A twentieth century history and biographical record of north and west Texas, Volume I, Part 96

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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Mr. and Mrs. Aldridge have no children of their own but reared two orphan children- Florence Price and Allen Aldridge McGrady. The former was reared and educated by Mr. and Mrs. Aldridge and is now the wife of Mr. Nichols. The latter, born February 5, 1899, is yet a member of the Aldridge household.

At the time of his marriage Mr. Aldridge be- gan farming and has since carried on general agricultural pursuits. He continued upon the home place until 1900, when he removed to the old McGrady homestead, where his wife was born and reared. There he resumed farming and stock raising and continued both branches of the business with good success. His farm -now comprises about eight hundred acres of valuable land. His wife inherited two hundred and seventy-five acres and he has since increased the property to its present dimensions. Of this he has one hundred and sixty acres under culti- vation, while the remainder is devoted to pas- turage. He raises various crops and handles cattle, horses and hogs, giving much attention to thoroughbred Poland China hogs, now hav- ing a large number on the farm. He also buys and ships both cattle and hogs and is regarded as a progressive stock farmer and breeder and a very successful man, who conducts his business in keeping with advanced ideas. Everything

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HISTORY OF NORTH AND WEST TEXAS.

about his place is modern in its equipments and he uses the latest improved machinery in the care of the farm. He also has telephone connec- tions with the surrounding business centers and keeps in touch with the general trend of events along agricultural lines. He votes with the Democracy but has never sought office as a reward for party fealty, preferring to give his time and attention to his business interests, which as the result of his untiring energy and perseverance have made him a prosperous farmer of the county.

SAMUEL WALTER SCOTT is classed with the early settlers of Haskell county, Texas, and in connection with a personal sketch of his life, which we are pleased to present here, we wish also to refer briefly to his ancestry, some of his forefathers having figured prominently in the history of this country.

The Scott family was planted on American soil in Colonial times. James Scott, the great- grandfather of Samuel W., was a Virginian who served all through the Revolutionary war. His son, Joseph, the grandfather of Samuel W. moved from Virginia to Tennessee, enlisted from there in the war of 1812, and was with General Jackson at the battle of New Orleans in 1815. In 1831 Joseph Scott came to Texas with his family, which consisted at that time of wife, eleven sons and two daughters, Samuel A., the father of our subject, being the third from the youngest. Four of the others, Philip, Euclid, Robert and James, served in the Texas army, 1835-36. The eldest son, Philip, was at San Jacinto and also at the storming of Bexar, being near Milan, the commander of the Texas forces, when the latter fell in battle. Samuel A. Scott was a second lieutenant in the com- pany of S. A. Easley in the Civil war, and was stationed at Galveston Island most of his ser- vice.

Previous to the Civil war, as early as 1848, Samuel A. Scott had taught a five-months school in Williamson county, Texas, at a point two miles below Circleville on the San Gabriel river, the first school taught in Williamson county, and in 1858 he located in that county.

It was there, about one mile south of the town of Granger, on September 25, 1864, that Sam- uel Walter Scott was born. When he was three years old the family home was changed to Georgetown, where it remained for several years, and where he was educated in the South- western University, receiving the degree of A. B. before he was eighteen years old. In this connection it should be noted that Mr. Scott's father, a man always deeply interested in educational affairs, donated his head-right survey of three hundred and twenty acres of land in Comanche county to aid in securing the location of the Southwestern University at Georgetown.' The subject of our sketch re- mained in Williamson county until the spring of 1884, when he came to Haskell county and engaged in the live stock business, with head- quarters on Paint creek, about twelve miles south of Rice's Springs, afterward called Has- kell, there being only three houses in the town at that time. His nearest neighbors, the Tucker family, lived on the old California ranch, five miles distant, and his post office was Albany, Shackelford county, thirty-five miles away. During a period of four years here he tested to the full extent the hardships of cowboy life, standing night guard around herds of cattle, facing severe storms and riding line during the winter season, and living in the lime camp dugouts for one or two winters. When the round-ups were in progress he rarely got to sleep under a roof and the last year or two he worked on the range he rode from ten to twelve saddle horses that no one had ever used, often changing horses four times during the twenty-four hours.

Tiring of the wild and rough life on the ranch, Mr. Scott returned to Georgetown and settled down to the study of law in the office of Fisher and Key, and was admitted to the bar in January, 1889. The following spring he returned to Haskell, where he has since been engaged in the practice of law, making a specialty of civil practice, land litigation re- ceiving the greater part of his time and atten- tion.

During his residence in Haskell county Mr. Scott has accumulated some valuable property,

S. W. Scott,

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HISTORY OF NORTH AND WEST TEXAS.

among his holdings being nearly eight thou- sand acres of land, some of which is under cultivation, the rest being used as pasture for stock. He is a stockholder in the Haskell National Bank and also has an interest in the Haskell Telephone Company.

In Haskell, in 1896, Mr. Scott married Miss Fanny Tandy, eldest daughter of A. H. Tandy, a pioneer ranchman of this county, and they have two children, a son and a daughter. For a period of twenty-five years Mr. Scott has been identified with the Methodist church, of which he is a staunch supporter, and at Hills- boro in November, 1905, was elected on first ballot as one of the lay delegates to the Gen- eral Conference of his church, to convene at Birmingham, Alabama, in May, 1906. Since 1889 he has been a member of the Masonic order, serving for the past several years as District Deputy of the district in which he resides, and still holding that position at this time.

THOMAS J. PAYNE, who since an early period in the reclamation of Montague county for the uses of the white man has followed farming in this part of the state, was born in McMinn county, Tennessee, November 7, 1844. He is descended from English ancestry, the family having been founded in America at an early day. His grandfather was Isaac Payne, a native of South Carolina, who followed the occupation of farming, and was a typical old school southern gentleman, wielding a wide in- fluence in community affairs and winning the respect and confidence of all who knew him. He voted with the Democracy and was a mem- ber of the Methodist church. In his family were four sons and a daughter: John, James, William, Thomas and Mrs. Polly Harris.

James M. Payne, the second son, was born in South Carolina and accompanied his parents on their removal to Tennessee, where he was reared. In early manhood he wedded Miss Armida Mulka, a native of Georgia, and a daughter of Dr. William Mulka, who was a leading and capable physician of Tennessee, in which state his professional services were re- garded as of much value. His death occurred

in that state. In his family were seven chil- dren: William, Mrs. Mary Patterson, Mrs. Eliza Gregg, Mrs. Besheba Kinser; Mrs. Arm- inda Payne; Mrs. Nica Howe and Mrs. Nancy Center.

After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. James Payne settled on a farm in Tennessee and he was connected with agricultural pursuits in that state throughout his remaining days. He voted with the Democracy and while he was never an aspirant for office he at one time served as deputy sheriff. He held membership in the Methodist church and died in 1903, at the advanced age of eighty-two years, while his wife passed away in 1898. This worthy couple were the parents of ten children: Uriah M., of Tennessee; Thomas J., of this review ; William, deceased; Leander W., of Oklahoma; Louisa, the wife of C. Barnett; Andrew J., of California; Houston D., of Oklahoma; James L., of Tennessee; John C., of Ardmore, Indian Territory ; and Lucretia, the wife of J. Leslie.

Thomas J. Payne was reared in the state of his nativity and remained under the parental roof until eighteen years of age, while in the common schools he mastered the elementary branches of learning. He joined the Confed- erate army and became a member of Company C, First Tennessee Cavalry, under Colonel Carter. The company was detailed to act as body guard to General Stephenson in Missis- sippi, where Mr. Payne served during the siege of Vicksburg. After its surrender the com- pany re-organized and Mr. Payne was taken prisoner but was paroled at Nashville. He never again entered the service, but returned home and again attended school, residing with his parents on the old homestead farm until 1866.

Another important event in his life occurred in that year-his marriage to Miss Mary A. Green, who was born in Alabama in 1844. Her parents, James and Sally (Hoyle) Green, were also natives of Tennessee, and the father was a prominent farmer, miller and blacksmith. He owned a number of slaves and successfully managed his plantation and other business in-

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terests. He held membership in the Presbyter- ian church, and advocated the principles of Democracy, but was without desire for politi- cal office. His death occurred in Alabama, and his wife passed away on the same day, so that they were buried together. The Hoyle family originated at Nassau, Germany, where the an- cestors lived for several generations. David Hoyle, leaving the fatherland and emigrating to the new world, settled in McMinn county, Tennessee, where James Hoyle was born in 1805; Peter in 1807; and Jonas in 1810. The other members of the family were: Mrs. Sally Green; Betsy, Caleb R., John N., Andrew and Mary. The children of the Green family were : Elizabeth, who became Mrs. McSpadden; Sam- uel; Josephine; Margaret; John P .; Mary A .; David; Felix ; and Parthena.

Mr. and Mrs. Payne began their domestic life on a farm and after owning and selling two different farm properties in Tennessee came to Texas in 1878, locating in Willowally valley in Montague county, where Mr. Payne purchased land and improved the farm that he yet owns. He has added to this until he now has two hundred and sixty acres pleasantly situated a half mile north of Hardy, of which one hundred and fifty acres has been cultivated and yields to him a good return. He carries on general agricultural pursuits and his efforts are attended with gratifying results. At one time he removed to Hardy for the purpose of providing his children with better educational advantages and remained there for ten years, during which time he served as deputy sheriff and also conducted a life insurance agency. On the expiration of that decade, however, he returned to the farm where he yet remains, and his life is now given to general agricul- tural pursuits, wherein his well directed labors and sound business judgment are bringing to him gratifying success.

Mr. and Mrs. Payne have a family of seven children : Emma, now the wife of L. Wren; Lizzie, the widow of Dr. W. L. Robinson, who died leaving two children; Ella, the wife of S. C. Martin; Grace, the wife of Dr. Maxwell

of Myra, Texas; Minna, John and James E., all at home. Mrs. Payne is a member of the Methodist church, and both Mr. and Mrs. Payne enjoy the warm regard of many friends, having a wide and favorable acquaintance in Montague county.

RUDOLPH E. KRUEGER. Much of the civilization of the world has come from the Teutonic race. Continually moving westward they have taken with them the enterprise and advancement of their eastern homes and have become valued and useful citizens of various localities. In this country especially have they demonstrated their power to adapt themselves to new circumstances, retaining at the same time their progressiveness and energy, and have become loyal and devoted citizens, true to the institutions of the land of the free and untiring in the promotion of all that will prove of benefit to their adopted country. The Ger- man element in America forms an important part of American citizenship and the sons of the fatherland have become valued factors in various communities which largely owe their progress and prosperity to these adopted sons.

When Rudolph E. Krueger was born in Prus- sia, Germany, March 17, 1856, his parents per- haps never dreamed of the splendid success that the future held in store for their little son, but he has made for himself a creditable name and place in business circles in Texas and is today conducting an important productive in- dustry, of which he is sole proprietor, under the name of the North Texas Compressed Brick Company. He is a son of Rudolph E. and Minnie (Luther) Krueger and is the only member of his father's family who came to- the United States. His father is still living but the mother passed away at the age of forty- five years. For a long period Rudolph E. Krue- ger, Sr., conducted a restaurant in Europe but now lives retired, having attained the very venerable age of ninety-five years.

The subject of this review spent the first fifteen years of his life in his native country and then came alone to America. His educa-

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tional privileges were somewhat meagre, but he possessed a laudable ambition and early in. life determined to grasp eagerly every oppor- tunity for raising himself to the level of the high standard which he set up. Making his way to Chicago, he there learned the cigar making trade, which he followed until coming to Sherman, Texas, in 1877. Here he formed a partnership with Bruno H. Zauk, under the firm style of Zauk & Krueger for the manufac- ture of cigars. This business was continued for several years, on the expiration of which period Mr. Krueger established the firm and business of the Sherman Pressed Brick Com- pany and was made its president and general manager, so continuing until 1900, when he bought ninety-five acres of land rich in shale deposits for the manufacture of brick. This land is located at what is called Cook Springs, half way between Sherman and Denison, and here Mr. Krueger has established a modern brick manufacturing plant supplied with all the latest improved equipments and machinery for the manufacture of brick and having a ca- pacity of twenty-five thousand brick per day. The business is conducted under the name of the North Texas Compressed Brick Company but Mr. Krueger is sole owner and proprietor. The plant is valued at forty-five thousand dol- lars and its output finds a very ready sale on the market. When he. began the development of this project his location was nothing but a wilderness. He is now building houses for his employes and founding quite a settlement in this locality.

In 1885, in Sherman, Texas, Mr. Krueger was married to Miss Sophia Fisher, who was born in Switzerland and came to America when twenty years of age. Four children have graced this union, all born in Sherman, name- ly : Minnie, Adella, Rudolph and Sophia. Mr. Krueger has not only secured a splendid com- petence for his family but has made an honored name. He came to America a poor boy and has risen through his own labors, his frugality and capable business management. Whatever he undertakes to do he does thoroughly and well. He has conducted his business enterprises

strictly on business principles and as the years have passed by has established a large and profitable, productive industry. Steadily pur- suing his way undeterred by obstacles and diffi- culties in his path, he has achieved a prosperity of which he perhaps even did not dream two decades ago. Steady application, careful study of business methods and plans to be followed, close attention to details combined with an un- tiring energy are the traits of character which have brought him success and made him one of the foremost business men of western Texas.

DALLAS J. ROYAL, a leading and enter- prising agriculturist of Montague county, comes of a family that has long been a resident of Texas. He was born in Washington county, Arkansas, September 19, 1857. His father, Samuel C. Royal, was a native of Kentucky, and was a farmer by occupation. He removed to Texas in 1860,' settling upon a farm in Hunt county, and in connection with the develop- ment of his land he engaged in preaching as a minister of the Christian church. Following the close of the Civil war he returned to Ar- kansas, but in 1872 again came to Texas, locat- ing in Montague county on a farm southeast of Montague. There he remained for several years, when he sold his property and bought another tract of land near the town, remaining thereon until his death in 1892. He was very devoted to the church and used his influence for its upbuilding. He assisted materially in the substantial development and moral prog- ress of the county, and his work in both lines bore good fruit. He is held in kindly and lov- ing remembrance by many of his associates of the early days and his example remains as one well worthy of emulation by all who have a just regard for the value of character. His first wife died in Hunt county, Texas, in 1866. They were the parents of nine children : Ray, yet living in Arkansas; Bead, the wife of J. Fannin ; Mrs. Sarah A. Lamb ; John, who never returned from the war; George, who died in 1860; Alexander C., who died in Montague county in 1901, leaving a wife and seven chil-

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dren ; Jordan, who died in 1884, leaving a wife and four children; Dallas J .; and Samuel N., of Oklahoma. After losing his first wife the father married Mrs. Mary Odell, a widow, and they had three children : William R., James C., and Bracken L. The second wife died and Elder Royal afterward married Parmelia Kidd, who is yet living, residing at the old home- stead four miles from Montague. They had six children: Sidney, Mary, Charles A., Mat- tie, Dora and Cora A.

Dallas J. Royal accompanied his parents on their various removals to and from Texas. He returned to Arkansas but again came to this state and was reared to manhood in Montague county, remaining under the parental roof up to the time of his marriage in 1878, when he began the battle of life in earnest. He first rented land, which he continued to operate un- til 1892, when with his earnings he purchased a small farm, on which only a few poor im- provements had been made. Later he extended the boundaries of this property by additional purchase until he now owns one hundred and eighty acres. On this he has erected a com- modious frame residence and outbuildings, has planted an orchard and has since increased the number of his fruit trees. He has also cleared his land and placed it under a high state of cultivation and now has one hundred and twen- ty-five acres within his tilled fields, from which he harvests good crops. He also raises some stock, and in his farming work is meeting with a fair measure of prosperity.

In 1878 Mr. Royal was married to Miss Mary Flanagan, a native of Virginia and a daughter of Michael Flanagan, who was born in Ireland, and on coming to America settled in the Old Dominion. He was largely engaged on public works and did some 'gardening while on the Atlantic coast. Later he removed to Collin county, Texas, and subsequently settled on a farm south of Forestburg in Montague county, where he successfully carried on agricultural pursuits until 1885. He was a devout mem- ber of the Catholic church. His children were : James. George, Mary, Jacob, William, Dolly

and John. The wife and mother still survives, and is now living at Fort Worth, Texas.

Mr. and Mrs. Royal have become the parents of nine children: Maud M., the wife of C. Morgan ; Edward, Zelie, the wife of W. Parr; Eugene; Walter; Effie; Lena; Mamie; and Jessie. Mr. and Mrs. Royal are earnest and active members of the Christian church. In politics he is independent, reserving the right to vote as he thinks best without regard to party affiliation. His business career has been characterized by consecutive advancement, owing to his strong purpose, his understanding of business conditions, and his unflagging in- dustry. He has realized that energy is the basis of all successful accomplishment, and he has persistently labored in the acquirement of a good property and desirable prosperity.

E. E. GILBERT, M.D. In making any mention of the prominent citizens of Haskell county, Texas, the list would not be complete without including in it Dr. E. E. Gilbert, a physician of acknowledged ability and skill and who has been a resident of the state for nineteen years and for the past ten years of Haskell, where he has been in the active prac- tice of his profession.

Doctor Gilbert is a Kentuckian. He was born in Spencer county, twenty-five miles southeast of Louisville, May 19, 1860, a representative of what might be termed a family of physicians. Dr. Robert Stone Gilbert, his father, also a Kentuckian, practiced medicine in Kentucky for many years. He had three brothers who were physicians and two of his sons adopted that profession. Also he had numerous dis- tant connections who are engaged in the prac- tice of medicine. He was a graduate of the Medical Department of the Louisville Univer- sity, with the class of 1865. The mother of the subject of this sketch, nee Susan E. McGrew, was a daughter of Robert and Minerva (Col- lins) McGrew, the former of Scotch and the latter of Holland descent. Mr. and Mrs. Mc- Grew died aged respectively ninety-seven and one hundred years. They were born and re- sided all their lives in the same home in

8. E. Silbert MID.

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HISTORY OF NORTH AND WEST TEXAS.

Waterford, Kentucky, and in which Mrs. Mc- Grew was born. Dr. Robert Stone Gilbert and his wife were the parents of ten children, six sons and four daughters, of whom three are now living-two sons and one daughter. They are all large people, heavy frame and portly. Dr. E. E. Gilbert, weighing at present two hun- dred and eighty-six pounds and being six feet, two inches tall, is the smallest one of the chil- dren. Their father was a medium-sized man, but their mother was large, weighing at the time of her death three hundred and sixty-five pounds.

Dr. Robert S. Gilbert moved from Kentucky to Texas in 1886 and settled at Sulphur Springs, Hopkins county, where he practiced medicine up to 1890. He then moved to Oak Clift, now a part of Dallas, and was in active practice there until within a year before he died. His death occurred September 12, 1902. His wife died November 19, 1901.

Edward Everett Gilbert was reared on his father's farm and received his early education in the common schools of Waterford, near which town they lived. Later he was a student at East Cedar Hill, in Jefferson county, Kentucky, where he graduated in 1880, at the age of twenty; and the following January he completed a course in the Southern Business College at Louisville. Then he went back to his father's farm and superintended affairs there until September, 1884, when he entered the Medical Department of the University of Louisville. He holds a diploma from that in- stitution dated March 3, 1886. That same year the family came to Texas. After a short so- journ in Hopkins county, the young doctor went to Delta county, where he practiced med- icine until April, 1890. The next five years he was a resident of Dallas county. He had not been in Dallas county long, however, before his health began to fail him and he was greatly reduced in flesh. Acting on the advice of other physicians and in accordance with his own judgment, he finally came to Haskell, but it was not until after he had traveled a great deal, visiting every state in the Union except one. just as soon as he got west of the Brazos river he says he found relief, and from that

time to the present he has enjoyed the best of health. Taking into consideration the health- fulness of the climate, Dr. Gilbert has built up a good practice. He is closely interested in all matters pertaining to the welfare of the country, and especially Haskell county. This county won first prize on many of her ex- hibits at the Dallas State Fair in 1902, which can be attributed almost entirely to the enter- prise and efforts of Dr. Gilbert.

Dr. , Gilbert has been a Mason for twelve years and has filled a number of chairs in the subordinate lodge. He has been County Health Officer of Haskell county ever since he has been a resident here, and was president of the District Medical Examining Board for the Thirty-ninth Judicial District, until the new law went into effect.

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A twentieth century history and biographical record of north and west Texas, Volume I, Part 96

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