A twentieth century history and biographical record of north and west Texas, Volume I, Part 77

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 77

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A fair education was acquired by Andrew M. Neece as a result of his studious habits and industrious application in the common schools where he grew up. He left his father's employ when nearing manhood and learned shoemaking and house-carpentering and for some twenty-five years he was occupied in the field of mechanics. When he came to Texas, in 1891, he took up farming and for a time rented a place near

Sunset. In 1895, he purchased his first tract of land in the county, one hundred and sixty acres, which he yet owns but which he abandoned to take possession of his new farm in the fruit belt of the county and one of the choicest selections for a model home anywhere to be found.

January 11, 1877, Mr. Neece married, in Paulding county, Georgia, Miss Louanna Rog- ers, a daughter of John L. and Sarah A. (Lee) Rogers, whose children were eleven in number, the survivors of whom are: Mrs. Neece, born July 15, 1856; Mary Massie; Sarah A .; Eliza- beth Artie; William Calhoun ; John Wesley ; Ar- vallenie Josephine ; James Monroe ; Levy Frank- lin, and Robert Greenberry.

Mr. and Mrs. Neece's children are : Virginia, wife of W. L. Culp, of Ural, Oklahoma, with children, Cyril, Velma, Lloyd and Veria ; Emma, wife of H. C. Rice, of Bowie, whose children are : Inez, James, Velma, Lawton and Vivian ; Joseph, of Sunset, married Alice Reynolds and has a daughter, Gladys ; Odessa, wife of P. H. Lee, of Bowie, Texas, has a son, William An- drew; Ida, who is now Mrs. James Lee ; Homer, Walter, Luther and Ova Sophrona.

Mr. Neece is the embodiment of industry and his Texas achievements are the result of per- sistent family effort directed by an intelligent brain. Aside from the labor of the farm, the labor of the church has claimed much of his time. Feeling called to do gospel work in the pulpit he was licensed to preach in 1898 and since then he has filled many pulpits of the Protestant Methodist church.

CAPTAIN T. J. RONE .. Among the early settlers of Montague and Cooke counties - men who came here in an early day and have reclaimed the wild region for the purposes of civilization- Mr. Rone is numbered and he is now successfully engaged in grain dealing in Saint Jo. His birth occurred in Ray county, Missouri, November 24, 1838, his parents being Mathew L. and Emaline (Fowler) Rone, both of Tennessee. The pater- nal grandfather was a native of Ireland and on emigrating to America settled in North Carolina, where all of his children were born. While there

T. J. RONE

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HISTORY OF NORTH AND WEST TEXAS.

he enlisted for service in the Black Hawk war for the uses of civilization. He thus aided in and subsequently he removed to Tennessee, , making it possible for others to establish homes where he spent his remaining days. The mem- ' on the frontier. His children were: Mira, now bers of his family were: Mathew; Mobly H., who came to the Republic of Texas and was a pioneer near Palestine; John, who went to Mis- sissippi; and three sisters whose names are not recorded. the wife of H. Graham; Mrs. Emaline Rone; Martha, the wife of J. Milligan; Rusetta, the wife of H. Sons; Thomas B. and LeRoy, who died in Missouri; and Jesse G., of Council ' Bluffs, Iowa. Mr. and Mrs. Mathew L. Rone had seven children: Samuel, who died at the age of seventeen years; Nathaniel H., of Oak- land; Oregon ; T. J. ; William H. H. and George M., who are residents of Ray county, Missouri ; Mathew A., who died in Texas; and Media A., the wife of Thomas Belt.

Mathew Rone was born in North Carolina . and with his parents removed to Tennessee, re- maining in their home up to the time of his mar- riage. Soon afterward, in 1825, he removed to Ray county, Missouri, and was an early resident of that locality. There he improved a good farm and in connection with its cultivation he fol- lowed his trade of a stone and brick mason. He was also a millwright and possessed much nat- ural mechanical ingenuity. He proved an ex- cellent man in a new country because of his varied capabilities and he assisted materially in its early development and upbuilding, contribut- ing in substantial measure to the welfare of the section of Missouri in which he lived. He re- mained successfully in business in Ray county for many years and there his wife died in 1867, subsequent to which time he sold out and re- moved to Arkansas, where he bought a farm. Taking up his abode there he remained upon that place until his death, which occurred when he had reached the age of seventy-five years. He was too old for active service in the Civil war, but his sympathy was entirely with the Confed- eracy. His attention throughout life was given to his farming, milling and mechanical pursuits, and he was known as a man always true to his honest convictions, gaining and retaining the respect of his fellow citizens in each community in which he lived. He held membership in the Christian church. His wife, who died in Ray county, Missouri, in 1855, was a daughter of Samuel Fowler of North Carolina, who removed to Tennessee and later became a resident of Ray county, Missouri, in 1825, being a prominent pio- neer resident there and a worthy member of the Christian church. He served in the Black Hawk war and assisted in subduing the red men and penetrating the new countries which he claimed

Captain T. J. Rone, born and reared in Ray county, acquired a common school education and became familiar with farm pursuits in his early youth. He remained under the parental roof until 1857, when in his nineteenth year he came to Texas, first locating at Bonham, Fannin county, where he spent three years. He then removed to Cooke county, settling in the Red River valley, where he followed the blacksmith's trade until the spring of 1861. Then offering his services to the Confederacy, he became a member of Company A, Eleventh Texas Cavalry, serving as its sergeant until he was promoted to first lieutenant and then captain. He was sent to Fort Arbuckle in the Indian Territory, the regiment being divided and stationed at differ- ent places. Captain Rone remained at Fort Ar- buckle until August, 1862, when he returned to Grayson county, Texas, where the regiment united and reorganized; then moving forward under General McCulloch to Arkansas, where Captain Rone participated in the battle of Oak Hill or Pea Ridge, in which General McCulloch and General John McIntosh were killed. Gen- eral Price and General Vandorn were in charge in that engagement, the latter acting as com- mander in chief. From there the regiment was sent to the Army of the Tennessee and partici- pated in the battle of Corinth, Mississippi. When the regiment reorganized in Grayson county to go to Oak Hill, T. J. Rone was elected first lieutenant, in which rank he continued until after the battle of Corinth, when the regiment was

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again re-organized and he was elected captain, thus serving until the close of the war. He re- fused an offered promotion to the colonelcy. The regiment had been dismounted after the Elkhorn fight and moved to Corinth, then Knox- ville, Tennessee, and under command of General Kirby Smith marched over the mountains to Richmond, Kentucky, and took part in the battle there, also in a number of skirmishes. After the battle at Richmond the regiment participated in the campaign through Kentucky and back to Knoxville, Tennessee, where Captain Rone at- tempted to resign, but his superiors felt that they could not afford to lose his valuable service and transferred him to Texas, where he took com- mand of Company E in M. L. Martin's Texas Rangers, his headquarters being at Bonham. Following this, his first campaign was to the Choctaw and Chickasaw nations. There occurred a fight at Fort Smith and also at Perryville, after which Colonel Martin's regiment returned to Richmond, Texas, being there at the time of General Lee's surrender. Soon after the com- mand disbanded and its members returned home. Captain Rone was always on active duty in the front ranks, but was never wounded nor cap- tured. ] He saw hard service and underwent many deprivations such as are meted out to the soldier.

In May, 1865, Captain Rone returned to Cooke county, where he engaged in farming, and in April, 1866, secured a companion and helpinate for life's journey. He then bought land and began the improvement of a farm, which he afterward sold, while later he improved a second farm in the Red River valley, near Illinois Bend, where he remained for eighteen years. At an early date he took part in the raids after the red men, who were continually stealing and run- ning off stock. For safety, the neighborhood built a stockade, digging deep trenches and set- ting up posts ten feet high and close together, but the Indians found a favorable opportunity by securing some tools that had been left at a graveyard, digging out the posts and driving away the stock. All of the men of the locality followed them and there was a big fight, the

white people succeeding in recapturing the stock. Although taking part in many raids, Captain Rone was never wounded, although on different occasions he captured some of the ponies and other plunder from the Indians. The settlers had their cabins picketed with high fences and there were port holes in the cabins in order that they might shoot the red men from these. After the Indians had left the country Captain Rone settled down to active farming and was very suc- cessful. He raised some stock as well as the various crops best adapted to soil and climate, and as the years went by success attended his labors. He had a shop and tools upon his place and did his own work and also considerable ser- vice in this direction for his neighbors. In the course of time he developed a good farm, well improved with substantial buildings, and he like- wise set out an orchard. He was quite success- ful in his business undertakings and he remained upon the farm until 1889, when, in order to pro- vide his children better edcational privileges, he removed to Saint Jo, and for two years acted as cotton weigher there. He also bought and handled cotton seed, but subsequently turned his attention to buying and shipping grain, and in connection with this business he likewise runs a feed store. He has sold a portion of his land, but is yet the owner of a good farm. He has also invested in oil fields and the company is drilling in the vicinity of Saint Jo with good prospects.

In April, 1866, was celebrated the marriage of Captain Rone and Miss Mary E. Merrell, who was born in Kentucky and is descended from one of the pioneer families of Cooke and Montague counties. Her father, William Merrell of Ken- tucky, removed to Missouri and after three years, is 1857, came to Texas, first settling in Fannin county but later taking up his abode in Cooke county, in the Red River valley. He was among the first to locate in that portion of the state and he purchased large tracts of land and improved a good farm. He was prominently identified with the development of agricultural interests and was also the champion of many progressive measures that tended to promote the substantial

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HISTORY OF NORTH AND WEST TEXAS.

welfare of this part of the state. He was highly respected because he was a man true to his word and his honest convictions. In his family were eleven children: Joe N .; John A .; Samuel B .; Thomas ; William; George; Jesse C .; Mrs. Lucy Browning; Susan, the wife of H. H. Hays; Mary E., now Mrs. Rone, and Belle, the wife of Felix Gillock.

Captain and Mrs. Rone had an interesting family of four children, but their first born, El- wood B., died at the age of eighteen years. Emma is the wife of E. R. Belcher, a mining stock operator at Colorado Springs. Dovey is the wife of J. T. Burgher, a real estate dealer at Fort Worth, and Myrtle died at the age of seven years. Mrs. Rone and the daughters are members of the Methodist church. Politically Captain Rone is a Democrat and has served as alderman of Saint Jo for more than ten years, exercising his official prerogatives in support cf every measure which he deems will prove of sub- stantial benefit to the city. He is likewise a member of the Masonic fraternity, and he too, is a member of the Methodist church, taking an active and helpful interest in its work and serv- ing as its steward for twenty years. His life has been upright and honorable, his actions manly and sincere and he may well be termed one of the foremost citizens of Montague county. His ef- forts in behalf of public progress have been far- reaching and beneficial and everything that tends to advance the material, intellectual and moral progress of the community receives his endorse- ment and support.

CAMERON O. COFFIN. In the early days of Texas' development it was supposed that her broad prairies and fields would be worth little except as a range for cattle, but some adventur- ous spirits and far-sighted business men under- took the task of proving that it might be made a rich farming country and then came the horti- culturist to show that even fruit could likewise be produced on its soil. Among those now extensively and successfully engaged in fruit raising is Cameron O. Coffin, of El Paso, who has a splendidly improved property equipped

with all conveniences and accessories to scien- .tific fruit raising.

He was born in Greensboro, North Carolina, October 20, 1845, and in the year 1872 made his way westward. After spending a year in Indi- anapolis, Indiana, he went to California in 1873, locating at San Jose. In 1876 he came to eastern : Texas and engaged in the lumber business in . the lumber region between Marshall and Texar- kana. In 1878 he went to Trinidad, Colorado, where he entered into a contract to cut and furnish lumber for use on the construction work of the Santa Fe Railroad, which at that time was being extended to the southwest. Mr. Cof- fin continued in the business in southern Colo- rado and northern New Mexico, having his headquarters at various times in Trinidad, Raton and 'Albuquerque until the latter part of 1880, when he came to El Paso, arriving here on the 28th of December of that year. Consequently he was an "old citizen" when on the 6th of June of the following year, 1881, he aided in celebrating the completion of the first road built to El Paso. This was the Southern Pacific, which was ex- tended to this city from the west. The com- pletion of the Texas & Pacific and of the Santa Fe Railroad soon followed during the same year, and thus El Paso became a railroad center of considerable importance and has ever since been a center for a large tributary territory.

Not long after arriving here Mr. Coffin and his brother William embarked in business, leas- ing the building that had been the headquarters of the Butterfield stage line, located on El Paso street near where the hardware store of Kra- kauer, Zork & Moye now stands. In 1882 Mr. Coffin entered into partnership with Oliver G. Seeton under the firm name of Coffin & Seeton in the hay, grain and feed business, as there was a demand for an enterprise of that character. Mr. Coffin was actively engaged in this line with Mr. Seeton until 1894, when he withdrew from the firm, since which time the business has been carried on by Mr. Seeton alone. About the time that he severed his connection with commercial interests Mr. Coffin became interested in ranch- ing in the Rio Grande valley, having acquired

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HISTORY OF NORTH AND WEST TEXAS.

an extensive tract of land twenty-one miles be- low El Paso near the river. It was first his in- tention to raise fine stock, and he bought and im- ported from the east some blooded cattle and horses with that end in view, spending consider- able money thereon, but the long and severe sea- sons of drouth during the latter part of 1895 brought about exorbitant prices for feed stuff and Mr. Coffin accordingly decided to discon- tinue the stock business. At that time he started in systematically and intelligently to build up a fine fruit business which has resulted in his present position as a leader among the success- ful horticulturists of the United States. To those who are not familiar with the possibilities of Texas in the line of fruit production it would seem a remarkable fact that the pears which Mr. Coffin placed on exhibition at the Louisiana Pur- chase Exposition at St. Louis in 1904 won first prize, for which he was not only given the diploma, but in addition a bronze medal setting forth these facts. These pears came into con- petition with those from California and other fruit-raising states, but the judges, all men of authority on such matters, awarded the prize to Mr. Coffin. His splendid results as a horticul- turist are due to the scientific methods which he follows together with the aid of the dry climate of this region, which it seems is more favorable for the production and excellence of good fruit than a more moist and foggy climate of the fruit regions of California. It is well known that many generations ago under the old Spanish regime this was a noted wine-making region, producing the finest grapes for this purpose. Mr. Coffin has two fruit ranches in this vicinity, both lying in El Paso county, not far distant from the Clint postoffice. One of these ranches covers three hundred and sixty-three acres and contains his celebrated pear orchard. The other ranch is fifty-four acres in extent and contains the vineyard. In addition to these tracts in Texas he also has a place of two hundred acres at Socorro, New Mexico. These ranches are all included in the recently formed irrigation dis- trict, extending from Engle, New Mexico, down the Rio Grande Valley to Fort Quitman, Texas,

all of which land will be brought under the ditch that will be supplied from water from the dam to be built by the government at Engle. Up to this time and pending the completion of the irri- gation project referred to, Mr. Coffin's fruit ranches have been irrigated by means of pumps operated by gasoline engines and the San Eliz- ario ditch. He was the first man to put in a pump for irrigation purposes in this lower valley and he has always been a leader in matters of progress and improvement here.

Mr. Coffin has in fact been a pioneer in the fruit business in this lower valley, making costly experiments from year to year and spending much time, money and study in bringing about the best results. He has labored against such handicaps as the lack of experienced help to- gether with the lack of co-operation or encour- agement from any one, as it was thought that horticulture could never prove a profitable indus- try in Texas. But although he will probably never see the full results of his persistency of purpose and his indefatigable industry, he is al- ready beginning to reap the reward of having produced the finest fruit in the United States. He is now witnessing the beginning of the de- velopment of the valley which with the advent of the government irrigation ditch will undoubt- edly make this one of the greatest horticultural sections of the country. Mr. Coffin now has every modern convenience and device for a suc- cessful conduct of a commercial fruit business, employing skilled packers and other classes of help equal to those to be secured in California. He likewise has the best facilities for loading and shipping and his produce is in such demand that it is contracted for at the highest prices in ad- vance by one of the largest fruit firms in New Orleans. Mr. Coffin is an enthusiast as to the question of fruit culture in the country adjacent to El Paso, and he has every reason to be proud of what he has accomplished, and moreover this portion of the state owes him a debt of gratitude for proving what may be accomplished in fruit raising in this state without the expense of ex- periment that he has made to enter upon a work that will prove profitable. In 1903 in connec-

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tion with J. J. Mundy, of El Paso, Mr. Coffin leased the old Franklin irrigation ditch that was constructed for a distance of twenty-eight miles through El Paso and down the valley several years ago by the El Paso corporation and is now owned by an English syndicate. This canal had been allowed to fall into disuse and neglect but is now being cleaned out and put into good shape for service by Mr. Coffin and Mr. Mundy. There are about three thousand acres of land under this ditch and more will be added. Mr. Coffin is local correspondent to the horticultural department of the government at Washington and is a member of the board of governors ap- pointed by the government, constituting ten men, who are to act in an advisory capacity in the construction of the Engle irrigation project.

An inherited fondness may have had something to do with Mr. Coffin's interest in the fruit business as his father was a fruit grower of North Carolina. His brother-in-law, J. Van Lindley, of Greensboro, North Carolina, is also a noted representative of the business, being one of the largest growers in the country and an authority on the subject of horticulture, while at one time he was president of the National Horticultural Society. Mr. Coffin has made a close and discriminating study of his chosen work, has formed his plans carefully and has then been determined in their execution. As the years have gone by he has labored persistently and with a sound judgment has added indefat- igable industry that has been the chief source of his success and gained for him more than state-wide fame along horticultural lines.

Mr. Coffin married Miss Rebecca Browning in January, 1883, at Kildare, Texas. They have three children : Anna, Howard and Alethea.

JUDGE WYNDHAM KEMP, a practitioner at the El Paso bar whose knowledge of the law and correct application of its principles have gained him prestige as a representative of the profession in Western Texas, was born in Glou- cester county, Virginia, January 30, 1845, his parents being Judge Wyndham and Ann Louisa (Perrin) Kemp.

Judge Kemp pursued his early education in the schools of Virginia and afterwards attended the Virginia Military Institute, which became noted on account of the large number of brave soldiers that it furnished to the Confederacy, many of them going direct into the field from their student life. Judge Kemp was for a time attached to Wise's Brigade, Twenty-sixth Vir- ginia regiment, as an independent volunteer in the Confederate service, then entered the Vir- ginia Military Institute-whose cadets were also in the service-and after continuing there as a student for a time, he later joined the Richmond Howitzers, Second Company, and served with it until captured at Sailor's Creek on the 6th of April, 1865-three days before General Lee's surrender-his service being entirely in the state of Virginia.

Judge Kemp studied law in the office of his father, who was a prominent member of the bar at Gloucester Court-House, Virginia, and also served upon the bench there. Under his careful training, Mr. Kemp, of this review, gained a thorough knowledge of the principles of jurisprudence and was admitted to the bar in Virginia in 1867, while the year 1869 wit- nessed his admission to the Texas bar. He came to this state in 1867 and for a short time resided in Galveston, while later he took up his abode in Bryan. Subsequently he removed to Calvert, where he practiced law until coming to El Paso in 1885. Here he has since made his home and is to-day a member of the well known legal firm of Beall & Kemp, his partner being Captain Thomas J. Beall. This firm was organized at Bryan, Texas, in the latter '60s, and the original partners were Captain Beall and Major Davis, who practiced under the name of Davis & Beall. It later became Davis, Beall & Tolliver, at Bryan, while later Judge Kemp, beginning in 1875, rep- resented the firm at Calvert under the style of Davis, Beall & Kemp. About 1880 Captain Beall and Major Davis came to El Paso, where they were joined in 1885 by Judge Kemp, and the firm continued in business as Davis, Beall & Kemp until the death of Major Davis in 1897.

Judge Kemp has served on the county bench

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and as sub-district judge, but has not been a seeker for public office even in the line of his profession and is known rather as a lawyer at the bar than on the bench. He has a broad and comprehensive knowledge of the principles of jurisprudence and in the preparation of his cases displays great thoroughness and care. His de- votion to his clients' interests is proverbial and yet he never forgets that he owes his highest allegiance to the majesty of the law and in his practice attempts not to shroud the truth but to aid the court in determining the true state of affairs and thus rendering an impartial judgment.

Judge Kemp has been twice married. His first wife, who bore the maiden name of Mary Lewis Maury, died in El Paso, leaving a son and daughter, Hon. Maury Kemp, who is now county attorney of El Paso, and Anne Perrin Kemp. His present wife was Miss Mary S. Herndon, and by this union there are four children, John Page, Emily Wyndham, Herndon and Roland Gordon. The family represent a high social sta- tus wherein true worth is received as passports into good society. Judge Kemp moreover main- tains a high standard of professional ethics and in his law practice has won the respect of his colleagues at the bar as well as success which attends capable effort.

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A twentieth century history and biographical record of north and west Texas, Volume I, Part 77

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