A twentieth century history and biographical record of north and west Texas, Volume I, Part 70

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

USA > Texas > A twentieth century history and biographical record of north and west Texas, Volume I > Part 70

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W. A. FULLER. Carlisle has said that the biography yields in point of interest and profit to no other reading, while Pope has said that "The proper study of mankind is man." The reason for this is obvious and really needs no explanation, for in the record of a successful man are found the methods that he follows and the plans that he pursues, and therein is set forth an example that may be emulated by others, lead- ing to similar results. As the struggle for wealth and position becomes more intense owing to the complicated condition of business affairs at the present time it behooves every young man to study closely his own abilities, to carefully ap- praise his own powers and to understand, as clearly as he may, the steps by which the suc- cessful men have gained their places. It is evi- dent that one who has sounded the depths of his own possibilities and gauged fairly the heights of his successful neighbors has a strong and sure foundation on which to build a lasting structure. The watchword of the business world today as represented in industrial, agricultural and com- mercial conditions and as also seen in religious and political circles is "onward." Keen of com- prehension, fertile of resource, indefatigable in everything, the active brains of the leaders of to- day in every walk of life recognize no such word as fail. The great state of Texas contains many such men, some of whom have laid the founda- tion for their fortunes in the early development of the county and have kept pace with the on-

W. A. FULLER

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HISTORY OF NORTH AND WEST TEXAS.

ward march of progress until they have reached positions of prominence and have become leaders in various walks of life in this great common- wealth. To this class belongs William Aaron Ful- ler, of Snyder, Scurry county, and his life history cannot fail to prove of interest to many of our readers.

The Fuller family comes of sturdy Scotch- Irish ancestry. His father, Hezekiah Fuller, was born and reared in North Carolina and removed from that state to Tennessee when about twenty- one years of age. He made his home in Dyer county, where he followed the occupation of farming, and there died in 1887 when seventy- six years of age. His wife bore the maiden name of Nancy Green and was a native of North Caro- lina. Her parents removed to Tennessee when she was about four years of age and there she was reared to womanhood, married and reared her own children. Her death occurred about 1888, when she was seventy-one years of age. To Mr. and Mrs. Fuller were born nine chil- dren, four sons and five daughters, namely: Ann E. and Susan M., who are now deceased ; George R., who is residing in Dyer county, Tennessee ; Sarah E., who has also passed away; John T., a resident of Florida ; William A., who is residing in Scurry county, Texas ; Millard, deceased ; Em- ma H., who makes her home in Fort Worth, Tex- as ; and Nannie L., also a resident of Fort Worth.

William Aaron Fuller was born in Dyer coun- ty, Tennessee, September 14, 1849, and became familiar with farm work upon his father's place, where he lived until twenty-eight years of age. For two or three years he was engaged in mer- chandising at Newburn, Tennessee, after which he gave his attention to the manufacture of lum- ber there. In this business he has been eminently successful, although he has changed the base of his operations from time to time as he has found it necessary to seek other lumber regions to gain a new supply of timber. In 1890 he located an extensive lumber plant in Arkansas at a place called Marked Tree, and there Mr. Fuller spent the greater part of his time, although his family maintained their residence in Memphis, Tennes- see, about forty miles distant. About 1902 he closed out his interests in the lumber business be-

cause of a protracted attack of rheumatism, and following the advice of his physician he started "'out to find a higher altitude and a drier climate that would be more conducive to his health. He traveled through the states of Colorado, New Mexico and Texas, and finally located in Scurry county in January, 1904. Here Mr. Fuller pur- chased the Coppinger ranch, and in the follow- ing March purchased the L P ranch, the two .comprising about one hundred and four sections and are separated by an intervening tract of land covering about two miles. The brand recently adopted by Mr. Fuller is E on the left jaw and the same on the left thigh. In the purchase of these two ranches Mr. Fuller acquired about three thousand head of cattle of ordinary breed and has since that time added of registered high-grade cattle about twenty-five hundred more of the Hereford and Durham stock. He has since disposed of much of his first purchase of stock, replacing them with the stock of higher grades, so that at the present time his herd ranks with the best in the country.

Mr. Fuller was married on the 17th of Janu- ary, 1877, to Miss Elizabeth C. Justis, a native of Virginia, born and reared within eighteen miles of Richmond. They now have two chil- dren : Powie L., and Marshall A. They also lost one daughter, Carrie J., who died in April, 1904, at the age of twenty-three years. Mr. Fuller has been a member of the Baptist church since the age of fourteen years and is interested in the material, intellectual and moral progress of the community in which he makes his home.

Since coming to Scurry county Mr. Fuller has devoted his attention largely to cattle interests and has acquired a finishing range in Kansas, where he has at this time a large string of cattle which he is fattening for the market, having been shipped there from the Texas ranch. While he has been connected with the cattle business only since he came to Texas in January, 1904, he has shown a peculiar aptitude for the business and a knowledge in handling cattle that would be cred- itable to a man who had been associated with this line of industry for many years. He is making improvements upon his ranch in the way of sup- plying it with water from wells by windmills,

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HISTORY OF NORTH AND WEST TEXAS.

also building cross fences and making other im- seven miles from the city of Lawrenceburg. It provements that will soon place his ranch on a par with the best to be found in the country. In the lumber business he had become a man of con- siderable means, and having had large experience in business affairs throughout the country gen- erally, some of the local financiers of Snyder and vicinity solicited his services in the establish- ment of a financial institution in Snyder. After some preliminary investigation of the matter and the conditions to be met, W. A. Fuller, E. W. Clark, F. J. Grayum, H. P. Wellborn and Ar- thur Yonge, after a consultation held at the of- fice of the last named about the 28th of Decem- ber, 1904, organized the Snyder National Bank of Snyder, Texas, with a capital stock of fifty thousand dollars. The officers chosen for the first year were : W. A. Fuller, president ; E. W. Clark, vice president ; F. J. Grayum, cashier, and P. P. Martin, assistant cashier, while the board of di- rectors is composed of W. A. Fuller, E. W. Clark, F. J. Grayum, H. P. Wellborn and Arthur Yonge. Later Mr. Martin resigned as assistant cashier and O. P. Thrane was elected to the position, while Mr. Wellborn, having resigned from the directorate, was succeeded by P. L. Fuller. W. A. Fuller of this review became the largest stock- holder in the bank and has since continued as its president and active manager. The institution is now located in a new two-story brick building which was erected at a cost of ten thousand dollars. The bank is making splendid progress and, having a large patronage, will undoubtedly become one of the strongest financial landmarks of this section of the country. Mr. Fuller also contemplates other enterprises for the future of no small magnitude that will add greatly to the upbuilding and progress of Western Texas as well as his individual success. He has ever been watchful of opportunities, careful in their utiliza- tion, and he seems to have realized at any one point in his career the possibilities for successful accomplishment at that point.

G. B. PAXTON, president of the Paxton Hardware Company at Snyder, Texas, is a na- tive of Anderson county, Kentucky, born No- vember 29, 1844, his birth place being about

will be of interest and value to present in this connection a short account of the Paxton family as taken from a volume compiled by W. M. Pax- ton, of Platte City, Missouri. This shows the Paxtons to have been found in Scotland, England, Wales, Ireland and America, and the name pre- sents various spellings, but all of the numerous families trace their ancestry to the same source. They are now to be found in seven hundred dif- ferent places in forty-nine states and territories and are scattered from China on the east to the Sandwich Islands on the west. The name Paxton is of Saxon origin and ancestors of the family as early as the sixth century crossed from the con- tinent and settled in what is now Berwickshire, Scotland. A few centuries later we find that by enterprise and industry they had acquired wealth and had attained both influence and title. It is learned that one James Paxton of Ballymoney, county Antrim, was one of many Presbyterians who took refuge in the north of Ireland during the presecutions of Charles II of England. Three of the sons of James Paxton seem to have come to America about 1735, these being William, Thomas and Samuel Paxton, who had land sur- veyed to them on Marsh creek, Lancaster (now Adams) county, Pennsylvania. The descendents of William Paxton removed to Rockbridge coun- ty, Virginia, in 1750 and there in course of time the family became a numerous one, while many of the representatives of the name were also found in Pennsylvania. The Pennsylvania branch afterward became represented in Kentucky and this line includes the two ancestors of G. B. Pax- ton, of Snyder.

His father, Colonel R. H. Paxton, was a cap- tain of the Kentucky State Militia and was pro- moted to the rank of colonel prior to the Civil war. He was a farmer and stockman by occupa- tion and paid much attention to the raising of fine jacks and stallions. His farm was in An- derson county and there he died on the 27th of February, 1878. His wife bore the maiden name of Mildred Burress, and was a native of Ken- tucky, born and reared in Mercer county. She gave her hand in marriage to Mr. Paxton in 1833 and her death occurred April 22, 1885. She was

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HISTORY OF NORTH AND WEST TEXAS.

the mother of ten children, six sons and four

signed, after which he came to Texas. He had daughters, all of whom are now living with the married an own cousin of his former wife, Miss Georgie B. Kennedy, of Mercer county, Ken- tucky, on the 13th of September, 1871.

exception of Philip T., who was residing in Har- rodsburg at the time of his death. He was the second of the family. The others are: James E., Having disposed of his interests in his native state Mr. Paxton removed to Texas, arriving at Dallas on the 25th of November, 1872. The Houston & Texas Central and the Texas Pacific a resident of Anderson county, Kentucky ; Anna Elizabeth, the wife of John Hawkins, who is liv- ing in Miami, Missouri; John W., of Anderson county, Kentucky, who is the only one of the : railroads had just been completed to that town family that has remained single; Mary Frances, the wife of J. C. Penny, a resident of Hamilton; Missouri; Gabriel B., -who is living in Snyder, Texas; Ellen Jane, the wife of Frank Cunning- ham, who resides in Harrodsburg, Kentucky ; Mildred Catherine, the wife of Richard Dunn, a resident of Lawrenceburg, Kentucky; Richard S., whose home is in Topeka, Kansas; and Elie C., of Ennis, Texas.

Gabriel B. Paxton made his home with his pa- rents until nineteen years of age, and was mar- ried two days before he reached the age of eigh- teen years to Miss Sallie A. Kennedy, who was born in Newton county, Missouri, but was reared in Mercer county, Kentucky. The date of the marriage was November 27, 1862, and the. young couple lived with his parents until he was nine- teen years of age, when he began farming on his own account in Mercer county. After a happy married life of four years his wife passed away December 21, 1866.

When he had followed farming in Mercer county for about three years Mr. Paxton re- moved to Hamilton, Missouri, and in connection with James Gallemore published the Hamilton Investigator, a Democratic paper which support- ed the candidacy of Seymour and Blair as presi- dent and vice president of the United States. About a year after the campaign Mr. Paxton sold his interest in the paper and returned to Ken- tucky, engaging in the distilling of whiskey in Anderson county, having a plant of medium ca- pacity turning out about five barrels per day. He continued in the business for two seasons. Prior to this time, just after he had passed his twenty-first birthday, Mr. Paxton was elected coroner of Mercer county, and was probably the youngest man ever chosen to that position. He held the office for two or three years and then re-

and Dallas was then a town of shanties number- ing not more than two thousand people. It was a busy place, in which there were a great many teams hauling freight and lumber to the western country, which was then being opened up for settlement. Mr. Paxton obtained employment there as bookkeeper for E. P. Cowan & Com- pany, dealers in sash and doors, with whom he remained for a year, after which he entered the employ of Huey & Philp, wholesale and retail hardware merchants, with whom he continued for four years. It was while there that Mr. Pax- ton aided in organizing the grand council of the American Legion of Honor at Houston and he was elected at that session grand treasurer of the state and held the position by consecutive elections for eighteen years, or until the grand council in Texas was discontinued. He after- ward removed to Alvarado, Texas, and in con- nection with A. J. Brown, then of that place, organized the Paxton Hardware Company. He was in business there for four years, when he sold out and went to Fort Worth, where he ac- cepted the secretaryship of the Union Stock Yards, which had recently been organized with John R. Hoxie as president. At the first election after Mr. Paxton's association with the yards he was elected both secretary and treasurer of the organization. The Fort Worth Packing Com- pany was then organized and he was elected escretary and treasurer of the concern. He con- tinued his official connection with the packing house for about a year and with the Union Stock Yards for about three years, but owing to his refusal to enter into a scheme of bribery and trickery in connection with the management of affairs of the packing house his salary was cut down to such an extent that he resigned his po- sition, which led ultimately to his severing his

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HISTORY OF NORTH AND WEST TEXAS.

connection entirely with both the packing house and stock yards. This packing house was the first one built in Fort Worth and formed the nucleus of the business enterprises of that char- acter which have made Fort Worth the great packing center of the southwest.

Mr. Paxton afterward engaged with the Ar- lington Heights Company as bookkeeper, for that part of the city was then being developed. The company afterward failed, but he remained with them until the business was finally closed out by the receiver. He then accepted a position with. the Texas & Pacific Coal Company, of which Colonel R. D. Hunter was president and general manager, acting as head bookkeeper and general auditor for nearly three years. On the expiration of that period he turned his attention to the hard- ware business in Abilene, Texas, in connection with his son, George L. Paxton, under the firm name of George L. Paxton, and the latter was also in business at Snyder, Texas, under the firm name of the Paxton Hardware Company. When the son disposed of the business in Abilene the father came to Snyder and organized the busi- ness then already established into a stock com- pany on October 20, 1904, receiving the charter on the 15th of December of that year. The capi- tal stock was twenty thousand dollars and the firm name remains the same as before, with the following officers: George L. Paxton, president ; G. B. Paxton, vice president and general man- ager ; LeRoy Johnson, secretary, and W. A. Henderson, treasurer. Mr. Paxton is also su- preme president of the Home Protection Society, an insurance order, which has only recently been chartered, but is growing very rapidly and has its headquarters at Snyder, Texas.

To Mr. and Mrs. Paxton have been born three children, who are yet living: George L., who is associated with his father and is one of the en- terprising business men of this section of the state; Lillian A., the wife of J. S. Lambard, re- siding at Houston, Texas, and Guy E. They also lost one son, Gilbert Roy, who died when six years of age at Alvarado, Texas. Mr. Paxton has been a member of the Baptist church since the age of nineteen years and was made one of its deacons in Fort Worth when J. Morgan Wells

was pastor of the First church. He has been closely associated with the development and up- building of Texas, has been watchful of its op- portunities, utilizing these to good advantage, and is now accounted one of the representative business men and citizens of Scurry county.

PAT DURACK. Among the prominent and distinguished men of the southwest whose energy and genius have left their impress upon its rapidly developing civilization and business development, none are more deserving of men- tion than Pat Durack, whose efforts have gained him distinction and brought him wealth, while at the same time they have been a source of permanent benefit to the localities in which his activity has been displayed. Mr. Durack is par- ticularly well known in connection with the min- ing interests of this portion of America, and as a pioneer settler of El Paso is entitled to mention in this volume. He was born in coun- ty Limerick, Ireland, and came to America in 1854, landing at New York, whence he afterward made his way to Ohio. He was a resident of the Buckeye state at the time of the inauguration of hostilities between the north and the south, and espousing the cause of the Union he enlisted at Urbana as a member of Company C, Sixty- sixth Ohio Infantry, under Colonel Canby. He joined the army of the Potomac, going first to Washington, whence his command was sent to the firing line in Virginia. He made a remark- able army record from the standpoint of the great number of historic battles in which he participated. He was in the engagements at Manassas, Cedar Mountain, Antietam, Harper's Ferry, Winchester, Cedar Creek, Malvern Hill, St. Mary's and others leading up to the battle of Gettysburg and in that memorable contest the Sixty-sixth Ohio was stationed on Culp's Hill to the right of the picket, taking part in the charge at the point known as "Bloody Hollow" with the Twelfth Corps. Following the battle of Gettysburg the corps to which Mr. Durack belonged was transferred to the Twentieth Army Corps, then under command of General Hooker, for operations around Chattanooga. The corps was organized at Bridgeport, Alabama, and Mr.

PAT DURACK

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HISTORY OF NORTH AND WEST TEXAS.

Durack participated in the battles of Lookout Mountain, Missionary Ridge and Ringgold. In . Texas. May, 1864, he started on the Atlanta campaign and took part in the battles of Mill Creek, Resaca, Dalton, Kingston, Marietta, Peach Tree . Creek and others. Just before arriving at At- lanta he was wounded in the engagement at Marietta, and, although this did not disable him permanently at the time, he was later rendered a cripple for several years as the result of the ac- cident. Following the fall of Atlanta he went with Sherman on the celebrated march to the sea which proved the weakness of the Confed- eracy, showing that the strength had been drawn from the interior to protect the borders. Mr. Durack was in the division commanded by Gen- eral W. W. Geary, afterward governor of Penn- sylvania, and who toward the close of the war was made military governor of Savannah, where Mr. Durack remained for about three weeks. Later he joined General Sherman on the Cape Fear river in South Carolina and subsequently was at Goldsboro, North Carolina, where, just outside of the city, was fought the last battle of the war-Kingston. He then went with his regi- ment to Washington, where he participated in the grand review, the most celebrated pageant ever seen on the western hemisphere. His reg- iment was in twenty-three general engagements besides many smaller battles and skirmishes, and he now bears the scars of eight wounds. He was a brave and fearless soldier and with the Army of the Potomac and with the Army of the Cum- berland rendered signal service in the preserva- tion of the Union.

When the war was over Mr. Durack located at Cincinnati, where he resided for several years, being engaged in the contract business there from 1865 until 1873. In the latter year he went to the west, spending some time in the Dakotas, Nebraska, Colorado and other places, being largely engaged in contracting during that period. He was also engaged on the construc- tion of bridges on the Northern Pacific Railroad and other railroad lines and built the masonry for the big bridges at Glasgow, Plattsmouth, Blair and Bismarck. He next located at St. Paul, where he was engaged in the contract busi-

ness until 1888, when he came to Western

Mr. Durack has since been identified with the development and progress of this section of the Lone Star state. In 1890 he opened the Pecos stone quarries at the town of Pecos and fur- nished the stone for the erection of some of the largest and best known buildings in Texas, in- cluding the postoffice and the courthouse at Dal- las and the courthouse at San Antonio, Waxa- hachie; Texarkana courthouse, Fort Worth postoffice and other cities. In 1891 he estab- lished the first iron-rolling mill in Texas at Fort Worth on the Cotton Belt Railroad, near the stockyards, and conducted that enterprise for about two years. He continued the operation of his stone quarries for twelve years, when he with- drew . from that line of business and turned his attention to the mining interests in Arizona, New Mexico, Sonora and Chi- huahua, Mexico. He has become the owner of much valuable and important mining interests in those states. Some of the prop- erties that he acquired in Chihuahua were recently sold to capitalists at Washington, D. C., for one hundred thousand dollars.

One of the most notable events in Mr. Du- rack's career was when he made a wild ride of two hundred miles in thirty-one hours to save the lives of six Americans sentenced to be shot in Sonora. He carried papers from American consuls and others asking for a reprieve, and as a result the innocence of the condemned men was established and they were released.

Mr. Durack was married to Miss Julia Bren- nan, and they have one son, Frank. Within re- cent years they have made their home in El Paso. Mr. Durack is a prominent Catholic and was one of the organizers of the local division of the Knights of Columbus. He was instrumental in organizing Ward county, was its first deputy sheriff, later county commissioner, and during his term of office the courthouse at Barstow was built. There is hardly a man in all the southwest who has a wider acquaintance than Pat Durack and no man is more favorably known. His life record is filled with diversified interests and ex- citing episodes connected with his military expe-

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riences and his pioneer life in connection with railroad building in the west and the develop- ment of Texas. He possesses keen insight that enables him to recognize an opportunity and his energy prompts his ready utilization of this. Keen and clear-headed, always busy, always careful, and conservative in financial matters, moving slowly but surely in every transaction, he has few superiors in the steady progress which invariably reaches the objective point. His career has been a remarkably successful one and the story of his achievements should in- spire all young men who read it with a truer estimate of the value and sure rewards of char- acter.

REV. THOMAS S. CLYCE, D. D., presi- dent of Austin College and pastor of the Col- lege Park Presbyterian church at Sherman, Texas, was born in Kingsport, Sullivan coun- ty, Tennessee, September 12, 1863. The Clyce family was established in America at a very early epoch in the history of the new world by ancestors who located in Pennsylvania, while later representatives of the name went to Vir- ginia. Dr. Clyce is a son of William Henry and Mary Elizabeth (Hagy) Clyce, both na- tives of Virginia, the former born in Lexington and the latter in Abingdon. Becoming resi- dents of Tennessee, they passed away at the old home at Kingsport after attaining to a ripe old age. Dr. Clyce was the youngest in their family of twelve children, seven of whom are now living. Farming has been the principal occupation of the representatives of the fami- ly, though the professions and commercial life have also had their representatives. Two brothers of Dr. Clyce, James F. and William A. Clyce, were soldiers of the Confederate army. Another brother, Frank P. Clyce, is a fine mechanic and dealer in builder's supplies at Lincoln, Nebraska. William A. is the own- er and operator of a large flouring mill at Bris- tol, Tennessee. James F., Samuel and a sister, Mrs. Lovinia Nelms, jointly own and conduct the old home farm. Charles L. is a prosperous farmer residing near Abingdon, Virginia.

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A twentieth century history and biographical record of north and west Texas, Volume I, Part 70

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