USA > Texas > Tarrant County > Fort Worth > History of Texas : Fort Worth and the Texas northwest edition, Volume III > Part 38
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. of Tarrant County and finishing as a teacher at Vashto in Clay County.
Doctor Bradford spent four years in the University of Texas Medical School at Gal- veston, graduating in 1910, and for one year was interne in St. Joseph's Hospital at Hous- ton and later assistant house surgeon in Pales- tine for six months. He practiced four years at Franklin, Texas, and since 1915 has been busied with a large practice at Godley and in connection is giving his personal supervision to a farm nearby, growing grain and stock.
Once a teacher, always interested in educa- tion, Doctor Bradford is serving his fourth year as a member of the Godley School Board. He is a past master of the Masonic Lodge at Franklin, a past master of the Blue Lodge at Godley, and a member of the Methodist Church.
At Bremond, Texas, September 19, 1915, Doctor Bradford married Miss Mabel Hearne, who was born and reared in Bremond and fin- ished her education in the Southwestern Uni- versity at Georgetown. For a time she taught . in the schools of Bremond. Doctor and Mrs. Bradford have two children, Mary Charline and John Hearne.
ISAAC THOMAS VICKERS. For more than half a century the locality around Godley in Johnson County has been the home of the Vickers family. They were pioneers in point of time, also from the standpoint of construc- tive labors, and in many ways have upheld the moral and civic forces that have made that one of the most advanced rural communities in this part of the state.
In this locality Isaac Thomas Vickers spent practically all his life. He was born in McLean County, Kentucky, October 27, 1865. but the following year accompanied his father and other children to Texas. His father, Isaac Vickers, was also a native of McLean County, Kentucky, a son of John Vickers, a native of the British Isles. John Vickers owned a small farm and some slave property in Kentucky. His family consisted of four sons and two daughters. Besides Isaac an- other son, Daniel, came to Texas, but spent his last years in Florida. Isaac Vickers ac- quired a country school education in Kentucky, and though a Southerner in sentiment did not participate in the war. When he sold out his interests in Kentucky he had a capital of perhaps two thousand dollars to start him in Texas. He made the journey from McLean County by boat down the Green River to the
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Ohio, up the Mississippi to St. Louis, thence by railroad train to Dallas, and from there came on to Johnson County. He was the first settler in the region of what is now Godley, and his home was for several years called "The Lone House." It was located a mile and a half north of where the Village of God- ley has since grown up. He was probably the first to break the soil on the prairie of this locality. He bought Johnson County school land, and provided as a family shelter a double log house. The first lumber used on his place was hauled from Dallas with ox teams, and later, when he built a frame house to succeed the log cabin, he hauled the lumber from Fort Worth. Isaac Vickers remained a factor in that locality for a third of a century, until his death in 1899, and was always a successful farmer and stockman, leaving an estate of about five hundred acres. He was a good citizen as well, and was a member of the board of county commissioners when the county farm was purchased and when the courthouse was built, which subsequently burned. He was a member of the Masonic Lodge of Cleburne, a democrat in politics, and for many years was a deacon in the Godley Baptist Church. Any school or church enter- prise found his heart and his purse ready to help, and the Baptist Church and its institu- tions were greatly benefited by his aid. He lived to see the country settled up around him, and among his neighbors he always ex- ercised a kindly and beneficial influence. When people disagreed and needed an arbiter he was called on to intervene and find a way out.
Isaac Vickers was twice married. By his first wife there are two children, Mrs. Mollie Cretcher, of Dublin, Texas, and Fred Vickers, a resident of Missouri. His second wife was Miss Sarah C. Farley, who died in 1867, mother of the following children: Miss Mattie of Godley; Sallie, wife of H. Frank Long, of Godley; Robert B., of Cleburne; John P., who died at Dublin, Texas, leaving a family ; Fannie, wife of Brown Douglas, of Cleburne ; Isaac Thomas; and Cornelia, who died un- married.
Isaac Thomas Vickers grew up in a com- munity that had practically no school facili- ties and his education has been absorbed from the experience of a busy life rather than from schools and books. Up to the time of his majority he helped his father on the farm, and then bought the old homestead, his father remaining with him the rest of his life. From
youth up Mr. Vickers has been actively identi- fied with the growing of crops and livestock, though from time to time other interests have demanded his abilities and energy.
During his early manhood a village was started near the old homestead known as God- ley, and his enterprise has been closely asso- ciated with much of its subsequent history. He was a stockholder in the construction of a pri- vate schoolhouse, which eventually was turned over to the village. He was one of the pro- moters and builders of the present independ- ent telephone system, and was president of the company. He was also a stockholder and di- rector in the mill and elevator. About that time or a little later he was for a year absent from his farm and actively engaged in the mer- cantile business at Godley as a member of the firm of Griffith, Vickers & Crosier. Still later Mr. Vickers had an active part in the organ- ization of the Citizens National Bank, and has been president and chairman of the board of that substantial banking institution from the beginning. It was chartered with a capital of twenty-five thousand dollars. The first vice president was J. F. Love, and the cashier from the beginning of the bank has been John R. Beaver.
Mr. Vickers is one of the progressive busi- ness men and citizens of Johnson County who have realized the advantage of permanent highway building. When the county approved a bond issue of two million dollars to provide a system of good roads Mr. Vickers was chosen to represent District No. 2 in advising the proper expenditure of this sum, and is one of the five members of the Advisory board. He has always held to the political faith of his forefathers, and in 1888 cast his first presidential vote for Grover Cleveland. At different times he has been a delegate to Congressional, representative and district conventions.
Since he was fourteen he has been a zealous communicant of the Baptist Church, and is one of the deacons of the church at Godley and was a member of the building committee when the house of worship was erected. He has also contributed substantially to the con- struction of two other Baptist churches in that locality. He and his family were workers and contributors to the various war causes in their community, including Liberty Bonds, Red Cross and Y. M. C. A., and with others he is proud of the local patriotic record, since the Godley community raised its quota every time.
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In Johnson County December 20, 1891, Mr. Vickers married Miss Cora Ryburn, a native of Mississippi. . She was brought to Texas when six years of age and was reared in Hood County. Her father, Frank Ryburn, was a Mississippi soldier in the Confederate army, and after coming to Texas devoted his life to farming and stock raising. He died some ten years ago. The mother of Mrs. Vickers was Sarah Armstrong. Their children were: James A. Ryburn, of Fort Worth; Cassie, who died as the wife of I. A. Stewart; Mrs. Vickers, who was born in 1870; Robert H., a physician at Dillon, Montana; Jessie, wife of J. W. Crosier, of Godley; and Frank M., of Amarillo, Texas.
Several of the children of Mr. and Mrs. Vickers have already earned for themselves places of influence in their communities and chosen vocations. The oldest, Paul T., is a graduate of the University of Texas, and after teaching for a short time adopted journ- alism and is now associate editor of the Amarillo Daily Tribune ; C. Edwin, the second son, finished his education in Baylor Univer- sity and also took up newspaper work and is now publisher of the Port Lavaca Wave. He married Miss Goldie Garrett and has a daugh- ter, Geraldine. The third of the family, Beth, is the wife of Roscoe Carlisle, of Eastland, Texas. Miss Tommie is a teacher and is now a student in Baylor University. The only farmer son is Isaac N. The youngest is Miss Dorothy.
WILEY LUTHER ROBERTSON. In very few business enterprises of importance at the pres- ent day are found men occupying leading offi- cial positions who have not had special train- ing for the same. Competition is keen in the business world, and in every line the quick judgment, foresight and expediency that can only be the result of experience are essential. This is particularly true in banking, that focus of financial strength that largely determines the prosperity and stability of a community. In this connection attention may be called to one of the foremost citizens of Wichita Falls, Wiley Luther Robertson, active vice president of the City National Bank of Commerce, whose business training since he left college has been exclusively in the financial field.
Wiley Luther Robertson was born at Mexia, Limestone County, Texas, in 1872. His parents were S. L. and Rhoda (French ) Rob- ertson, both prominent families, the Robert- sons in particular having long been conspicu-
ous in state history. When Mr. Robertson was nine years old his parents moved to Baird in Callahan County, West Texas, where he had public school advantages and later a col- legiate course in Baylor University, in which institution he was a student for two years. He came to Wichita Falls September 8, 1891, and within a few days of the organization of the City National Bank became identified with the institution as bookkeeper, and has continued during the past quarter of a century and more, steadily rising, step by step, displaying banking ability and securing the experience that so well fits him for his present prominent position. Mr. Robertson is the oldest of the bank's official family in point of service, and his judgment was consulted in the negotiations that were consummated in the spring of 1920, whereby the City National Bank consolidated with the National Bank of Commerce, form- ing the present City National Bank of Com- merce. At that time Mr. Robertson became active vice president of this great new institu- tion, which has deposits of over $22,000,000.
Mr. Robertson is a family man and property owner. He was married to Miss Virginia Young, of Wichita Falls, and they have had four children : Luther, who passed away June 25, 1920, at the age of twenty-three years, Henry, Ernest and Virginia. With his family Mr. Robertson belongs to the First Baptist Church of Wichita Falls, in which he is chair- man of the Board of Deacons. He was greatly interested in the erection of the new church edifice for this congregation, a magnificent structure completed in the early part of 1921, and served as treasurer of the building com- mittee that had the work in charge. It cost more than $400,000, and is a credit to the con- gregation, building committee and city. He is very active in civic affairs, deeming it the duty of good citizenship, and for a number of years served as treasurer of the Wichita Falls Chamber of Commerce. Mr. Robertson is not only held in high regard in this city but is one of the best known and most popular bankers in Northwest Texas.
W. YOUNG BARNETT. While for a brief period he was a merchant, the catalogue of activities of W. Young Barnett identified him with agriculture and stock raising, and he was one of the successful men in that field until quite recently when he turned over the management of his ranch to a younger genera- tion and retired to his home at Krum. Mr. Barnett has been a resident of Denton County
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a third of a century, and his entire life has been spent in Northern Texas.
He was born a mile north of Plano in Collin County, November 16, 1857. His father, George W. Barnett, was a Texas pioneer, going to the northeastern section of the Republic in 1844, more than a year before Texas became a state. He was born in Ken- tucky and when he was three years of age his parents moved to Mississippi. He grew up at Holly Springs, Mississippi, and was nine- teen years of age when he came to Texas. He absorbed most of his education while working around the office of the county clerk of Red River County. He swept out the office, did other duties, and when he left it was said that he was capable of drawing up any kind of a document. In Texas he clerked for the noted old time merchant C. C. Alexander, but subsequently began farming and raising stock near Plano. He acquired a headright of six hundred and forty acres, and on his landed estate spent the rest of his life. He was one of the prominent men of his locality, and at the beginning of the war between the states joined the Confederate army in Albert Sidney Johnston's command. He was in the Western or Trans-Mississippi Department, and went through the war as a private. He was never wounded or captured, and his chief loss was a financial one due to the freeing of his slaves and the neglect of his affairs while in the army. George W. Barnett had many interests in a busy lifetime. He was an uncompromis- ing democrat, proved an effective aid to many candidates in his party, was a member of the Progressive Christian Church, a Master Mason, and was well read and informed and enjoyed the opportunities of social contact with his fellow men.
George W. Barnett, who died in 1882, at the age of sixty-three, married at Plano Miss Letitia Hawkins Foreman, who survived him some ten years and was about seventy-two when she died. She was born at Bardstown, Nelson County, Kentucky, and was brought to Texas in 1852 by her parents, William and Ruth (Chenoweth) Foreman, from Illinois. Her mother was a descendant of Lord Balti- more, founder of Maryland Colony. The chil- dren of George W. Barnett and wife were: Katie, who died at Plano in 1886, wife of J. T. Kendrick; W. Young; Corrie, wife of H. L. Graham, of Gainesville, Texas; Joseph F., of Newcastle, Texas; Linnie, wife of Joseph H. Gullege, of Plano; Miss Cappie, of Plano; Mart, who married Jennie Bryant and died
at Dallas; and Donnie, wife of E. A. Car- penter, of Plano.
W. Young Barnett spent his youth on the old homestead near Plano and attended coun- try school there, remaining at home and assist- ing his father on the farm until past his major- ity. When he left home he located near Anna in Collin County, and during 1883-84 was a merchant in that village, associated with Capt. J. L. Greer. After that he resumed farming and stock raising, and for thirty- five years that was his main line of business. About a year after his marriage Mr. Barnett moved to Denton County and settled in the northwest corner of the county, near Krum. He began here with a small farm which cost eight dollars an acre. As his needs and means justified he extended his land purchases until the average price of land reached seventeen dollars and a half an acre. His personal efforts and business management have con- stituted an important factor in the rural de- velopment of that vicinity. Many years ago he built one of the good country homes of the county, and it is still in service. known as the old ranch house, now the home of his daugh- ter Ava. On the extensive tracts of land that came under his possession he improved five homes, subsequently occupied by his married children, and he brought under cultivation some six hundred acres of soil. As a live- stock man Mr. Barnett worked consistently toward higher standards of animal husbandry. His cattle have been high grades of the Aber- deen-Angus and Herefords, his hogs were the Red Durocs, and another profitable feature of his enterprise was the mule industry. Mr. Barnett continued active on the farm until 1919, when he established his home at Krum. He had helped establish the Continental Bank at Krum and was vice president and a direc- tor, and is still a stockholder in its successor, the Farmers and Merchants State Bank.
Mr. Barnett was reared in a Christian home and has always regarded religion as a cause worthy of his support and active interest. He was associated with the Baptists, who founded the Plainview Baptist Church near the Bar- nett ranch, being chairman of the building committee and deacon of the congregation many years. Every Sunday he was at his place in this church, and in the Sunday school was either teacher or superintendent and fre- quently was a delegate to Baptist associations. He was also a trustee of the Plainview School District. In 1883 he became a member of the Masonic Lodge at Van Alstyne. Mr. Barnett
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is a democrat of the Jefferson and Jackson type, cast his first presidential vote for Mr. Cleveland and has supported the party ticket each four years since. He has cast three votes for Mr. Cleveland, three for Brvan and two for Woodrow Wilson. An office for himself has not entered into his calculations. though he has been identified with every local political campaign. He was a supporter of the governor in the Hogg-Clark contest of 1892 and in 1920 supported the aspirations of Senator Bailey for the governorship.
At Denton July 21, 1886, Mr. Barnett mar- ried Miss Paralee Moreman. She was born in Smith County, Texas, in May, 1870, but was reared in Collin County. Her parents were Chapley R. and Mollie (Yarbrough) More- man, the former a native of Mississippi and the latter of Alabama. Her father was a strong secessionist, was a Confederate soldier during the war, and never became entirely reconciled to the reunion of the States. In early life he was a plantation overseer in Mis- sissippi, in Collin County was in the milling and ginning industry, and subsequently re- moved to a ranch in Deaf Smith County, Texas, and is now living retired at Hereford, that state, at the age of seventy-eight. His children are: Mrs. Barnett; J. W. Moreman, of Dalhart; Eva, wife of Stewart Kendrick, of Sweetwater; Ada, wife of J. F. Raley, of Denton ; Nora, wife of Doctor Gough, of Fort Worth ; and Leslie, of Casper, Wyoming.
The family circle of Mr. and Mrs. Barnett comprise both children and grandchildren. The oldest of their children is George B., cashier of the Farmers and Merchants State Bank of Krum, who married Eunice McGee and has a family of four, Mary Bess, G. B., Wel- don and W. Y., Jr. The second son, Joseph M. Barnett, a farmer on the Barnett hold- ings, married Mae Rucker and has a son, Ray. The daughter Ava is the wife of J. H. Miller, living on the Barnett homestead, and their children are Jack, Harry, John H., Barnett, Ralph and Joe. The youngest of the family, Bessie, is the wife of J. E. Huffhines, of Dallas, and they have two daughters, Mar- jorie Helen and Frances. The Barnett family gave their earnest and enthusiastic support to all patriotic movements during the World war, and J. M. Barnett was a member of the County Council of Defense.
GEORGE F. OWEN. To the records of suc- cessful citizenship in Denton County the career of George F. Owen, of the Ponder community,
presents an interesting chapter. He has lived there about a quarter of a century, and all of the accumulations that mark him as one of the successful men have been gained since he came here, practically without resources, earning his first dollar in Texas as a thresh- ing machine hand.
Mr. Owen was born in Carroll County, Mis- souri, August 30, 1867. His father, William F. Owen, was born in Schuyler County, Illi- nois, in February, 1839. The grandfather of William F. Owen came from Wales and settled in Pennsylvania, where he reared a family of ten sons. Some of these went into Tennessee, two to Iowa, while the father of William F. settled in Illinois and died when his son William was about three years of age. William F. Owen grew up on an Illinois farm, and during the Civil war was a member of Company B of the 7th Missouri Cavalry, made up chiefly of Illinois men. This regiment served in Missouri, and most of Company B was captured near Independence, that state. After being paroled William F. Owen returned home and did not again rejoin the army. He married in Illinois Miss Bettie Spriggs, daughter of a widow, Betsey (McKee) Spriggs. She died in 1876, the mother of seven children, of whom only two survive, Florence, wife of Billy Lewton, living at Wood River, Nebraska, and George F. The second wife of William F. Owen was Mrs. Harriet Vaneble. William F. Owen spent his last years in Colorado and died at Salida. He served several years as city marshal there and was police judge when he died.
When George F. Owen was five years of age his parents left Missouri and returned to Schuyler County, Illinois, where his mother died when he was about nine years of age. His father then took the family to Colorado, where George grew to manhood. Most of his education was acquired in country schools in Illinois. As a youth he became associated with his father in farming in Chaffee County, Colo- rado, and for three years farmed in Delta County. The rest of the nine years he spent in that western state he worked on the range for stockmen. In the summer of 1893 Mr. Owen removed to Iowa, but left there during the memorable panic of that year, almost giv- ing away his stock to get rid of it. Near Hawardeen, Iowa, he operated a threshing machine and worked for wages husking corn and then, just before Christmas, left for the South, reaching Denison, Texas, between Christmas and New Year, and remained at
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Paris, Texas, until June 10, 1894, when he arrived in Denton County. He came here with only a few dollars in cash. He had had much experience, and while in the west had been rather successful financially. He lost his cap- ital during the silver panic in 1892-93.
His first work as a threshing machine hand was done for O. W. Myers three miles west of Denton. Soon afterwards he began oper- ating threshing machines of his own, and has been in that business on a rather extensive scale ever since. For six years he also oper- ated a well drilling outfit, drilling deep wells over the north and west portions of Denton County and in Montague County. As a result of his efforts perhaps a 150 wells are now serving their owners. Mr. Owen still has in commission two threshing outfits. His operations in this field have extended far be- yond the limits of Denton County. For three years he threshed grain in Oklahoma and five years on the Texas plains in Armstrong County, where he still owns an interest in an outfit. A duly conservative estimate of the number of bushels of grain his machines have threshed would be almost three quarters of a million.
In connection with his threshing Mr. Owen began practical farming in 1900, and all his work in that line has been performed at his present location. He first rented a large tract, and grain has been his chief crop, together with much cotton. He has had the experience of a wide range of prices, selling wheat at sixty cents a bushel and corn at forty cents, while in 1920 his wheat went to market for two dollars and sixty-five cents a bushel. For some years Mr. Owen was making progress as a hog raiser, and was gradually getting his herd bred up to high class Duroc Jerseys. Then, in 1915, the cholera hit his pen and when it passed there was not a single pig left, and he retired probably permanently from the business. For several years he has owned a small flock of sheep, chiefly to keep down the weeds on his premises. Sheep, says Mr. Owen, in two years will convert a weedy tract into a fine grassy pasture, and are valuable for this reason if for none other. However, he has sold the fleece at thirty-five cents a pound, affording a good profit on the care and keep of the animals. On his farms 270 acres are under cultivation, the greater part being handled by tenants.
In Denton County September 17, 1900, Mr. Owen married Miss Nannie Donald Wakefield, daughter of H. Frank Wakefield, of Mineral
Wells, of the prominent Wakefield family of Denton County. Mrs. Owen's mother was a daughter of Robert H. Donald, another well known family of the Lewisville community of Denton County. Mrs. Owen was born at Waketon, Texas, in February, 1871, and was reared there, finishing her education in Pilot Point.
Mr. Owen has given his party loyalty to the Democratic ticket and has always voted at elections. For one term he was a member of the Ponder School Board and though without children of his own to educate he supports schools as liberally as those who have. While on the Ponder board he and his collegues succeeded in enlarging the dis- trict boundaries and establishing a ward school on Denton Creek, whereby that country com- munity is supplied with better school facili- ties. Mr. Owen is affiliated with the Masonic Lodge at Justin and he is a trustee of the Ponder Methodist Church, of which Mrs. Owen is a member. Mr. Owen is a director of the Ponder State Bank. During the recent war he bore his share of duties and burdens and had the satisfaction of seeing his locality go over the top in every campaign for funds.
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