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 56
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 56
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74
who also died at the age of four years; Romules, who died in infancy; Remus, who died in infancy; Jefferson D .; John G. ; Mary L., wife of Noah Staggs; Susan F .; M. E., wife of Franklin Hurst, died in 1893, and Jordan M.
Mr. Shaw is a member of the Liberal Association of Texas. In politics he was formerly a Democrat but is now a Populist.
ILLIAM H. CARR, Aledo, Texas, is one of the prosperous farmers and stock dealers of Parker county. A sketch of his life is herewith presented:
William H. Carr was born in Scott county, Illinois, January 12, 1834, son of J. B. and Martha (Brantley) Carr, the for- mer a native of North Carolina, and the the latter of Kentucky. They went to Illi- nois at an early day, and first settled in Greene county, from whence they subse- quently removed to Scott county, the birth- place of William H. In 1846 the Carr family emigrated to Texas, and located in Red River county, thence removed to Collin county, and in July, 1855, came to Parker county, and settled on a farm on Clear Fork creek, where the father was engaged in farming and stock-raising the rest of his life, and where he died, in 1874, at the age of seventy-six years, his wife surviving him until 1876. He was a veteran of the Black Hawk war. His ancestors were Irish, while the Brantleys originated in England. Grand-
-
477
HISTORY OF TEXAS.
father Josiah Brantley came from Illinois to Texas in 1840, and located in Red River county. He subsequently removed to Bas- trop county, where he died at the age of eighty-five years. All his life he was a farmer and stock-raiser. The names of J. B. and Martha Carr's children are as fol- lows: Emily E., who married E. Gaither; Calvin M .; Henry; William H., whose name heads this article; Temperance, wife of John Blackwell; Mary; James; and Mar- tha, wife of Fate Blackwell, -all deceased except three, Henry, William H., and James.
The subject of our sketch made his home under the parental roof until the time of his marriage, which event occurred in 1859. Previous to this time, and for several years afterward, fifteen years altogether, Mr. Carr was engaged in a freighting business. Dur- ing that period he did an extensive business, and gained a wide acquaintance. In 1870 he had three teams, with six yoke of oxen to each team, and carried freight a distance of forty miles, much of the way through a country infested with. Indians, where it was dangerous to go without an escort. He, however, was too brave to ask for an escort, and was unaccompanied save by his two men, James Novel and Jefferson Brown. His freighting was done from Shreveport, Jefferson and Houston.
In 1864 Mr. Carr bought 160 acres of land, which he improved, and on which he lived for some time. Then he sold cut and bought 150 acres of his present farm. To this tract he has since added, until it now
comprises 630 acres, 270 of which are under cultivation.
Mr. Carr has always been a Union man. When the war broke out he entered the State service, and was on the frontier of Texas protecting the settlers from the depre- dations of the Indians until the war closed. During the time he was a ranger he and others of his command visited the spot where Wichita Falls is now located. He is said to have been the first white man who stood on that ground. That was August 7, 1 863.
As above stated, Mr. Carr was married in 1859. His wife, whose maiden name was Miss E. Brown, was a daughter of Harry Brown, a native of Kentucky, who came with his family to Texas in 1855, and settled in Parker county. He was a tanner by trade, but for a number of years was en- gaged in farming, and remained in this county until the time of his death, 1867. He had served as a soldier in the Black Hawk war. Mrs. Carr died November 13, 1868. She was the mother of two children, viz .: Jo- siah, engaged in the stock business in Baylor county, Texas; and Jeptha B., a farmer of Parker county. Mrs. Carr was a member of the Christian Church and was a most ami- able woman, and her untimely death was a source of great bereavement to her little family and many friends. In 1871 Mr. Carr married for his second wife Miss Sarah McCoy, daughter of. Wylie McCoy, of Ten- nessee. Mr. McCoy was one of the early settlers of Grayson county, Texas, and came
478
HISTORY OF TEXAS.
from there to Parker county in 1860. Here he carried on farming up to the time of his death, which event occurred suddenly in 1880. Mr. Carr and his present wife have one child, William W., born in 1879.
EMUEL C. BURGESS, a respect- ed farmer of Tarrant county, Texas, was born in Franklin coun- ty, Georgia, January 8, 1847. He was reared on a farm in his native State, re- maining a member of the home circle until he attained his majority, and receiving only limited educational advantages. Although quite young at the time of the late war, he was in the army for eleven months, partici- pating in a number of engagements, but never being wounded or captured. At the time of the surrender he was at home on furlough.
In 1869 Mr. Burgess went to St. Louis, thence to Kentucky, where he spent two years, and in the fall of 1871 came to Texas, first stopping in the eastern part of the State, and in August, 1874, taking up his abode in Tarrant county. For some time he was employed in blacksmithing, and later in breaking prairie. After his marriage, which event occurred in 1876, he bought eighty acres of land. As soon as he had fenced this land and put in a crop, he built a house and made other improvements, and as pros- perity attended his efforts he purchased more land. He now owns 400 acres, of which about 196 acres are under cultivation,
wheat, corn and oats being his principal crops. He raises only enough stock for the support of his farm.
Mr. Burgess was the third born in a large family of children, his parents being Reuben and Rebecca (Cain) Burgess, na- tives of Georgia and North Carolina respec- tively. Grandpa Cain (Lemuel) served in the Indian war, and helped to remove the Indians from Georgia. He was over ninety years old at his death. Reuben Burgess spent his whole life in farming in Georgia, and died there in 1874. His widow is still living, having been in Tarrant county, Tex- as, since 1883, and all her children are in Texas except one, who is in Alabama. Fol- lowing are the names of their children: William F., a farmer of Tarrant county; Mary, widow of M. R Vaughn, of Wilbarger county; L. C., whose name heads this arti- cle; D. M., a resident of Alabama; Joseph- ine, wife of R. V. Scott, Mineola, Wood county; Rebecca E., wife of Thomas Keith, Saginaw; Nancy A., wife of Henry Booker, Fort Worth; Vass, wife of F. H. Vaughn, Tarrant county; Samantha E., wife of John Ellis, Wilbarger county; R. P., also of Wil- barger county; Irvin B., of Cook county; and Ida, wife of O. West, of Clay county.
Mr. Burgess's marriage has already been referred to. Mrs. Burgess, formerly Miss Penelope Clark, was born in Louisiana, July 20, 1858, daughter of William and Jamima (East) Clark. Her father, a native of Mississippi, and a farmer and school teacher, came to Texas about 1860, and
٠٠
479
HISTORY OF TEXAS.
located in Tarrant county. Subsequently he removed to southern Texas, his death occurring there about 1863. Afterward the widow settled with her family in Tarrant county, where she spent the residue of her life and died, the date of her death being May 28, 1887. Only two of their five chil- dren are living, -- Martha I., wife of H. R. Isbell, and Mrs. Burgess. Mr. and Mrs. Burgess have seven children, Ila I., Elsa L., Oscar, Otis, Cora, Conner and Edna, all at home.
Mrs. Burgess is a member of the Mis- sionary Baptist Church.
3 T. GANTT, a prominent and well- to-do farmer residing near Oak Grove, Tarrant county, Texas, was born in the State of Georgia, February 27, 1850. He was reared to farm life, receiving only limited educational advantages, and in January, 1871, came with his father and family to Texas, and located in Tarrant county. Soon after his marriage, which event occurred in 1877, he settled on the farm where he now lives. This was then all wild land except 1333 acres, which was in cultivation, which he had helped to break and fence the year before, when the land belonged to Mr. J. J. Scott, and all the im- provements have been placed upon it by him. To his original purchase he subse- quently added until now he has a fine tract of land 477 acres in extent, 200 acres of which are under cultivation, wheat, corn,
oats, and a small amount of cotton compris- ing his crops. He is also giving careful at- tention to the raising of graded stock of all kinds, -horses, inules, cattle and hogs. The comfortable residence, good farm buildings and fences, and the fine artesian well on this place,-all go to make it a most desirable property, and stamp its owner as a man of enterprise.
The Gantt family are of Irish descent. Our subject's parents, J. A. and Duranda (Reed) Gantt, were born, reared and mar- ried in South Carolina, and some years after their marriage removed with their family to Georgia, from whence they subsequently came to Texas. The father was a farmer and a man of some prominence, serving in Georgia as Justice of the Peace. He died in Texas in March, 1891. His wife had passed away in 1877. Their family comprised five children, of whom record is made as follows: Elizabeth J. has been twice married and is now a widow, her first husband R. Isbell, and her second, David H. Hammer; Mary C, wife of James McFarland; James A., Jr. ; J. T., the subject of this article, and Ester T., wife of S. D. Hartman.
In April, 1877, Mr. J. T. Gantt married Miss Mary E. Scott, daughter of J. J. Scott, of this county, and the names of their chil- dren are James L., John W., Thomas A., Emma P., Charles A., Nancy E., Martin B. and Martha E.
Mr. Gantt has always taken a commend- able interest in public affairs, and has served in some minor offices. In 1890 he was
13
1
P
480
HISTORY OF TEXAS.
-
elected Magistrate, which position he still fills. He is a member of the Masonic fra- ternity, and both he and his wife are identi- fied with the Missionary Baptist Church.
L. NORWOOD, a prominent farmer, merchant and capitalist of Tarrant county, Texas, is as truly a self-made man as he is one of un- questionable integrity. Although he has been a resident of this county only a com- paratively few years, he is thoroughly iden- tified with its interests. It is with pleasure that we present the following sketch of his life in this work:
W. L. Norwood was born in North Car- olina, October 14, 1836, and was reared in Mississippi. After his marriage, which event occurred in 1856, he settled on a farm, and continued farming for some years, with the exception of the time spent in the Con- federate service, and for ten years previous to his coming to Texas he was engaged in merchandising in Mississippi. It was in 1888 that he came to this State. Upon his arrival here he purchased a farm, and the. first year made his home on it. He then engaged in a general merchandise business at Oak Grove, remained there one year, and in 1891 came to his present locality, Rendon. Here he bought two farms, and built a store house and moved his stock of goods from Oak Grove to this place, and here he has since conducted his operations with marked success, carrying a fine stock
of general merchandise and doing the usual credit business. He, however, pays cash for all goods. He also discounts paper, and does his banking business at Fort Worth. He still retains his first farm, and has all three of them rented.
As has already been stated, Mr. Nor- wood was a participant in the late war. He enlisted in 1861, and, as a member of Brad- ford's Artilley, went to the front in Virginia, where he remained until the sanguinary struggle closed, taking part in all the Vir- ginia engagements. At the time of the bat- tle of Gettysburg he was stationed at Rich- mond. While on his retreat from Richmond, in April, before the surrender, he and nearly all his company were captured. He was a prisoner at the time Lee surrendered, which surrender took place on the 9th. On the Lith he made his escape and returned home, and while at home was paroled. The war over, he resumed farming, and continued thus occupied until, as above stated, he turned his attention to merchandising. At the close of the war, he, like many of the Southern people, had to begin life over again, his means having all been swept away; but by honest industry and good management he has prospered, and since coming to Texas he has nearly doubled his capital.
Mr. Norwood's parents, Laban W. and. Susan (Williamson) Norwood, were natives of North Carolina and removed from that. State to Mississippi in 1837. The father was a carpenter by trade. The ravages of
48
HISTORY OF TEXAS.
the war swept away his means, and at its close he moved to a farm, where he died that same year, 1865. His wife came to Texas with her son, where she remained until the time of her death, in 1892. Little is known of Mr. Norwood's remote ances- try. His parents had seven children, name- ly : W. L .; Martha A. I., wife of W. C. Thomas, resides in Mississippi; Susan, wife of William Robins, also of Mississippi; J. K., a farmer of Tarrant county, Texas, since 1890; C. C .; a resident of Mississippi; Louisa, wife of J. W. Taylor, a farmer of Johnson county, Texas, since 1880; and W. A., also of Johnson county.
Mr. Norwood has been twice married. His first wife, whose maiden name was Miss Mary Farrar, was a daughter of Jorial and Polly Farrar, natives of North Carolina, and for some years residents of Mississippi, where both died. Mrs. Norwood died in September, 1882, leaving a family of six children, as follows : William W., a mer- chant of Alvin, Texas; James H., a minis- ter of the Free-will Baptist Church, and a resident of Johnson county, Texas; Mary F., wife of C. B. McElvaney, a farmer of Tarrant county; Robert E. L., engaged in business with his father; and John D. and Martha P., at home. In the fall of 1893 Mr. Norwood married Miss Priscilla E. Carnes, and a second time has he been bereft of a companion, she dying December 18, 1894.
Politically, Mr. Norwood affiliates with the Democratic party, and has all his life
taken a laudable interest in public affairs; and, while he has never been an office- seeker, he has filled with fidelity and efficiency a number of public positions to which he has been called. While in Missis- sippi he was for twelve years a Justice of the Peace and for six years a County Com- missioner. It was through his influence that a postoffice was established at Rendon, it was he who give it this name, and upon its establishment he was appointed Post- master, which position he still fills. He is a Knight Templar Mason, and he and his wife and three of their children are members of the Methodist Church, South.
ENCE POE, hardware merchant at Mansfield, was born in Jackson county, Missouri, November 17, 1842. When about fifteen years of age he came to Texas with his parents, who for the first year stopped in Collin county, and the year following came to Tarrant county, set- tling where the subject of this sketch now resides, four miles north of Mansfield. At that time the settlers in this part of the county were "few and far between," and they had but little land in cultivation.
In 1861 Mr. Poe entered the frontier service, under "Buck" Berry, an old Indian fighter, and had some fierce engagements with the red savages, many of whom were killed; and he also recovered many horses that had been stolen. At the end of a year
482
HISTORY OF TEXAS.
he was mustered into the regular service of the Confederate army, in the First Texas Cavalry, which was afterward consolidated with Yeager's battalion, and was in the ser- vice, in Louisiana and along the gulf, and against Banks in his fifty days' raid up Red river and in Louisiana. Mr. Poe com- menced his military career at Mansfield, and ended it at Yellow Bayou; was never wounded or captured, and was at home on leave of absence on account of sickness when the war closed.
In 1867 he married, but continued to re- main at his parental home, following agri- cultural pursuits and stock-raising to a limited extent. In 1892, in company with a partner, he engaged in the hardware busi- ness at Mansfield, which he yet owns. He purchased the old homestead, after his father had "traded" it away, and this place he now occupies. He has added to its area from time to time until he now has nearly 700 acres, of which 300 are in a fine state of cultivation. He rents some, and raises a diversity of crops, with what live stock he needs.
He is a son of William and Nancy (Er- vin) Poe, his father a native of North Caro- lina and his mother of Virginia. His father moved to Missouri in pioneer times, married there, and has all his life been a farmer. Publicly, he served in many offices, as Justice of the Peace, Deputy Sheriff, etc., in Mis- souri, and after coming to Texas he was County Commissioner, and was also among the early settlers to lay the foundation for a
good and stable country. He is an ardent Democrat.
His father, John Poe, passed his life in the Old North State, was an owner of slaves, and died in 1887, aged about 100 years. During the latter part of his life he was a member of the Presbyterian Church. Mr. Poe's mother died in 1870. Their children were comprised of three sons, namely: Will- iam, who was killed during the time of the late war in his endeavor to capture renegades near Fort Clark; Silas, who entered the army and was in Lee's command in Virginia: he came home blind from exposure, and died in 1866; and the youngest is the gentle- man whose name heads this sketch, -the only one left of the family. He belongs to the Masonic order.
In 1868 Mr. Poe married Miss Nancy E. Vaught, a step-daughter of Jacob Boilston, who was an early settler of Dallas county. By this marriage there were four children, namely: Three who died young, and the remaining son, William S, was born July 30, 1871, married and his wife died leaving one child, A. J., who was born May 23, 1894. The mother of this child was Lena Dukes.
H. CRAVENS, M. D., Arling- ton, Texas, was born in Jefferson county, Indiana, March 1, 1859. He was reared on a farm in his native State, working on the farm in summer and attend- . ing the district schools in winter, and later
-
485
HISTORY OF TEXAS.
taking a five-years course at Hanover Col- lege, in Indiana. After completing his col- lege course, he began the study of medicine in the office of Dr. S. C. Cravens, at Bloom- field, Indiana, where he remained one year. In 1880 he attended the Jefferson School of Medicine, Louisville, Kentucky, and in 1883 graduated at the Kentucky School of Medi- cine, of Louisville, Kentucky.
Immediately after his graduation Dr. Crav- ens came to Texas and located at Arlington, where he engaged in the practice of his pro- fession in partnership with his brother, Dr. T. A. Cravens. This brother subsequently removed to Oklahoma, and left the field to him, and he has since continued here suc- cessfully, and, both as a gentleman and phy- sician, has won a high standing in the town and surrounding country. In 1891 he took a course and received a degree in the New York Polyclinic, thus further preparing him- self for his life work. In a comparatively short time his practice so extended and in- creased that he was unable to answer all his calls, and in January, 1894, he took in as partner Dr. B. F. Brittain, like himself, a skilled physician and surgeon, the two form- ing one of the strongest medical firms in northern Texas, they being thoroughly equipped in all branches of medicine and surgery.
Dr. M. H. Cravens is a son of John C. and Nancy (Manaugh) Cravens, natives of Pennsylvania and Virginia, respectively. John C. Gravens went with his father and family to Indiana at an early day, about
1830, and first located at Indianapolis, that city being then a mere village, and the sur- rounding country swampy and abounding in chills and fever. From there he soon after- ward removed to Jefferson county, where he settled on a farm, reared his family, and spent the rest of his days.
The Doctor's grandfather, Cravens, was a school teacher in early life, but after going to Indiana settled down to farming. He died in Indiana at the age of forty-nine years. Grandfather Manaugh was also a farmer. John C. and Nancy Cravens had twelve children, all of whom are living, viz .: Addie; James; Dr. S. C., Bloomfield, Indiana; Angie, wife of L. A. Riley, a drug- gist of Corydon, Indiana; John L., Superin- tendent of Schools in Greene county, In- diana; Elizabeth; Dr. T. A., Oklahoma; Louisa; Rev. W. A., a Presbyterian minis- ter of Missouri; R. S., pharmacist, Arling- ton, Texas; Dr. M. H., whose name heads this article; and Dr. E. R., of Marco, In- diana. The father died in 1888, at the ad- vanced age of seventy-eight years; the mother in 1890, at the age of seventy-two.
Dr. M. H. Cravens was married in May, 1886, to Miss Betty Burney, born January 10, 1860, daughter of Dr. W. L. and Mary (Wynn) Burney. Dr. Burney came from North Carolina to Texas in 1852 and locat- ed at Quitman, Wood county, where he practiced his profession until 1870. That year he removed to Tarrant county and settled at Johnson's Station, where he con- tinued in active practice until his death, in
486
HISTORY OF TEXAS.
August, 1877. Mrs. Burney was born at Holly Springs, Mississippi, and came with her parents to Texas in 1839, their settle- ment being on a farm in Nacogdoches county. Her father, Mr. Wynn, was a harness-maker by trade, which business he carried on in connection with his farming operations. Subsequently he removed to Rusk county, this State, where he passed the rest of his days, dying in 1873. His family by his first wife consisted of six chil- dren, namely: Susan, Joel, Mary, Jessie, William and Sallie. The children of his second marriage were: Caroline, Robert, Lucy and Jessie. Dr. and Mrs. Burney had two children,-J. W., a lawyer of Fort Worth, Texas; and Betty, wife of Dr. Cravens. The Dr. and Mrs. Cravens have three children, Mary, Thomas L. and Bur- ney.
Dr. Cravens is a member of the Knights of Honor and Knights of Pythias, and his political affiliations are with the Democratic party. Mrs. Cravens is a member of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church.
J H. MITCHELL, a respected and well-to-do fariner of Tarrant county, Texas, dates his birth in Tennessee, June 18, 1847. His boyhood days were spent in farm work and attendance at the common schools, his widowed mother keep- ing her family together after the death of the father, which event occurred in 1855. His whole life has been devoted to agricul-
tural pursuits, except one year when he was in Coffeetown, Alabama, engaged in mer- chandising. That was in 1873. He then returned to Tennessee and the following year, 1874, came to Texas and settled in Tarrant county. Here he rented land for three years. In 1877 he purchased a tract of wild land, improved , the same and from time to tiine added to it: now this farm comprises 240 acres. His original purchase was eighty acres. He also bought another farm, which, however, he sold soon after- ward, and in 1886, the year after his mar- riage, he bought 160 acres of the farm on which he now lives. To this he afterward added 200 acres more, but later sold ninety acres of it to his brother, and now has at his home place 230 acres. Over a third of this is under cultivation. In the first farm there are 150 acres being cultivated, and at still another place he has forty acres in cul- tivation. He also owns thirty acres of tim- ber land. This land is all nicely situated and is composed of elegant black soil. Un- til recently Mr. Mitchell hired help and superintended his farming operations him- self, but he now rents all his land. Wheat, oats and corn are his principal products.
Mr. Mitchell is the oldest of a family of eight children and is one of the three of that number who are now living, his parents being James A. and Mary A. (West) Mitchell, both natives of Tennessee. The Mitchells are related to the Turney family of Tennessee, of which Governor Turney of that State is a member. The great-grand-
٦
487
HISTORY OF TEXAS.
father of our subject came to this country from Ireland, and his son Paterick, Mr. Mitchell's grandfather, was a wealty planter and slave owner and was also a Methodist minister. The latter was a man of great prominence and usefulness, and died in Tennessee. Mr. Mitchell's father was also a farmer, and at one time was engaged in mining operations in Virginia. He served for some years as Magistrate, and, as above stated, passed away in 1855. The mater- nal grandfather of our subject, Isaac West, was likewise a well-known farmer of Tenn- essee. Some time after James A. Mitchell's death, his widow married again. Her second husband was killed about 1862. In 1876 she came with her family to Texas and set- tled on a farm in Tarrant county, where she spent the closing years of her life and died, the date of her death being November, 1893.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.