USA > Texas > Montague County > History of Montague County > Part 8
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rowing some ideas from the Indians they quite often dressed in trousers made of buckskin, and a coonskin cap, with the tail left dangling from the back of the cap. The men also wore shawls and blankets. Im- mediately following reconstruction days it suddenly became necessary for two well reared, well educated and (before the war) wealthy gentlemen from the old states to make a quick journey to Texas. A friend of theirs, who had perhaps been a little too active in the Klu Klux Klan, had preceded them some months before. These men went to where their friend lived, and were directed to a spot where he was found trying to smoke a rabbit out of a log for supper. Upon seeing their friend, whom they had always seen attired in the prevailing fashion, dressed in the frontiersman garb of buckskin trousers, fawn skin vest and coon skin cap, they laughed until the tears ran down their cheeks. But a few weeks found them wearing the same kind of a costume, and taking upon themselves the habits of the new country- meeting its hardships and privations without a mur- mur.
There were few, if any, orchards in the early Montague County days, but here the thrifty house- wife again met the emergency by drawing upon the wild fruit native to this county. They made pal- atable preserves from the wild plum and wild grape, not to mention the beer made from the persimmon.
It was the pride of the ambitious housewife to
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have a large supply of feather beds and feather pillows. With all of the modern sanitary mattresses nothing makes a more comfortable bed upon which to rest the tired body than a well sunned, well aired feather bed. The women also helped in the making of ammunition, which was scarce in those days. The bullets were made from bars of lead bought at the hardware store. This was melted and poured into bullet moulds made for that purpose. They opened and closed like a pair of scissors. Their starch was made at home from potatoes. Every household made their own soap, and no back yard was complete with-
. out an ash hopper. A great deal of the furniture was made by the father out of timber brought from the woods. Some people only had a footboard and one side to their bed. This was nailed up in one corner of the room, the headboard and one side con- sisting of the sides of the house. Tables and benches were also made at home from the timbers of the forest, while chairs were fashioned from the same material, the bottoms being made of rope or raw- hide.
It was a long time before sewing machines came into general use, the women doing their sewing by hand. They had few clocks, the time of day being reckoned by the sun. The pioneer woman seldom spent an idle moment, so much depended upon her. Not only was she expected to care for the house, prepare meals, wash, iron, sew and look after the
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children, but she had to manufacture so much that was used for home consumption.
Some of the old leather covered, weather-beaten trunks in the far corner of some of these log cabins on the frontier, when opened would tell of a far dif- ferent life to this that was led in the old states. Lift the lid, and in the bottom, carefully wrapped, you will find one or two silk dresses, some dainty linen and lace, kid gloves and a pair of satin slippers. A tinge of sadness comes into the mother's face as she allows her thoughts to wander for a moment to the days of long ago, but she bravely puts such thoughts away and takes up her daily task again without com- plaint. The settlements were not without some so- cial recreation. Open-hearted hospitality prevailed. The young people frequently gave dances, play par- ties and candy breakings. A house raising was looked forward to with much eagerness, this being the time for great exhibitions of strength. But the pleasure of all pleasure, that outshone them all, that was talked about for weeks before and for days af- terward, was the good old-fashioned quilting, where the friends were invited, the quilt quilted and a sumptuous dinner was served. Those days had much of pleasure in them, for all they were mingled with anxieties, discomforts and inconveniences. This has given way to the path of progress, except the im- print of the character of the men and women of those times. These are stamped indelibly upon their
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children today-to overcome obstacles, to do things worth while, was their motto. Let that motto be yours.
TO THE BOYS AND GIRLS.
There is scarcely a boy or girl in our county who has not at some time been an interested listener to the stories told by the family fireside of what grand- father and grandmother had to tell of "Indian times." How they bravely defended their little cabin homes from the dreaded foe; how grandmother helped by the use of her rifle. . A manly little hand rests lovingly on her shoulder, and a pair of inquisi- tive, bright eyes look into hers; her favorite grand- son looks at the kind, wrinkled face and at the hands that have never known aught but kindly deeds, and says : "I just can't imagine grandmother firing a gun, but I know she has, 'cause she says so." Then the little fellow straightens himself up and, with all the ardor of the American boy, says : "I just wish I could have lived in those days. I would have helped you fight the Indians, grandfather." The old man's eyes kindle with the fires of youth as he re- plies : "I know you would, son. That is the kind of spirit Texas produces. Your father did before you. But the Indian times are no more. Father and grandfather settled with them."
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But there is always a battle to be fought for right against the wrong. I want you to make a good sol- dier in that battle. The pioneers of this county laid the foundation for a worthy citizenship, and all we ask our sons and daughters is to be true to that principle. Be loyal, be honest, be honorable, be pa- triotic. Upon a patriotic citizenship depends the life of a nation. Study with your teacher the many meanings of the word patriotism. It does not always mean to take up weapons and go to war. It is the desire which aims to serve one's country, either in defending it from invasion or protecting its rights, and maintaining its laws and institutions in vigor and purity. You boys and girls belong to the twentieth century. Wonderful progress awaits you in the fu- ture. You may fly to Galveston in an air ship or live to see a gold mine in Montague County, but do not let your eager hopes of the future lessen your inter- est in the past.
Go to some old pioneer in your neighborhood; he may be feeble, but he can tell you many interesting experiences of the early days of your county. His memory carries him far back before we had the tele- graph and the telephone, or the railroads. He can tell you when there was not a town in the county, and when they had no regular roads to travel; of when sugar was scarce and ice an undreamed of lux- ury. When it is your privilege to meet one of the old settlers of this county give them a cordial greet-
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ing and tell them how much you appreciate what they have done for our county. In a few years more all the pioneers who can tell you of the early days will be gone. Cultivate for them a feeling of patri- otic reverence, for they are in every way worthy of it.
"I'LL DO WHAT I CAN."
Who takes for his motto, "I'll do what I can," Shall better the world as he goes down life's hill, The willing young heart makes the capable man,
And who does what he can oft can do what he will. There's strength in the impulse to help things along, And forces undreamed of will come to the aid Of the one who, though weak, yet believes he is strong,
And offers himself to the task unafraid-
I'll do what I can, is a challenge to fate,
And fate must succumb when it's put to the test, A heart that is willing to labor and wait
In its tussle with life ever comes out the best. It puts the blue imps of depression to rout, And makes many difficult problems seem plain ; It mounts over obstacles, dissipates doubt,
And unravels kinks in life's curious chain.
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I'll do what I can keeps the progress machine In good working order as centuries roll ; And civilization would perish, I do ween, Were those words not written on many a soul. They fell the great forests, they furrow the soil, They seek new inventions to benefit man, They fear no exertion, make pastime of toil, O, great is earth's debt to "I'll do what I can." -By Ella Wheeler Wilcox.
ODE TO MONTAGUE COUNTY.
"Oh, old Montague, when I gaze upon thy rugged face,
And on thy curious rocks
The hand of nature trace,
The straight and mighty clefts,
With which thy hills are riven,
As though some mighty hand His sword had through them driven,
I wonder at the cause of thy mysterious birth, What hand could dress thy adamantine rocks, Or ope at will thy myriad pebbled locks. Naught but the tossing of the mighty sea Could thus unite them for Eternity-
"Tis said that in the eons of some ages past, Old Ocean held this land within its grasp, That rock and shell and bones of fish all tell
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How from his sway the mighty monarch fell, Gave back to life this sunny land of ours,
Where man and bird have built their sweetest bow- ers,
Where herds of cattle graze, and sweetest flowers blow,
Where farmers reap the golden headed mow,
Where many fruits their beauteous wealth unfold,
And forth are sent to countless homes untold- And yet thy rolling plains and wooded hills, Thy fields of cotton ripening for the mills, Thy wealth of fruit, grape, berry,
Wherein the golden harvest all are merry, Are naught to treasures rich within thy bosom sealed, For thy deep mysteries are only half revealed. In nature's reservoir these treasures lie concealed, Montague, thy future sons, rich heritage shall reap, From 'neath the soil in which their fathers sleep. Shall we not love this happy land most blest, Shall we not bleed to see its wrongs redressed, Shall not its mothers rear their sons for noble deed, Its men be brave, for right the first to lead, Shall we not emulate the great of ancient story, And be Montague our greatest pride and glory ?" -Mrs. Jennie Linnen.
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HISTORY OF MONTAGUE COUNTY.
MONTAGUE COUNTY.
Situated in North Texas, bordering the Red River, is an area of 976 square miles. This portion of coun- try is known as Montague County, and is bordered on the south by Jack and Wise counties. Wise County is in North Texas. This county was organ- ized in 1858, named for Henry A. Wise. Wise Coun- ty has an area of 843 square miles. Decatur is the county seat. Jack County was organized in 1857. Has an area of 858 square miles. Was named for Patrick A. Jack. Jacksboro is the county seat. Mon- tague County is bordered by Cook County on the east and by Clay County on the west. Cook County is situated in North Texas on Red River, was organized in 1849. Has an area of 1000 square miles. Was named for William G. Cook. The county seat is Gainesville. Clay County is in North Texas, bor- dering Red River. This county was organized in 1873. Was named for Henry Clay. Has an area of 1250 square miles. Henrietta is the county seat. Montague County was created by act of the Legis- lature in 1857. The county was organized the first Monday in August, 1858, and was named for Colonel Daniel Montague. He was district surveyor when the county was created. The home of Colonel Mon- tague was four miles northwest of Gainesville. Col- onel Montague's duties as surveyor frequently brought him in contact with the people of this coun-
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ty, and as a mark of esteem, when the county was created they gave it his name. Wise, Montague, Clay and Jack counties were created from Cook County. Cook County was created from Fannin County. The population of Montague County had now grown to sufficient number to justify local self- government. A general desire for civil measures for the protection of personal and property rights was now being manifested. Previous to this Mon- tague County had been attached to Cook County for judicial purposes, but Gainesville was too far away for the convenience of the people. Accordingly an election was held for the purpose of selecting a suit- able place for the county seat and for the election of county officers. At this election sixty-three votes were polled. Three places were candidates for the county seat. One place was known as the Head of Elm, where St. Jo now stands. Another was a place on Farmers' Creek, between Montague and Elm, owned by a man named Thomas. This man was the first Adjutant General Texas ever had. He owned a section of land there and proposed to give the county half of it if they would locate the county seat at this place, but the majority voted for the center of the county, which was afterwards named Montague. The county seat was founded in 1858. No one lived here at this time, and nothing about the place indicated that it would ever be a town. The sole tenants consisted of a solemn looking group of postoak trees.
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A town lot sale soon followed, the lots ranging in price from $60 to $100. A log court house was built and used until after the war. Later an old store building that stood on the north side of the square was used for the court house. After this the frame court house burned, losing surveyor's records and other valuable papers. In 1878 a contract was let for a stone court house. This building was com- pleted in 1879. Burned in 1884. All papers that were outside the vaults were destroyed. It was after this second disaster that the present court house was built. This building was so badly damaged by a severe wind storm in the spring of 1912 that a new court house became necessary. This new building will doubtless be erected soon, and it is to be hoped will be a credit to a county like Montague.
The result of the first election held in this county, so far as can be obtained is as follows :
County Judge-Dr. N. H. O. Polly.
Sheriff-Willis Lavender.
County Clerk-M. M. Hagler.
County Treasurer-Isaac Burnett.
County Commissioners-Austin Morris, - Ed- wards, E. S. Singletary.
County Surveyor-F. M. Totty.
The county's legal business was transacted in quite a different manner to what it is now. The Col- lector's and Assessor's office was one office and looked after by one man. The county had no County Attorney, such as we have now. The duties of this
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HISTORY OF MONTAGUE COUNTY.
office were looked after by the District Attorney. This was changed in accordance with the Constitu- tion in 1876. The first assessment of taxes was in 1859. The same man assessed and collected. He as- sessed one year and collected the next. That is, taxes assessed in 1859 would be collected in 1860. The as- sessor had to hunt up the taxpayer. The county was so thinly settled at this period one man could do the work in two weeks. The officers were not compelled to live in the county seat. The County Treasurer lived near Hardy (as did also the County Judge). The County Treasurer would put the county's money. in his saddle bags, ride over to Montague, pay the officers their meager salaries and return home.
Contrary to present custom, an official term con- sisted of four years.
Officeholders in the early days of Montague County could not be accused of desiring office for mercenary purposes. For holding office then was an empty honor. They received little or no pay for their services, which they gave cheerfully, in order that a foundation for the executive department of the county might be laid. In 1858 there were only two voting precincts in the county, one located west of Forrestburg, where Levi Perryman now lives, the other was located at the Head of Elm, where St. Jo now stands. Some noted pioneer lawyers of the county were Colonel Maines, John Scanlin, Mr. Jam- ison, Mr. Matlock, John H. Stephens, W. H. Grigsby, Mr. Willis and J. M. Chambers. Some famous cases
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that have been tried at different times in the early court days of the county were the Cribbs and Preston case and the Brown case. Another noted case was that of Harris. According to his own confession, Harris, who lived alone with his brother, told his brother he was going away to seek work. He slipped back next morning and shot his brother while he was preparing his breakfast. His purpose was to get possession of his brother's property. He was tried and sentenced to be hanged. This was the only legal hanging which ever occurred in this county, although a large number of hangings in which the law was not invited to take part happened at other times. At this period the people were in constant danger of having their horses stolen by the Indians, who would come sometimes two hundred in a bunch and go as far as Denton town, then sweep back across this county with a thousand horses at a time. The Indians were raiding through the county at all times, but occasionally the people suffered a loss of horses at the hands of white people.
One hanging long remembered by old settlers was that of Nancy Hill, a notorious horse thief of that day. The hanging took place in 1873 on Denton Creek, about one hundred yards from the iron bridge on the Montague and Bowie road. The body was found hanging from the limb of a tree by Bud Mor- ris of Montague. The woman had been followed from Springtown by a band of men, where she had been appropriating other people's horses. They
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came up on her at Denton Creek, and taking the law in their own hands meted out punishment by hang- ing. Another case particularly remembered by early settlers is that of the first man ever indicted in the county. He was indicted for stealing horses. His name was Jones and he operated his business under the guise of a preacher. He was very pious and be- nign in appearance, and it was a great shock to the county when he was arrested for stealing a horse from a man named Kelly. By his own statement he was 77 years old, and had followed horse stealing all his life. . He had a novel way of hiding the horses' tracks. He put sheepskin moccasins on their feet and in that way avoided detection. He was tried and sentenced to twelve years in the peniten- tiary.
The first postoffice in the county was established at Montague in 1858. The mail carrier brought the mail twice a week from Gainesville. This seemed a long step toward progress to Montague County cit- izens, for previous to this they had to go to De- catur or Gainesville to get their mail.
Cattle raising was the principal pursuit in that day. In 1872 the office of Hide and Animal Inspector was created. J. T. Bellows was one of the first men who held this office. This office became necessary because of the large herds of cattle that were con- stantly being driven over the old Chism trail on the way to Kansas. This trail crossed Red River at Red River Station, in this county. In such large
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herds there was danger of other people's cattle stray- ing into the herds. To assist in restoring such cat- tle to their rightful owners the law required these cattlemen to have what was termed a road brand. The Hide and Animal Inspector was stationed at Red River and all cattle failing to be branded with the "road brand" were driven out of the herd and either returned to the owner or sold and the money returned to the owner. Sometimes the officer would receive letters from individuals two hundred miles away describing their cattle. This office was discon- tinued about 1882. Railroad building relieved the necessity for trail driving as the cattle could now be shipped by rail.
One of the great incentives to immigration to an unsettled country is the liberal land grants offered by the government. When the settlers first came to Montague County there was no pre-emption law. Prior to January, 1836, any citizen could take up claims and settle anywhere they pleased. They held what was termed a "headright certificate," which entitled them to 4,060 45-100 acres of land. This law was in force for quite a while. In 1859 the pre-emptors had to live on their claims three years and pay 50 cents an acre for same.
In 1870 the Legislature created an act giving one hundred and sixty acres of land to heads of families and eighty acres to young men without families.
This act also forced them to live on the land three years, erect a house and at the end of that time sur-
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vey the lines and make application for a patent right, when he became the legal owner of the land.
It was but natural that many would be found who were courageous enough to try their fortunes in this frontier country.
There is something wonderfully inspiring about a new country. And notwithstanding the frontier settlements suffered heavily from Indian depreda- tions, there was not found wanting those who turned their steps toward Montague County with hopeful. faces. As a first view of this new country burst upon their vision they were pleased with the prospect. The stretches of prairie were green with vegetation and brilliant with wild flowers, while groups of timber were dotted here and there. The soft winds wafted sweetest perfume to the delighted beholder, who, as he surveyed the splendid view let thoughts of the dreaded Indian fade from his mind for the moment.
The growth and subsequent development of Mon- tague County may be traced to a single imperish- able feature-"Determination." The pioneer men and women, who have seen the county emerge from savagery to civilization, possessed this characteris- tic to a marked degree. It takes courage and deter- mination to face the situation as it existed in Mon- tague County at that time. Neighbors were few and far between; there were no schools, no churches, no telephones, no telegraph, no railroads, no gas, no electric lights, no well built, well furnished homes, no postoffice in the county, no buggies, no carriages,
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no cooking stoves, no automobiles, no pianos, no organs ; as one pioneer expressed it-no nothing- but a country inhabited by warlike tribes of Indians. But there was something in the very nature of the early settlers that helped them to overcome difficul- ties and brought civilization, with all of its attend- ant comforts, to their door.
The county, despite the dangerous times, was not without a halo of romance. Many a young bride went to housekeeping as happy in her modest log cabin and crude surroundings as a princess in a pal- ace. The first marriage in the county was that of Sam Spray and Miss Bradin.
A marriage around which much interest centered was that of W. B. Savage and Miss Liza Ann Taylor in 1857. This was the first wedding to occur on Denton Creek. This estimable couple have lived in Montague County ever since. They have known the county in its stormiest days and in its periods of peace and prosperity. It is a pleasure to visit in their good home. During this period there was no such institution as a public school. If there had been the people would have been too keenly alive to the danger of their children being killed or captured by the Indians to have allowed them to go. The first school taught on Denton Creek was in the sum- mer of 1860.
This school was taught in a private house that stood where Dace McDonald's place now stands. Later a double log house was built which served for
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both school and church. It was built on Cash Mc. Donald's land, two miles southeast of Denver.
The first school taught in the county was in the summer of 1858. The school house stood on the west side of the Perryman graveyard, near Forrestburg.
These schools were subscription schools, as there was no public money to pay salaries. About this time schools began to spring up in different settle- ments. Names of three of the early teachers were obtained : Sweet, Seely and J. T. Bellows.
The pioneer teacher took his gun with him to school as regularly as he took his lunch, not know- ing what moment he would be called upon to protect his pupils and himself from an attack by the sav- ages.
The pioneer settlements were not without the preacher and the missionary, who went about doing good. How many homes these humble men of God have blessed will never be known. Toiling all the week, just as their neighbors did, to obtain the neces- saries of life for their families. On Saturday they would saddle their horse, put the well worn Bible in the saddle bags, which was thrown across the saddle and start on a dangerous journey to some distant settlement to preach the word of God. Those days knew no hired preachers. Salaries were un- heard of. What pay they received was in provisions of different kinds. No well prepared, well written sermon of thirty minutes would have been tolerated.
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