USA > Texas > Past history and present stage of development of Texas. Memorial and biographical history matter of the Lone Star state > Part 25
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SPARKS, Henry
The more a man reads of American history, the prouder he becomes of this great conntry, and, contrary to the earlier traditions of our people, it is remarkable to what extent and manner the young men have injected themselves into every line of business and all professions, and are now "practically running the country." By common eonsent our fathers, weighted with years and with silvered locks, have yielded the scepter, with the result that we are today the most enlightened nation in all the civilized world. The preponderance of our politieal institutions are governed by yonng men, and this is true of Kaufman Connty's Clerk, Mr. Henry Sparks, present incumbent, he being the youngest man that has ever occupied this individual office. His grandfather was born in the mountains of east Tennessee, a country made famous by poets and orators, where he died, leaving his wife with seven ehildren. Joining a wagon train that was en ronte for Texas, she reached Rusk county, east Texas, when G. W. Sparks, one of her sons and father of the present subject, was three years old-a courageous thing for a woman with seven little children to have done, and in all probability a wise one also. G. W. Sparks was born in 1849, in east Tennessee, and was married in 1872 to Mrs. Sophia
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Adams, nee Ables, who was born in Nacogdoches, then the Republic of Texas, and there were born to them two children. The family moved to Kaufman county in 1883 and settled in the Able Springs community, twenty miles north of Kaufman, where the father still lives on his farm, the mother having died in 1902.
Mr. Henry Sparks was born November 18, 1874, in the Able Springs neighborhood, this county, which place was named for his mother's brother, James Able, who died a wealthy farmer and very respectable citizen in 1898. The earlier years of his life were spent in tilling the soil, and he there accepted the advantages of the common schools, after which he took a commercial course in Hill's Business College, at Dallas, and qualified for the profession of bookkeeping. He was Deputy County Clerk from 1902 to 1906, and assistant cashier of the Citizens National Bank of Kaufman from 1906 to 1910. In 1910 he was nominated County Court Clerk of Kaufman county by a handsome majority and was inducted into office November 15 of this year, being one of the most courteous men in the public life of Texas. Mr. Sparks was married to Miss Bessie Lord, who was also born and reared in the Able Springs community, May 13, 1897, and their home is made happier by two sons and one daughter. The best expression of Mr. Spark's personal standing is found in the fact that he belongs to the Odd Fellows, Pretorians, W. O. W., M. B. of A. and is a member of the board of stewards and superintendent of the Sunday-school of the Methodist church. He is abundantly qualified for the adminis- tration of his office affairs, in the performance of which he exacts no red tape, and enjoys the undivided confidence of the people he serves. No man in Kaufman county has more warm friends than Henry Sparks.
SCHAUSEIL, Theodore
The gentleman whose portraiture is produced in this connection, Mr. Theodore Schauseil, of Dallas, was born in Saxony, Germany, near the Castle of Wartburg, where Martin Luther spent his time translating the Bible, March 12, 1838, and is directly related to one of the established noble families of Germany. His father, Dr. Andrew Schauseil, was a nobleman of the Grand Dukedom of Saxony; was a man of broad culture and noted student in medicine and jurisprudence, at one time being in attendance at Napoleon Bonaparte's sick room in Paris, France. He was a lieutenant in the German army at the age of twenty-two, steadily advanced to the rank of major-general, and in the Prussian Revolu- tion was commander-in-chief of the German forces, being succeeded by Count Von Moltke. In 1861 he came to America with his family, purchased and located on a farm in Michigan, coming to this country as a friend of Carl Schurz. Later he lived in Illinois, Iowa, and came the overland route to Cooke county, Texas. S where he died in 1870 at the age of ninety-four years. His wife before marriage was Miss Char- lotte Wienner, who was born in Saxeny, and died in Dallas in 1896, aged eighty-six years. There was born to them three sons and six daughters; two sons and one daughter died in Germany, and two daughters died in this country. There are living Mrs. Rosa Higgins, of Long Beach, Cal .; Mrs. Julia Kaden, of Gainesville, Texas, and Miss Antoinette and Theodore Schauseil, of Dallas.
Mr. Schauseil had splendid opportunities to obtain, and did equip himself, with a competent education befitting his time in Germany. He attended Eisenach College, from
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which he graduated as an expert swordsman, and later attended Jena University, one of the government's greatest institutions, his studies embracing scientific courses. He speaks German, Latin, Greek, French, English, and has studied some of the Oriental languages. He preceded his parents to America in 1858, and, as he stated to the writer, spent all the money he had as rapidly as he could. Having no trade or profession he performed all manner of hard work. In 1870 he joined the government scout service, under Gen. Mckenzie, in the Indian Territory, and continued in such for three years, during which time he was in a number of battles with the Indians, and experienced many hazardous and trying hardships. Mr. Schauseil first came to Texas in 1868, since which time he has been connected with the well-known real estate firm of Murphy & Bolanz as an expert draughtsman, a line in which he is unusually fine. Not long since Mr. Schauseil completed the writing of a book, which narrates some of the stirring incidents of his very interesting career, and which is now ready for the printer to be put out under the title, "Lost Life of Theodore Schauseil." During frontier days in Cooke county he was accused of being a spy and secretly connected with a gang of horse and cattle thieves, and as a threat to make him divulge supposed secrets he was led under a tree with a rope around his neck to hang him. As an expert swordsman he now wears a gold medal he obtained as premium in winning three straight contests at San Antonio, Galveston and Dallas. Briefly summarized, Mr. Schauseil's eventful life is: Lived among and hobnobbed with German nobility; fought Indians; was saved from death by torture by Indians; carried dispatches; fought one duel and offered to take Senator Mason's place in a duel to which that gentleman was challenged in 1898 by Marquis de Alta Villa, of Spain.
SELLS, Judge Cato
The splendid portrait pro- duced in this connection is a faith- ful likeness of Judge Cato Seils, of Cleburne. Descending from Kentucky parentage, he was born in the state of Iowa, and while he possesses all the sentimental char- acteristics of the knightly South- ern gentleman, his sparkling tem- perament, polish and quick wit suggests that active movement and rapid fire of life that is charac- teristic of the successful Northern man, all of which makes him fit into the modern activities of Texas citizenship with perfect equanim- ity. Before leaving Iowa Judge Sells had for a number of years been one of the most prominent and popular public men of that state. His first coming to Texas was a very few years ago on a large financial proposition, and so much did he become attracted with the hospitality of the people, the evident opportunities for effort and investment in the undeveloped resources of the commonwealth, he at once decided to become a citizen of the Lone Star State, choosing to make his home in the city of Cleburne, where he and his family were given a warm reception. He soou afterwards entered the banking business and was very successful, but
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disposed of these interests last August iu order to engage in farming and stock-raising on an extended scale, with a view of demonstrating his well-defined aud advanced ideas of agriculture, particularly with Texas soil aud climate, believing that his ideas, practical, will be abundantly beneficial to the great army of Texas farmers. Judge Sells is everywhere recognized, we believe, as oue of the most enlightened members of the bar and judiciary. Some men master the law, others are mastered by it. Judge Sells belongs to the first uamed class, thus being a legal philosopher aud more intent on observing the substance of the law than the technicalities of it. While serving as Federal District Attorney in Iowa under Cleveland's last administration he tendered his resignation by wire to the President in lieu of attending the National Gold Standard Convention at Indianapolis. Though he was a Gold Standard Democrat, the party voice had spoken and he went to the support of Mr. Bryan. At the present time Judge Sells is one of those in charge of Gov. Woodrow Wilson's interests in Texas as a candidate for the Democratic nomination for the presidency. Aside from this special feature he prefers to remain out of politics and devote his active attention to the development of his agricultural interests, though as an attractive speaker he is frequently called to different parts of the state to address social and commercial gatherings. The beloved consort of Judge Sells is a lady of gentle Iowa birth, very popular with all her acquaintances, nobly planned and a lovable, intelligent woman in all the term implies; a typical wife and mother, and an inspiration for good to neighbors and all who have the good fortune of knowing her. In the life-work of her courtly and scholarly husband Mrs. Sells is entitled to share in equal honors in his recognized success, and what makes their lives all the more beautiful is the fact that their highly developed literary temperaments blend in perfect harmony, and their ideas and ambitions are agreed in the naming and educating of their three cultured daughters for lives of usefulness. Personally, a pleasant and instructive associate, Judge Sells is in his best element while in the midst of his well- selected library and in discussing public men and questions of world-wide conceru with friends. He is intensely interested in the development of Texas' latent resources, and as a valuable acquisition to its citizenship we are certainly . pleased to have him represented in this book.
SIKES, Joseph Thomas
Mr. Sikes, superintendent of the. Dennis Manufacturing Company's large industry in Waco, is proud to have been born a Texan, first seeing the light of day on a farm in Coryell county, November 6, 1864. At the age of fourteen his parents moved to Waco, where he became apprenticed to the machinist's trade in the old Waco City Iron Works, now extant, but with whom he labored faithfully for a period of three years. Later he was with Hopkins Bros. for ten years, and on March 29, 1907, accepted a position as engineer with the Dennis Manufacturing Company. A man of a high order of intelligence and of a searching tendency of mind, he inci- } dentally familiarized himself with all the various departments of the business, aud on March 8, 1909, was tendered and accepted the general superintendence of the plant. There are employed at this factory from eighteen to twenty-five people, aud the management puts out annually about twenty-five thousand mattresses, five thousand cots, four thousand kitchen tables, a thousand lawn and porch swings and a large number of bedsprings, all of which find a ready sale through- out the South and as far east as New York, on account of their superior grade of materials aud honest workmauship. The company puts out mattresses of all grades, this probably beiug the chief feature of the business, and their highest grade of "Swaudowu" cannot be excelled anywhere. Mr. Sikes is very modest in his claims, but the truth is that his genius and modern ideas have found their way into every department and product of the factory, and the intense interest he takes in producing superior goods
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has certainly served to lift the reputation of the house to a still higher standard than it has hitherto enjoyed, he being a natural and practical mechanic. Mr. Sikes was married to Miss Ella Jennings, of this county, July 10, 1895, and their family consists of one son and four daughters. Ile has unbounded faith in the future of Texas, and owns property in Waco, San Antonio and west Texas. He takes a warm interest in lodge work and belongs to the Pretorians, Maccabees, and National Protective Legion.
STEPHENS, John Jeptha
Mr. John J. Stephens, editor of the Upshur County Echo, published at Gilmer, county seat, was born on a farm in Heard county, Georgia, Sept. 23, 1865. His father, I. N. D. Stephens, was born in that state March 23, 1841. He was a Confederate soldier, and fought in the battles of Manassas and Antietam among others, and was once wounded. On April 7, 1845. he was married to Miss Teresa Faver, and the following children were born to them: W. R., J. J., I. E. and M. M. Stephens (the last named being deceased) and Mesdames G. C. Smith and L. P. League, of Omega, Gregg county; I. S. MeLen- don, Judson, and O. M. Peter, Gladewater. Upon coming to the Lone Star State in 1866 the family spent one year in Washington county, South Texas, and came to Upshur county in 1867, when it was yet a semi-wilderness, and in due course of time the head of the family head- righited land. The father has been a farmer all his life, and he and his family being among the first settlers of Upshur county are accorded ali the respect due their good citizenship. The parents still live on the home place, twelve miles east of Gilmer.
Mr. John J. Stephens, whose name initiates this sketch, obtained his fundamental ideas of life on the farm. His education was begun in country schools, and climaxed in Sam Houston Normal, Huntsville, Texas, graduating in that institution in June, 1887. For a period of ten years he taught in public schools of Upshur, Gregg, Wood and Milam counties. On Jan. 1, 1899, Mr. Stephens purchased one-half interest of A. E. Settle in the Upshur County Echo, and afterwards obtained full control of the same, which he today retains. The paper was originally founded as The Progress, and the first issue of The Upshur County Echo was made July 22. 1898. Mr. Stephens was married March 22, 1891, to Miss Dellah Wheeler, of Pine Mills, Wood county, and they have two daughters-Mrs. J. S. Mattox, of Graceton, and Miss Elsie Blanche. The Stephens family worship with the Baptist church, and as an active church worker Mr. Stephens is at present time clerk of the Gilmer Baptist. church. He belongs to the American Insurance Union, Home Protective Association and W. O. W., being collector of Gilmer Camp of the last named secret order and President of Gilmer Chapter of the first named. As a newspaper man he enjoys a state-wide reputation. The Echo plant at Gilmer is splendidly equipped for printing, and the paper is a power politically and commercially in Upshur county, being Democratie to the limit. Personally Mr. Stephens is a strong writer. stands for high ideals and grafters and fixers find no sympathy at his hands. He is now being importuned to make the race for representative to the lower house of the State Legislature, and should he do so and be successful his presence at Austin will stand for wholesome legislation.
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SMITH, Esq., John Fleming
'Squire Smith, of Como, Northeast Texas, was born on a farm in Randolph county, Ala., Jan. 20, 1843, but reared in Calhoun county, of that state. Of English descent, his grand- father, James Smith, was a native of South Carolina and a Revolutionary soldier. His father, Enoch Smith, and his mother, Miss Jane Moore, were also natives of South Carolina, and five daughters and four sons were born to the union, of whom the subject of this sketch,
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MR. AND MRS. J. F. SMITH.
'Esq. J. F. Smith, was third in number. Some few years after the civil war the parents moved to Hopkins county, Texas, and settled on a farm in the Old Caney church neighborhood. Both lived a life of active industry characteristic of their day, usefulness to the community and died at ripe maturity, he in his eightieth year, she in her seventy-sixth. Retracing to the scene in Alabama, 'Esq. Smith enlisted in the Confederate army July 1, 1861, near Jacksonville, in Capt. "Bob" Draper's Co. A., and Col. S. A. M. Wood's 7th Ala. Reg., Army of the Ten. nessee. During the first year he was in the battle of Beach Grove, near Tullahoma, and numerous skirmishes, and was ordered from Pensacola, Fla., to East Tennessee to break up the obstreperous Cliff Regiment, which mission was successful, but failed to capture Col. Cliff while taking a number of his men. Dropping back to Chattanooga in the latter part of the first year, Mr. Smith's regiment was ordered to Bowling Green, Ky., thence back through Nash- ville, being the last to leave that city, and was there when the battle of Fort Donelson was fought, and his regiment disbanded at Corinth, Miss., term of enlistment having expired, in April, 1862. Mr. Smith next joined the 58th Ala. Inf. at Mobile, was made orderly sergeant of Co. F., and after four months' time left Mobile in October, 1862, on being transferred to the Army of the Tennessee. Performed active skirmish work through Middle Tennessee, marched thence to Chattanooga and was in the fiercest of the battles of Chickamauga, Mis- sionary Ridge and Lookout Mountain. In the battle of Chickamauga, on Sept. 19-20, he fought under Gen. Wm. B. Bate, Capt. S. D. McClelland and Cols. Bush Jones and J. W. Inzer-than whom braver soldier never drew sword-and in which the records of history show they lost more than fifty per cent of their regiment at Snodgrass Hill in face of heavy artillery fire. The night before the battle of Lookout Mountain his regiment was camped at the foot of Missionary Ridge, and performed skirmish duty from dark to mid- night on Lockout Mountain, when they were ordered to fall back and reach the valley between Missionary Ridge and Lookout Mountain; marched across and took position on top of
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Missionary Ridge at Gen. Bragg's extreme left. Having to fight Hooker's corps that night, they made a detour next morning and attacked 'Esq. Smith's regiment in the rear at Mis- sicnary Ridge. The lines were very thin, and history gives it that 12,000 Confederate soldiers, largely of Bragg's army, were there captured. 'Esq. Smith was among those captured and taken to Rock Island (Illinois) prison; was confined there for sixteen months; released March 20, 1865, and reached Richmond about the time Gen. Lee was getting ready to evacuate that city. Was paroled, and, footing it most of the distance, reached his old home in Alabama about time of the surrender, finding his people-father, mother and five single sisters-much broken in spirit and bereft of property. Three of his brothers had participated in the Confederate army, one of which had died at Okolona, Miss., and all others had been taken prisoners. 'Esq. Smith was married to Miss Rosa Catherine Wingo, youngest daughter of an old-time Methodist minister, Sept. 27, 1866, and, having aided his parents to obtain a new material lease on life, left his Alabama home Oct. 15 of that year for Lamar county, Texas, where they resided for two years, spent two years in Red River county, and settled in woodlands of Hopkins county in 1870, where he purchased land. 'Esq. Smith, in associa- tion with Drs. T. J. Lynch and W. Lewis, engaged in general merchandising business at Como, Dr. Lynch retiring in 1882 and Dr. Lewis ten years later, leaving Mr. Smith in full control. The business is now incorporated as Como Mercantile Company, housed in large and handsome brick structure, and all stock is owned by 'Esq. Smith, president, and his two sons, the store being one of the largest in Hopkins eounty. In addition to his landed, town, realty and mercantile interests 'Esq. Smith has played a conspienous part in developing the Como Lignite Coal District, which has now reached a capacity of about thirty cars per day and employs about 150 men, the income from that source being a credit to his foresight and judgment. In this connection it is interesting to say that 'Esq. Smith recently gave a reunion dinner to his children-married and unmarried-and divided equally among them $20,000 worth of property, retaining control of his coal interests in order to develop same. 'Esq. Smith is a man of broad culture, and has kept apace with the progressive times. His home has long been the social center of the community, and he in person occupies a large and copious place in the minds of his neighbors and countrymen, and certain it is that he is one of the men that have made Como what it is today. He has served the people in official capacities for more than twenty years, and is a Mason and Baptist of long standing.
SANSOM, Mayor James Lamar
Mayor Sansom, of Mart, was born in Clark county, Missis- sippi, June 26, 1859, and was related to the eminent L. Q. C. Lamar, who was in President Cleveland's cabinet from that state, and also Supreme Court judge, once governor, and hero of the San Jacinto battlefield, L. C. Lamar, of Texas, he being named in honor of the last mentioned gentleman. Mr. Sansom's father, Dr. James Lewis Sansom, was born in Alabama and went to Mississippi when a young man, where he remained until the close of the war, coming to Texas in 1866. He served four years in the Confederate army, entering as a private and coming out as Captain. He was married to Miss Martha Seal, of Clark county, Mississippi, and two sons and four daughters came of this union, one daughter dying in infancy. When Dr. Sansom came to Texas he settled at Oletha, in Limestone county, where he continued his custom, as before, of farming and practicing medicine, and where he died in 1880, at the age of fifty-eight years. He was a member of the Masonic lodge and died a Baptist, which religious faith has characterized the genealogy of the family for many generations back. Mayor Sansom was married to Miss Jessie Thomason, of Oletha, Texas, December 10, 1879, and three sons of five daughters were born to them, all of whom are living. Soon after their marriage the couple went to Runnels county, west Texas, for the benefit of Mrs. Sansom's health, and after four years returned to
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Limestoue county, aud to Mart in March, 1905. The principal part of Mr. Sausom's career has been devoted to farming and to the carpenter's trade, though he has never shirked his duty as a patriotic citizen and has always found time to work for good government and the welfare of his community. He served four years as justice of the peace in Limestone county, where he still owns a farm, and has been three years a member of the city council of Mart. In the April election of 1911 he was choseu Mayor without opposition, which is certainly a high compliment to his standing among his fellow-neighbors. His platform was, "Against extravagance and in favor of economy; efficient government without raising taxation." These principles of government he is now engaged iu carrying out with entire satisfaction to his constitueuts, and the little city of Mart is growing rapidly-in fact, at this writing the "buzz of the saw and click of the hammer" can be heard in all directious. Mayor Sansom is enthusiastic regarding the future of Texas aud believes that our possibilities are almost unlimited and that development has just begun.
SEARS, Prof. Walter Glenn
Prof. W. G. Sears, Superintendeut of Public Schools of Erath county, and whose personal likeness we pro- duce in this connection, was born January 24, 1879, on his father's farm in Hood county, near Thorp Springs, which place is widely famed as the home of Thorp Springs College. It was at this institutiou, that has given to the country so many useful men and women, that Prof. Sears began the more serious stage of his education, from which he matriculated to John Tarleton College, in Stephenville. Backed with these good in- fluences, he taught in the public schools of Hood and Erath counties for ten years. Feeling himself abuu- dantly qualified to discharge the duties of the office, he became a candidate for the official position of Superin- tendent of Public Schools of Erath county in the July primary of 1910, and though he had three opponents, one of whom was a lady, he won out with a safe majority. The total scholastic population of Erath county is 8,442, and the public school service requires about 150 teachers. Erath couuty drew last year from the state school fund about $55,000, which is the principal source of finances expended for school service.
Prof. Sears' father, J. B. Sears, was born in Alabama in 1836 and was a Confederate soldier. The war being over, he turned his face to the setting sun of the West, and after a brief residence in Mississippi, reached Texas in the year 1869 and settled at Granbury, which was at that time Johnson county territory, but is now Hood county. Here he was married to Miss. Elizabeth Townsend, who was born in Arkansas, from which state her parents had moved to Texas in 1860. Four sons were born to them, all living, as follows: Prof. W. G. Sears; Albert, farming near Lipan, in Hood county; and Daniel and Andrew, ranch aud cattle meu at Strool, S. D. In 1900 the father moved over the liue into Erath county, and on January 8 of that year passed to his final reward, having lived the life of a Mason and a member of the Baptist church. His father, and grandfather of the subject whose uame heads this article, was thrown from a horse in Alabama in 1836 and killed. The mother now resides at Lipan.
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