Judge Magoffin is prom- inent in Masonic circles, having taken the Knight Templar degree of the York Rite and the thirty-second degree of the Scottish Rite and is also a member of the Mystic Shrine. His has been an eventful history, the usual routine of a business career being checkered by military experience and political service. At all times he has manifested the strong traits of a brave man, fearless in his championship of any cause which he espouses and in the up- building of his adopted city he has been prom- inent, the value of his service being recognized by all who know aught of the development and improvement of El Paso.
CAPTAIN SAMUEL EVANS, deceased, and often referred to in these pages, was born in Garrard county, Kentucky, October 28, 1831, the fifth of thirteen children born to Hezekiah and Nancy (Cole) Evans. He completed his schooling at the age of fifteen years, after which he taught for a time, and remained with his par- ents until coming to Texas in 1853. In the same year he located in Tarrant county and during the first three months served as deputy sheriff of Robinson county. He next went to Brownsville where he purchased a herd of ponies, brought them to this county, and ever since made his home here. Mr. Evans purchased and located on a tract of land which he improved and farmed until the opening of the late war. He was the first to take a cargo of hides from this county, drove the first herd of sheep from Tarrant coun- ty to New Orleans, and brought the first drove of Mexican ponies to this locality.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.