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 70
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 70
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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
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dying when young, and they now have an adopted son, Lawrence Lee, better known as Lawrence Arnold, whom they took when he was sixteen months old, and who has now reached his sixteenth year.
Mrs. Arnold is a member of the Baptist Church.
Mr. Arnold united with the Christian Church in early youth, and has never used tobacco in any form, nor intoxicants as a beverage, nor has he ever used profane language during his life.
B. BURBRIDGE, the well-known real-estate and bond broker of Fort Worth, came to Tarrant county in 1887, and engaged in his present business. He is agent for municipal, county and cor- poration bonds, and transacts a general real- estate brokerage business. He is also man- aging director of the Arlington Heights Light & Water Company, and of the street railway of the Heights Company. The scheme of erecting a country hotel and lay- ing out a distant suburban addition to Fort Worth was promoted by him. The land was purchased and sold to the company that completed the work. The deal involved the sum of $738,000, and is the heaviest in- dividual sale on record in Tarrant county. Mr. Burbridge is vice-president of the Fort Worth & Tarrant County Abstract Com- pany, a stock association owning abstracts of title to lands in Tarrant county, capitalized
at $100,000. He is the owner of the El- beron Terrace, on the west side, containing. 1, 800 lots.
Mr. Burbridge came to Fort Worth from Hopkinsville, Kentucky, where he was born December 12, 1861. On starting out in business life he went from the farm to a grocery store as clerk, and later became in- terested financially in the business, the firm name becoming Burbridge Brothers, and he remained in that business until he came to this city.
The subject of this sketch is a son of . T. B. Burbridge, Sr., deceased, who was assassinated by his political enemies at Rus- sellville, Kentucky, in 1867. He was a banker and breeder of fine stock, was a strong union man and a brother of General Buibridge, military Governor of Kentucky and commander of a wing of the Army of the Cumberland, under General Brant. He married Susan Henry, of Christian county, Kentucky, a daughter of William Henry, and a niece of Gustavus A. Henry, the Ten- nessee orator. Five of the six children of T. B. Burbridge, Sr., are living, namely: R. E., a wholesale. grocer of Minneapolis, Minnesota; Mary, wife of Walter C. Cook, a prominent farmer and breeder of Christian county, Kentucky; T. B .; Charles T., a silk- broker at 343 Broadway, New York, who for years had charge of the silk department of John Chillto's establishment at Cincin- nati, Ohio; and Clarence E., adjuster for the Walter A. Wood Mowing & Reaping Machine Company at Fort Worth, Texas.
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Mr. Burbridge's paternal grandfather was Robert Burbridge, who was a native of Scot- land and a member of the Douglass clan of Highlanders, and who came to the United States in 1820, and settled in Kentucky, where he was a fine-stock breeder. He mar- ried a Miss Barnes, of Mississippi, and they had three sons and three daughters, viz. : General Stephen G. Burbridge, who now re- rides in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Sallie, wife of William McDonald, of Chicago, Illinois; Harriet, who married Joseph A. Wright, Governor of Indiana and afterward Minister to Austria under President Bu- chanan; Oscar H., deceased, who was a Colonel in the Federal army; T. B., Sr., deceased ; and a daughter who died in childhood.
In his political views Mr. Burbridge, the subject of this sketch, is a Republican, and he is chairman of the Thirtieth Senatorial District of Texas for his party, and a mem- ber of the executive committee of the State, and is now a nominee for Representative to the State Legislature (1895).
He was married in Hopkinsville, Ken- tucky, in September, 1880, to Miss Leo- nora, a daughter of Leonard White, of Nor- folk, Virginia. Her father's father came from England, and preached in the old brick church in Hampton, Virginia, during the Colonial days. The children of Mr. and Mrs. Burbridge are: Norma, aged thirteen years, and Pattie, aged twelve. Mr. Bur- bridge is a member of the order of Knights of Pythias.
C. McFALL, County Clerk of Parker county, Texas, is a capa- ble and efficient officer, and his fidelity to duty is widely recognized. Those who know him-and he has a wide acquaint- ance-hold him in high regard for his ster- ling worth, and with pleasure we present to the readers of this volume the record of his life.
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Mr. McFall was born in Weakley coun- ty, Tennessee, July 3, 1849, and is a son of W. H. McFall, a farmer, who was born in Murray county, of the same State. He wedded Mary Olivia Hogan, and is now liv- ing in Hickman county, Kentucky, at the advanced age of eighty-six years. His wife passed away in 1860, in the fifty-third year of her age. In their family were nine chil- dren, five of whom are still living: Dr. J .. D., who is living in Garden City, Kansas; Dr. A. C., who is engaged in practice in Mayfield, Kentucky; Alice R., wife of Isham Browder, also of Hickman county, Ken- tucky; Sallie O., wife of N. G. Edward, who is located in Indian Territory; and W. C., of this sketch. The family is of Scotch origin, and was founded in America by the grandfather of our subject, a Scotch im- migrant.
In the usual manner of farmer lads of his community W. C. McFall spent the days of his boyhood and youth, and in the country schools of the neighborhood he ob- tained his education. He entered upon his business career in a mercantile establish- ment, in the capacity of salesman, and was
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thus employed during the greater part of the time until his removal to the Lone Star State. His arrival in Texas dates from 1875, at which time he located in Tarrant county, spending a year on a farin there. In November, 1876, he came to Weatherford, and has since been one of its valued citi- zens. Soon after his arrival he was ap- pointed Deputy County Sheriff of Parker county, serving in that capacity for a year. During the succeeding two years he was Constable of his precinct, and was next en- gaged for three years in the hotel business.
Mr. McFall was then for a time out of office. On leaving the hotel he removed to the country in 1886, and resumed agricul- tural pursuits, which he followed for two years, returning then to Weatherford, in 1888. His next venture here' was in the butchering business. He established a meat- market, but after a time disposed of this, and entered the dry-goods business, to which he devoted his energies for two years. Mr. McFall was then again called to office, being nominated by the Democratic primary for the position of County Clerk, in the autumn of 1892, and won the election in the month of November by a majority of 1, 200 votes.
The lady who now bears the name of Mrs. McFall was in her maidenhood Miss Mary F. Norvell, daughter of John P. Nor- vell, deceased. Her family removed from Tennessee to Mississippi, thence to Missouri, and subsequently came to Texas. To our subject and his estimable wife have been born the following children: William Law-
rence, Mary Anna, Oscar L., Fannie Rich- mond, James Marvin, Henry Hilliard, Louis Connor and Julian Allison.
Mr. McFall is a member in good stand- ing of the society of the Knights and Ladies of Honor. His public and private life are alike above reproach, and the many excel- lencies of his character have gained him universal confidence and esteem. His pop- ularity was shown by the large majority which gave him his present office, and his value as a citizen is manifested by his long public service.
EWTON STEPHENSON, a self- made man, and one of the pros- perous wheat farmers of Tarrant county, Texas, forms the subject of this article.
Newton Stephenson was born in Ala- bama, April 2, 1836, and, when about ten years of age, came with his parents and the rest of the family to Texas. They made the journey hither with horse teams, a part of the way having to cut their own road, and landed in Lamar county in the early part of 1848. In that county he grew to manhood, and, as there were few if any schools on the frontier, his educational advantages were limited. He was employed in work on the home farin until the outbreak of the civil war, when he enlisted in Ross's brigade, Army of the Tennessee, and went to the front, where he continued on active duty four years. He participated in many skir-
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mishes and battles, being with General For- rest in all his campaigns, and during the whole of his service was never wounded or captured. At the time of the surrender he was at home on furlough.
The war over, young Stephenson took to himself a wife, and then, without any capital, save his own strong arm and his de- termination to succeed, began the struggle of life. He cleared some land for his father, and was variously employed in the vicinity of his home in Lamar county for two years. In 1868 he came west to Tarrant county. Here he leased a tract of land for three years, and at the expiration of the lease pur- chased the property upon which he now lives, this property at the time of purchase being partly improved, having a log cabin on it, and some of the land broken. This farm comprises 160 acres. He carried on the work of improvement and continued to reside here until 1877, when he returned to Lamar county to take care of his mother and remained there four years, meanwhile having his place rented. Since then he has purchased two other farms, both improved, and now has 290 acres under cultivation, wheat being his chief product. He also raises oats and corn, and keeps enough stock for the support of his land. With the ex- ception of one year, he has never had a failure in wheat. That year his crop was destroyed by bugs.
Mr. Stephenson was the sixth born in a family of eleven children, ten sons and one daughter, the latter dying in infancy. Five
of the sons were all through the late war and reached home in safety. Nine of the family reached maturity, and of them we make record as follows: George, who died in 1851, left a widow; William died in 1878; James W., is engaged in farming in Lamar county; Louis is deceased; Jasper is de- ceased; Newton, the subject of this article; Kendrick C. is a resident of Delta county, Texas; David is a resident of Lamar county; and Robert G. resides in Fort Worth. The parents, Logan and Polly (Stinson) Stephen- son, were born and married in Kentucky, whence, some years after their marriage, they removed to Alabama, and from there, as above stated, came to Texas and settled in Lamar county. The father was a promi- nent farmer and slave-owner. He died about 1875. The mother survived him un- til 1880, when she, too, died at the old homestead.
Newton Stephenson was married June 15, 1865, to Miss M. Fanny Biard, who was born in Lamar county, Texas, Decem- ber 20, 1846, daughter of J. G. and Nancy C. (Claudine) Biard. Her parents were natives of Alabama, of Scotch descent, and early settlers of Texas. Her father came to Texas when a young man, and helped to haul the logs for the court-house at Clarksville, Red River county. He returned to Ala- bama for his bride and then came back to Texas, and settled in Lamar county, where he spent the rest of his life. He was a stone-mason by trade, but for a number of years was engaged in farming. He was
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twice married, by his first wife having three children, the two besides Mrs. Stephenson being Manerva and Henrietta. The former is deceased and the latter is the wife of Joseph Price, and resides in Lamar county. The mother of these three died in 1848. By his second wife, who survives him, he had six children, John, Catharine, Harriet, Martha, James W. and Vina. The father died in March, 1891. He was a member of the Christian Church, and during the war served as Magistrate.
Mr. and Mrs. Stephenson have had eleven children, two of whom died young. Following are the names of the others: Gaines, who died at the age of twenty years; Claudie, wife of Charles Killgore, resides in Coleman county; Andrew, engaged in farm- ing in Lamar county; and Washington, Thomas, Charles, Alonzo, Lee and George, at home.
Mr. Stephenson is not only a self-made man, but is also a public-spirited and gener- ous one, affiliating with the Democratic party and taking a laudable interest in public affairs. He is a believer in the Chris- tian religion and a citizen of intrinsic worth in his community.
O TWAY L. BAILEY, an early pioneer and prominent farmer of Tarrant county, was born in Mecklenburg county, Virginia, March 25, 1831, the seventh of twelve children born to Baker and Evaline B. (Hill) Bailey, who
were born and reared in Mecklenburg coun- .ty, where they attended school. The father was a farmer by occupation, served as Jus- tice of the Peace many years, made a pros- pecting tour through Texas in 1845, after- ward roamed through Arkansas and Mis- souri, and subsequently returned to Arkan- sas, where he died in January, 1855. His wife departed this life in July, 1854. The paternal grandfather of our subject, Peter Bailey, was a Revolutionary soldier, a promi- nent farmer and slave-owner, and his death occurred in Kentucky. Of the twelve chil- dren of Baker and Evaline Bailey, only three are now living. John and Robert came to Texas in 1838, each obtaining a head-right in Titus county, and one died in 1844 and the other in 1850. Richard came to Texas in 1849, locating at Galveston, where he died in 1850, at the time of the epidemic. The three children living are: Otway L., the subject of this sketch; Thomas B., a resident of Jenson, Arkansas; and Rufus, a farmer near Russellville, that State.
Otway L. Bailey moved with his father to Kentucky when quite young, but in 1837 located with his parents on a farm in Frank- lin county, Arkansas, and at the age of seventeen years he left home and went to Clarksville, that State, where he served an apprenticeship at the gunsmith's and black- smith's trades. Three years afterward he began work at gunsmithing at Little Rock, and one year later went to Gallarock, Pope county, where he erected the ironwork for a new mill and followed other occupations.
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Mr. Bailey next went to Fort Smith. and there found employment in the general re- pair shop of Jerry Kenedy. In May, 1856, he came to Texas, spending the first twelve months at Austin, and then opened and conducted a shop in Dallas county during the war, having done much work for the Government. In 1865 he removed to Dallas City, where he built the machine shop known as the Iron & Brass Foundry, and conducted the same until 1872. In 1874 he moved his family to Sulphur Springs, where they camped during the summers for the benefit of his health. In the spring of 1875 Mr. Bailey purchased his present farm of 490 acres, which is now well improved, and on which he also conducts a general repair shop. At one time he assisted in the open- ing of a repair shop at Fort Worth and conducted the same for about two years.
Mr. Bailey was married at Fort Smith, Arkansas, in 1853, to Amanda G. Colvin, who was born in Madison county, Illinois, Jan- uary 29, 1836, a daughter of Hiram Colvin, a native of Kentucky. He moved from his native State to Indiana, afterward followed farming, trading and distilling in Illinois, and came to Texas in 1856, locating first in Cook county, and afterward moved to Dal- las county, where he died in 1869. He was the father of ten children, seven daughters and three sons, all of whom came to this State. To Mr. and Mrs. Bailey have been. born nine children, namely: Evaline J., wife of L. R. Sims, of Indian Territory; Sarah E., wife of M. H. Hampton, a farmer of
Tarrant county; Mary M., married W. P. James, a farmer of Johnson county; Millard O., died November 28, 1881, leaving a wife and one son; Henry W., a farmer of Tar- rant county; C. Edd, engaged in the gro- cery business at Crowley; Lucy C., and Thomas B., at home. The family are members of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. Mr. Bailey affiliates with the Masonic fraternity, and is a Democrat in his political views.
HOMAS L. GIBSON, of Tarrant county, Texas, is the most ex- tensive hay-maker of said county. Mr. Gibson was born in Frankfort, Ken- tucky, and was reared in Woodford county, that State, the date of his birth being March 21, 1847. He spent his boyhood days on the farm and received a good education, be- ing for some time a student at Georgetown College. He taught school in his early life. Until he reached his majority he made his home with his parents, after which he was at different places and variously employed. In 1869 he accepted a position on an en- gineers' corps and came to Jefferson, Texas, but did not remain here long at that time. Returning to Kentucky, he engaged in farm- ing, and later became clerk in the Kentucky State Insurance Departinent, where, alto- gether, he served seven years, being twice appointed to that position. Then, for two years, he was engaged in merchandising.
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In 1883 he came again to Texas, having taken in payment for a debt the land upon which he has since lived. Here he built a house and made other improvements and also rented some land, and in the meantime he made a profitable investment in property in Fort Worth. Soon he turned his atten- tion to making hay, in which he has con- tinued successfully up to the present. From time to time he has increased his landed es- tate until now it comprises 800 acres, and he also leases land which he operates in the hay business, altogether having about 1, 200 acres. The amount of hay manufactured by him this year (1894) is 800 tons. He em- ploys ten men and utilizes fifteen horses, has two large barns for storing his crop, and is well equipped for successfully carrying on the business. His barns have a capacity of 575 tons in bales, and he holds this crop un- til he can get his own price for it, usually selling to the Fort Worth consumers and dealers. He also manufactures hay-ties and sells to other hay-makers and dealers. His residence, a commodious two-story structure, is located eight miles from Fort Worth. Five or six acres of his home place are de- voted to orchard and garden purposes, his orchard comprising 700 or 800 trees.
Mr. Gibson is the oldest of a family of nine children, five of whom died when young, the others being as follows: Preston L., a resident of Kentucky; Stonewall, also a resident of Kentucky ; and Lulu, -the subject of our sketch being the only one of the family to come to Texas. The parents,
William and Isabella (Loughborough) Gib- son, were both natives of Kentucky, where they passed their lives and died, the mother in 1886, the father in 1890. Both were members of the Baptist Church, and in local affairs Mr. Gibson took an active part, fill- ing most acceptably a number of minor of- fices. The Gibson and Loughborough fam- ilies both originated in England, and, after the Revolutionary war, settled in Virginia and New Jersey. Grandfather Loughbor- ough was a Major in the war of 1812.
Thomas L. Gibson was married in June, 1874, to Miss Elizabeth T. Ayres, of Ken- tucky. She was born in Lexington, Mis- souri, in 1855, daughter of Walter N. Ayres, a native of Kentucky and a prominent and wealthy farmer. Her father died in Ken- tucky, in 1872. His family consisted of twelve children, Mrs. Gibson being the only one of the number to come to Texas; some moved to Missouri, some died, and others are now prominent citizens of Kentucky. One son, E. W. Ayres, is the owner of the Mapleton stock-farm and has some of the finest trotters in Kentucky. Mr. and Mrs. Gibson have had nine children, three of whom died in infancy, the other six being: William, Bessie, Walter A., Lucile, Fanny and Mamie. William and Bessie are at- tending the Fort Worth University.
Mr. Gibson and his wife are consistent members of the Baptist Church, and his political views are in harmony with the prin- ciples of the Democratic party. He has served three years as School Trustee and
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has also been a member of the Board of Overseers, but he has never been an office- seeker.
J OHN J. PUTMAN, a successful farmer and stock-raiser of Tarrant county, was born in Licking county, Ohio, August 5, 1834, a son of John J. and Magdalena (Fleek) Putman, natives of Vir- ginia. The paternal grandfather, Peter Put- man, was a descendant of the Putmans from Frankfort, Germany. The Putman family located in Marietta, Ohio, and among them may be found many distinguished men. Among the many relics belonging to the family is a box in which they brought their gold and silver to America, and also sickles which they used in Virginia. The maternal grandfather, Adam Fleek, was of German descent. On coming westward the original name, Flick, which is still well known in Virginia, became changed to Fleek.
John J. Putman, father of our subject, was married in Virginia, and came to Ohio in 1825, locating near Newark. After spending twenty-four years in Ohio he re- moved to Wisconsin. He was a life-long farmer, a public-spirited man, having held many offices of trust, and his death occurred June 7, 1856. His wife survived seventeen years, and both died at the old homestead in Wisconsin. They were the parents of seven children, namely: Hiram D., deceased in 1892; Ann E., wife of W. Atherton, of Albany, Wisconsin; John J., the subject of
this sketch; Oliver S., who served four years in the Federal army, entering as a private . and returning home a Lieutenant, died in 1887, from the effects of his army service; Henry Clay, also a soldier in the late war; Olive, wife of John F. Annis, a retired farmer of Albany, Wisconsin, who was Cap- tain of his company during the civil war; and Virginia, wife of B. J. Gardner, who now owns the old homestead. Henry Clay was a member of the First Wisconsin Regi- ment of Cavalry, and served through the entire struggle. He was with Sherman on his famous march to the sea, and was a member of the company which captured Jeff Davis. At one time, by the request of rebel owners, he was detailed to guard their prop- erty, and thus made the acquaintance of a Confederate soldier. They wandered over the lines and were captured by rebels, and Mr. Putman would have been killed but for the interference of his Confederate friend, who said they would first have to kill him. Mr. Putman was restored to his post. After the close of the war he spent one year in college, and then engaged in the lumber business, at Brodhead, Wisconsin, in which he made a fortune. In 1890 he was the Re- publican candidate for Representative to the State Legislature, and was the only Repub- lican elected from southern Wisconsin in that campaign. He was re-elected to the lower house in 1892, and in 1894 was elected to the State Senate.
John J. Putman, the subject of this sketch, moved with his parents to Green
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county, Wisconsin, in 1849, where he grew to manhood. His father died June 7, 1856, and he then remained with his widowed mother until her death, which occurred in the spring of 1874. He then moved to Texas and purchased a portion of the land he now owns, of which about 100 acres was cultivated, but weeds and grass had taken possession of the place. The land was then known as the Lloyd's survey, and is located seven miles from the courthouse of Fort Worth, on the main road. Mr. Putman has added to his original purchase until he now owns 1,400 acres, about 300 acres of which is under cultivation. He has erected a large, two-story frame residence, and made inany other valuable improve- ments. He also owns 400 acres of land in Wisconsin. Soon after locating in this county Mr. Putman engaged in the stock business, and is now extensively engaged in the raising of short-horn cattle, mules and horses.
In 1871, in Wisconsin, our subject was united in marriage with Miss J. D. Moore, a native of Vermont, and a daughter of Will- iam H. Moore, of Scotch descent, and a farmer by occupation. He located in Wis- consin after the war. His brother, H. T. Moore, went to that State at an early date, was employed at railroad building and farming, and during the late war he was elected by the Democratic party to the Senate. During the vote for the suffrage of soldiers in the field, he left his party and worked for the soldiers. Mr. and Mrs. 21
Putman have had five children, -John J., Sophia A., William C., Worthy B., and one deceased when young. Mr. Putman is a stanch Republican, and during his resi- dence in this State has always merited the respect of all the citizens.
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ILLIAM A. THORNTON, a model farmer of Tarrant coun- ty, living near Johnson's Station, was born in Giles county, Tennessee, August 4, 1845, and was brought up on a farm, receiving a common schooling and re- maining with his parents until 1861. He then lived with his grandparents until they died, and then (1864) he entered the Con- federate army, joining General Buford's division and Johnston's brigade of cavalry .. During the service he was engaged in many raids under Forrest, including a notable one into Tennessee, when they were engaged constantly in fighting for some weeks. Their last engagement was at Selma, Alabama, where they were surrendered and paroled.
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