USA > Texas > Tarrant County > History of Texas, together with a biographical history of Tarrant and Parker counties; containing a concise history of the state, with portraits and biographies of prominent citizens of the above named counties, and personal histories of many of the early settlers and leading families > Part 47
USA > Texas > Parker County > History of Texas, together with a biographical history of Tarrant and Parker counties; containing a concise history of the state, with portraits and biographies of prominent citizens of the above named counties, and personal histories of many of the early settlers and leading families > Part 47
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James C. Scott was born on his father's farm in La Mine township, Cooper county, Missouri, May 1, 1841, and there grew to manhood, receiving a good common-school education. He was just merging into manhood when the civil war broke out, and during the first year of the war he enlisted in the Second Missouri Cavalry of the Con- federate Army, under General Price, and while on the field of battle was made Order- ly Sergeant. After he had served one year he was captured, and for a time was held' prisoner in the vicinity of St. Louis and Alton, after which he was paroled.
Upon leaving the army, Mr. Scott went to Colorado and engaged in mining and freighting. Then he entered the employ of the Union Pacific Railroad Company, serv- ing as terminal agent of two divisions. Some time later he returned to Colorado with the intention of selling his mining pro- perty and settling down to the practice of law, for which profession he had prepared himself at odd times during the years 1863 to '69. Mining interests, however, were dull in Colorado at the time, so he returned to Omaha, where he again entered the em- ploy of the Union Pacific Railroad Com-
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pany, and where he remained until May, 1873. It was in 1873 that he came to Texas, he having been induced to take part in the construction of the Texas Pacific Railroad. He remained in the employ of this company, in different capacities, for only a few months. The following year he took out license to practice law in Texas, and, September 1, 1874, located in Fort Worth, where he has since resided and where he has had a successful career. Dur- ing the years 1875 and '76 he served as City Attorney.
Mr. Scott was married in Jefferson, Texas, in 1874, to Mrs. Mary Hughes, néc Slack, daughter of Thomas Slack, of Boone- ville, Missouri. She died in October, 1880, leaving one child, Laura, wife of Benjamin J. Houston, a prominent young lawyer of Fort Worth. Mrs. Mary Scott was a mem- ber of the Episcopal Church. In February, 1882, Mr. Scott wedded Miss Eliza Leffer- son, of Shelbyville, Indiana, and they have one daughter, Ella Clarkson, and a daughter of his older brother, Maud Sadie, whom they are raising as their own child.
Mr. Scott is identified with several fra- ternal organizations, being a member of the Masonic order, Knights of Honor, the National Reserve Association and the Texas Bar Association. He is deeply interested in charitable work, and is Secretary of the Board of Trustees of the Benevolent Home for Un- fortunate Children in Fort Worth. Both he and his wife are members of the First Pres- byterian Church, of which he is a Deacon.
Mr. Scott has been a strong supporter of the public schools. He was one of the moving men in getting the act of the Leg- islature of April 3, 1879, passed, so that cities could control their public schools and collect taxes for their support, and he feels that he can be justly proud of Texas for its schools and great public school fund, and that it is a great heritage to leave to suc- ceeding generations.
a D. LUSK, the popular and efficient ticket agent at the Union Depot, Fort Worth, Texas, forms the sub- ject of this article. His business naturally brings him in contact with all classes of people, and by his genial courtesy and his happy faculty of knowing how to please everybody, he has brought himself into great favor with the public and also with his em- ployers.
Mr. Lusk began railroading at Marshall, Texas, in 1875, as car recorder for the Texas & Pacific Railroad Company. He was promoted to the position of ticket agent at Sherman the following year, and in 1883 was transferred to the Wabash Railroad, as traveling passenger agent, with headquarters at Sherman, where he remained until 1884. He then came to Fort Worth as joint agent for all lines having depot facilities in this city, embracing the T. & P., M., K. & T., G. C. & S. F.
Mr. Lusk was born in Harmony, Butler
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county, Pennsylvania, November 6, 1853, son of Dr. J. S. Lusk, for many years a prominent man in that State. Dr. Lusk was born in Mercer county, Pennsylvania, and died in Butler county, same State, .in 1890, at the age of sixty-two years. He was a graduate of the Cleveland Medical College of Cleveland, Ohio, was an eminent practitioner, and at one time served in the Pennsylvania Legislature. He was also United States Pension Examiner. Mr. Lusk's grandfather, Loring Lusk, was also an M. D., and a resident of Butler county, Pennsylvania, where he died in 1879, at the age of three score years and ten. He was somewhat of a public man, -a stump speak- er in the interest of the Democratic party, and took an active part in local affairs. Re- ferring to the maternal ancestry of our sub- ject, we find that his mother, whose maiden name was Mary Douglas, is a daughter of Dr. Archibald Douglas, of Mercer county, Pennsylvania. Her children are C. D .; Joseph; Elizabeth, wife of William Camp- bell, Butler, Pennsylvania; Nettie, wife of H. M. Wise, Harmony, Pennsylvania; and Mary.
C. D. Lusk received an academic educa- tion at Sewickley, Pennsylvania, and in early manhood, as above stated, turned his atten- tion to railroading, in which he has ever since been engaged.
He was married in Butler county, Penn- sylvania, in June, 1876, to Lydia E., daughter of George Burns, a respected farmer of that county, now deceased. Their 8
children are George and Alice, aged, respec- tively, thirteen and eight years.
Mr. Lusk is a prominent Mason and a charter member of the Fort Worth Com- mandery.
J AMEȘ H. MADDOX, Chief of Police, Fort Worth, Texas, has been serv- ing as an officer for the past seven- teen years, and this fact alone is sufficient evidence of his popularity. Some personal mention of him is appropriate in this work, and is as follows:
James H. Maddox was born in Clai- borne parish, Louisiana, January 22, 1861. He received a limited education in his native State, and in 1873 came with the rest of the family to Tarrant county, Texas. Here he was engaged in farming with his father until he was employed as an official. His first service was as Deputy Sheriff under his brother, W. T. Maddox, for three terms, and for four terms longer under his brother's successors. He then became identified with the police force, with which he has since been connected. It was in 1891 that he was elected to his present position, and the vote he received was indeed a most flattering one. In all these positions to which he has been called he has proved himself to be a man of decision and nerve, always equal to the occasion, and his whole career has been one of marked success. Through his efficient service many a notorious crimi-
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nal has been arrested, brought to trial, and received his just dues.
Mr. Maddox was married February 4, 1886, in Fourth street M. E. Church, Fort Worth, to Miss Josie B. Douglas, a native of Virginia and a daughter of E. Douglas. Their children are Douglas McCort and Victor F., aged six and four years, respec- tively.
Mr. Maddox is identified with the K. of P., I. O. O. F. and A. O. U. W.
C. DRAKE .- Among the repre- sentative citizens of Fort Worth, and one of the most prominent railroad men in Texas, is C. C. Drake, gen- eral agent of the Fort Worth & Denver City Railroad Company.
Mr. Drake was born at Easton, North- ampton county, Pennsylvania, on the 9th day of September, 1855, and is of English and German descent. His father, William N. Drake, now a well-known retail boot and shoe merchant of Easton, Pennsylvania, was born in that city, in 1826, and was married to Anna M. Kites, who also was a native of Pennsylvania. To their union ten children have been born, seven of whom survive, and of whom the subject of this sketch is the fourth.
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C. C. Drake was given a good English education, finishing his schooling at Easton (Pennsylvania) College. He began his rail- road career, shortly after leaving college, as
a telegraph operator in the employ of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company, at Phillips- burg, New Jersey. Subsequently he was appointed station agent for the same com- pany at Belvidere, New Jersey. In 1878 he left the Pennsylvania Company and went to St. Louis, where he entered the service of the St. Louis & San Francisco Railroad Company as chief bill clerk in the St. Louis office. From this position he was promoted to that of clerk in charge of the claims de- partment in the general office. From the San Francisco he went to the Missouri Pa- cific Railroad Company as chief clerk in the loss and damage department in the general office at St. Louis, and from this position he was promoted as freight claim agent of the Gould Southwestern lines, embracing Texas, Louisiana, and the Indian Territory. In 1872 he came to Texas, and for a time was connected with the Houston & Texas Railroad Company, and later with the Cot- ton Belt Line as chief clerk to the general freight agent at Texarkana. He became connected with the Fort Worth & Denver City Railroad Company in 1887 as chief clerk of the passenger and freight depart- ment, which position he filled until July 15, 1894, when he was promoted to his present position of general agent of that popular road, with headquarters at Fort Worth, which promotion was a inerited recognition of his worth and ability as a railroad man.
His career in the railroad business has been one of uniform promotion, he begin- ning at the bottom and climbing step by
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step, relying entirely upon his abilities and qualifications. He possesses many traits of character, aside from his natural ability, which particularly fit him for his line of business. He is aggressive, progressive and ambitious, of unflagging industry and in- domitable will power, great executive force and genius in handling men, added to which is a happy, genial disposition, and a faculty of making friends readily and of keeping them steadfast thereafter. Few men of Fort Worth have more social and business friends than he.
In political matters Mr. Drake has figured conspicuously as a stanch Republi- can, and is considered one of the most prom- inent members of that party in north Texas. While not a politician, in the general accept- ance of that term, he takes a deep interest in the various campaigns of his party, and renders valuable aid both upon the commit- tee and upon the stump, never flagging in his party zeal and fidelity, though fully recog- nizing that he is fighting with a hopeless minority so far as State affairs are con- cerned. In 1892 he was the nominee of his party for Congress in the Sixth district, leading a forlorn hope, but doing so in an able, aggressive, and gallant manner, win- ning the applause of his friends and the re- spect of his political opponents, and increas- ing his popularity. He also twice repre- sented his (the Sixth) ward in the City Council of Fort Worth, in which body he was an active and valuable member.
He is fully identified with Fort Worth,
and has contributed his share as a citizen to- ward the growth and development of the city and her industries and institutions. Broad and liberal in his views, enterprising and progressive, he is recognized as one of the city's prominent and representative men.
Mr. Drake was married at Howe, Gray- son county, Texas, on the Ist day of April, 1876, to Miss Eva, the daughter of F. M. Le Bow, a prominent cattleman of the In- dian Territory, formerly of Missouri. The issue of this union is three daughters: the eldest, Miss Maydelle, now in her sixteenth year, is completing her literary and musical education at an institute at Mexico, Missouri. She possesses remarkable talent as a musi- cian and elocutionist, and is pronounced by the faculty to be the most promising pupil in the school she is now attending. In 1892 . she won the Fort Worth Gazette scholar- ship by popular vote. The younger daugh- ters are Cora, aged fourteen years, and Florence, aged nine years. The family are members of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church.
0 AVID S. SWITZER, President of Weatherford College, was born on Tiger river, Spartanburg county, South Carolina, in 1844, the youngest of seven sons and two daughters born to Samuel and Mary Switzer. His grand- fathers, Henry Switzer and Christian Gates, fought in the Revolutionary war under General Francis Marion.
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David received as good advantages in the way of an education as the country afforded until he was sixteen, at which age he chose to go to Mississippi and work one year on his father's plantation before going to South Carolina College, the school of his choice at that time. But the civil war breaking out, he volunteered in the spring of 1861, enter- ing the Confederate army before he was seventeen years of age. He was in a num- ber of engagements, fell severely wounded on two battlefields, and was both times captured, the one at Perryville, Kentucky, the other at Jonesborough, Georgia. His second wound made him a cripple for life, and therefore he did not again enter the army. He commanded his company in the last battle with the rank of First Lieutenant, an office conferred upon him for meritorious conduct, and which made him the senior officer of his company.
In the spring of 1865 Mr. Switzer began teaching school in his neighborhood, and since that time has never failed to be in the schoolroom a full session either as a teacher or pupil. In two years he saved about $1,000 by teaching, at the same time pre- pared himself to enter the University of Mississippi. He remained there four years, made an excellent record, and graduated in 1870, among the first of a large class. Before leaving the university Mr. Switzer secured a professorship in Greenwood Masonic In- stitute, Round Rock, Texas, resigning that position four years later to accept the prin- cipalship of Comanche Masonic Institute,
which he held six years. He resigned the latter place to accept the control of Gran- bury high school, which he soon raised to the rank of college. Under his manage- ment the school gained the reputation of being one of the best institutions of learning in the State, he becoming one of its fore- most educators. In 1889 the church to which the school belonged, -Methodist Episcopal Church, South, -moved it with its presi- dent and faculty to the city of Weatherford, where it is now completing its sixth session.
In 1873 Prof. Switzer married Miss Rebecca Mays, a daughter of L. M. Mays, of Round Rock, Texas. Their children are: Davida A., Maud (a teacher in the Methodist college at Muskogee, Indiana), Grace, Zoe, Alma, Kathie May (deceased), Bessie, Rebecca, Nora (deceased), and David L. Mrs. Switzer has always had charge of the music class in the Weatherford College, which has added greatly to the reputation of the institution. It might be truthfully said of them as teachers that they were mutually dependent upon each other for the success which they have achieved.
Personally Professor Switzer is a very prepossessing gentleman, of medium height, heavy build, having iron grey beard and a pleasant face. His pleasing manners and affable disposition make every one his friend; for back of his kindness can be seen the image of a thoroughly conscientious Christian gentleman. By his pupils he is universally loved and respected, and Texas . contains thousands who have been under his
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influence in college. " He is still an active, progressive teacher, and the student gets the benefit of his rich fund of knowledge, classi- fied and made common and practical by his varied experience in life.
0 R. COLEMAN, the well-known wholesale grocer of Weatherford, was born in Steuben county, New York, August 4, 1839, a son of J. C. Cole- man, a native also of New York and a mill- wright by trade. His father, Timothy Cole- man, was a farmer by occupation and was a Lieutenant in the Revolutionary war. He married a Miss De Witt, a niece of De Witt Clinton. J. C. Coleman married Naomi D. Robinson, a daughter of Benjamin Robinson, a native of Massachusetts, and a soldier in the French and Indian war. Our subject is the fifth of their nine children, four now living, viz .: D. J., Clerk of the Court at Great Barrington, Massachusetts; Annie, wife of L. C. Crittendon, of Lane, Kansas; Rosa, wife of J. W. Walter, of that place; and D. R., our subject. J. C. Coleman died at Muscatine, Iowa, in 1851, at the age of fifty-two years.
D. R. Coleman went with his father to Muscatine at the age of twelve years, where he remained five years; then, in 1859, en- gaged in merchandising at Osawatomie, Kansas, until 1874; was then a merchant and citizen of Seneca, Missouri, until 1876, and since that year has resided in Texas. He visited Bryan, Galveston and other
points in search of a location, and finally, in 1878, chose Weatherford. Mr. Cole- man immediately engaged in contracting and building and manufacturing brick. Dur- ing the following four years he erected near- ly all the substantial brick structures in Weatherford. In 1882 he opened a retail grocery store in this city, under the firm name of Coleman & Lysaght. Their first location was on North Main street, and their trade grew so rapidly that in 1891 they closed the retail business and began the wholesale trade. Their orders now ex- tend over the counties of Jack, Young, Stephens, Throckmorton, Shackelford, Erath, Parker, West and Hood, and two men are employed in taking orders. They carry a stock amounting to $50,000, and their sales reach as high as $350,000 annu- ally.
During the civil war Mr. Coleman served as First Lieutenant and Adjutant of the Second Kansas Cavalry. He enlisted at Lawrence, and saw service in Missouri, Tennessee and Arkansas; took part in the battles of Wilson Creek, Carthage and Prairie Grove; and was mustered out of serv- ice in Missouri, by a general order from the War Department, in 1863.
Our subject was married at Osawatomie, Kansas, to Mrs. Lysaght, widow of Thomas Lysaght, an Englishman by birth. Her father, Benjamin Harrison, was also a na- tive of England. Her son, Edward Lysaght, is engaged in business with Mr. Coleman. He married Miss Blair, and they have had
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three children, -Alice, Annie, (deceased), and Maggie. In his social relations Mr. Coleman is a member of the K. of P. and Masonic order.
0 R. W. L. SIMMONS, the oldest practicing physician in Parker county, was born in Pike county, Alabama, March 9, 1836. His father, Dr. Daniel Simmons, was born in North Caro- lina, in 1793. He was a Methodist minis- ter, and was one of the leading men, finan- cially, of his county. He was married in his native State to Betsey Simmons, and they had nine children, five now living, namely: John; Kitty, now Mrs. Levi Arm- strong, of Jefferson county, Alabama; Mrs. Nancy Adams, of Pike county, that State; W. L., our subject; and A. S., of Denison, Texas.
W. L. Simmons received the best op- portunities for an education. At the age of twenty-two years he entered the Graefen- berg Medical College, the first endowed by the State of Alabama, graduated at that institution during the following year, and then engaged in the practice of medicine in his native county. His practice was inter- fered with greatly by the progress of the war, but he continued to prosecute his call- ing, and rendered much good in a private way, relieving the sufferings of the rich and poor, regardless of compensation or political relations. Dr. Simmons was not directly connected with the military of the Confed-
eracy, but was for a time in charge of a hospital at Troy, Pike county, Alabama. He was afterward engaged in the manufac- ture of salt for a time on the coast of Flor- ida, was captured by the Federals, taken to Key West, was there offered hospital serv- ice, but refused, and took the oath of alle- giance to the United States Government, and entered Mower Hospital, at Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia, as contract surgeon. He remained there until the close of the strug- gle, and, in appreciation of his services and kindness, the patients presented him a silver watch, which he still carries. Returning to · Alabama, Dr. Simmons practiced his pro- fession in Lowndes county two years, and the following year was spent in Butler county, that State. He then began his Westward journey, in 1870, reaching Texas by the way of Galveston, and Weatherford by Waco and Cleburne. After reaching this city he found Drs. J. N. Cole; W. C. Milli- ken, with whom he was afterward associ- ated; Dr. Willis, a former Alabama partner, and afterward a partner here; Dr. Tucker, with whom he also practiced; and Dr. Everett. Dr. Simmons is the patentee of the Simmons Liver Invigorator. He owns val- uable land on the Clear Fork of the Brazos river, where he is interested in stock-raising. . He takes a citizen's interest in the affairs of the Democratic party.
The Doctor was married in Pike county, Alabama, to Georgia Williams, a native of South Carolina. She died in Lowndes coun- ty in 1867, leaving two children,-George
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J. and Betty. The latter is the wife of Winfield Scott, of Fort Worth. In 1869, in Pike county, our subject was united in marriage with Mary E. Kirbo, who died March 20, 1893. She left the following children: Dr. W. L., Jr., who attended the Pharmacy Department in the Tulane Uni- versity, New Orleans, where he also took a course of medical lectures: on April I, 1893, he graduated in medicine at the Bal- timore Medical College, and is now in part- nership with his father, both in the practice of medicine and in the drug business; Maude; A. S., deceased; and John E. Simpson, commonly known as "Ted." Dr. Simmons is a member of the Blue lodge and chapter of the Masonic fraternity, having been made a Mason in 1857. He is also a member of the Methodist Church.
I W. STEPHENS, Associate Justice of the Court of Civil Appeals for the Second Supreme Judicial District of Texas, was born in Bledsoe county, Tennessee, November 15, 1850. His father, Mark Stephens, a well known farmer and highly esteemed citizen, died there March 31, 1892, aged eighty-four years. His mother, néc E. C. Greer, died October 5, 1884.
Judge Stephens graduated at the Wash- ington and Lee University in the class of 1872, winning the debater's medal of the Washington Literary Society for that year; was a teacher for one year in Campbell Institute, Carthage, Tennessee; during the
following year read law in the office of Judge E. L. Gordonhire at Sparta, that State; and, after securing license to practice, de- clined a generous tender. of partnership from his law preceptor and came to Weath- erford, Texas; taught school here as assis- tant to Professor S. E. Burkhead for six months, and then engaged in the practice of law, in which pursuit he continued until his election to his present position. Judge Stephens filled the office of County At- torney of Parker county from the spring of 1877 until the fall of. 1880. He began the practice of his profession alone, having, as . he expressed it, John N. Simpson, now a leading financier of the State, as a dormant partner, i. e., he slept in the office with him! Mr. Stephens was afterward associ- ated in practice successively with W. W. Davis, W. E. Prince, H. M. Chapman, S. W. T. Lanham, A. J. Hood, Jr. and Sr., B. M. Stephens and H. L. Mosely.
The Democratic convention at Dallas in 1892, representing nearly one-half the Democratic vote of the State, nominated him for Associate Justice of the newly created Court of Civil Appeals for the Second . Supreme Judical District of Texas. Governor Hogg appointed him to the office in order that the court might enter at once upon its labors, and he was formally elected at the polls in November, 1892, for a term of two, four or six years, but afterward drew the short term, and was re-elected, without opposition, at the November (1894) election, for a term of six years.
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Judge Stephens was married at Weather- ford, November 25, 1878, to Miss Jennie Martin, who came from Georgia to Parker county since the war. She is a sister of Mrs. Carson and Mrs. T. D. Lewis. Mr. and Mrs. Stephens have six daughters, - Bessie, Daisy, Ruth, Mary, Lucy and Ella. Our subject is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, but has never be- longed to any secret orders. At the bar he was a skillful and successful practitioner, and considered an ornament to the profes- sion. His elevation to the position he now fills was the highest recognition that could be made of his ability and learning as a lawyer, and his spotless probity and worth as a citizen. He brought with him to Texas nothing but natural endowment and a good education. Of a strong and vigorous men- tality, he will leave the impress of his learning and genius upon the jurisprudence of Texas.
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G. BEAN, the genial and capable manager of the business of William Cameron & Company, at Weath- eaford, was born at Fall River, Massachu- setts, January 4, 1854, a son of L. G. Bean, a practical engineer and photographer. The latter came to Texas in 1859 and was forced into the service of the Federal army by be- ing placed in charge of a supply wagon train during the civil war. He died in June, 1870, at the age of forty-eight years. His wife was formerly Ardelia Davis, and they had only one child.
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