Document text
Mrs. hdgerton Arnold, P.
McLennan uounti. Texas
District No. 8
-LRLI10E
Ben E. Ienkins. ',ace, Tomas
E S :AY6 0 iACO
No. words 1115
File lb. 240
Page No. 1
In 1862 there were only about four business houses of important*
in ,:litco located in 7:That uns then known as "Rat Row." The buildings
tiers crude log cabins, each building having but one door hung from
wooden hinges, and wooden latches rare used. safety each door
had its chain and padlock.
People cane to town in wagons, in them days vegans being scarce
usually four and five families used the sere wagon. "here the iATuare
now stands was just open country dotted with trees and bushes and
stock runninc loots.
During the 'war and for the first two years after its close we
lived on what is now known as the Allinm Cemeron farm located on
the Tacque road.
The first school 'I attended was known as the Billie :111ker place
and the school was built on the top of the hill. The school house
was just a little log cabin 16" X 18" feet. It had one door and me
winders and was heated by a lare fireplace. iho seats wore made from
split logs with peg for legs. There rem no desks nor blackboard, and
all the children teed elates. For books we had the old "Blue Back
Speller" and MoGuffy's "Render." Paper being scarce re were forced
to be careful and not mete it. The pens were geese quills that each
child made at hone, and the ink was made from poke berries. Our
teacher was riss Vinnie AlIckwell, who came from one of the northers
FOLTOJAY
Mrs. Edgerton Arnold P. 14
McLennan Gounty Teas
District No. 8
File o. 240
Page no. 2
states, and in teaching us grammer she insisted that we pronounce the
letter "7" and imr making them sound as though we were saying jar and
ker.
Our lunches consisted of a slice of corn bread, a piece of bacon,
and a teacup of molasses. In place of paper bags we packed anem in
a two gallon bucket.
lbe first school that was anything like a .igh Lehool was located
in Bosqueville, and all the children in Waco attended the schobl there,
kany of them had to walk to and from Waco each day. It is strange that
they were forced to walk when the sourreanding country was full of wild
horses that could have easily been caught and tamed.
Our first house was built out near Speegleville, and was made Tr=
logs. I can well remember the first day we started to build the house.
I rent with my Jether to out the logs and drag them to the cleared place
with a yoke of owe. Be cut the logs down in a nearby woods, after,
wards instructing me how to place the logs to build the foundation.
After we had brought all the logs that were needed we invited the neigh-
bors (and in those days our closest neighbor was ten miles distant)
to come and help build the body of the house, as it took several men
to lift the logs.
I shall never forget the day we rent to drag in the logs. On
our return from the roods we found that the cattle had eaten our dinner,
and being five miles from home with only an ox wagon, we had to go
without food all day. That evening I thought we would never reach home.
The oxen seemed slower than ever.
The furniture in our hone was mode from cottonwood, cedar, and
FoLEWAY
Mrs, Edgerton Arnold* P. T.
McLennan County* Texas
District No, a
File NO, 240
Page No. 3
made by hand and homemade. Our beds had no springs nor slats. Holes
were bored about six inches apart and ropes run through the holes
making a checkered foundation. The ropes were made from spat hair
from the tails of horses and cows. The Spanish horses had extremely
long tails, and we used to lasso them and cut the hair from their
tails. Vie would also cut the bush from the cow tails and spin the
hair into ropes and saddle girts. Our chairs were made of rood with
raw hide seats.
In those early days every one owned a candle mold and made their
awn candles. Sometimes when we were out of 0070108, Ey mother would
Ault a string and put it into a saucer of crease leaving one end
hanging out. Lighting that end to give light for the room. Our first
la,T was a little brass lamp without a globe.
Our clothing Ulla made from cloth spun from, the cotton and wool
raised on our farm, spun and corded by hand. had to pick the seeds
from the cotton by hand and there were no gins. The men's suits were
made from clothe which in those days was called "jean sloth" and the
shirts were made from "hickory cloth." My mother made the blankets
from wool and all of the underwear, sheets, pillow eases, and towels
were made from cotton.
Shoes were made by Ur. Callawey, the only shoe maker in this
county. He tanned his owa leather, and the terming was far from per
feet, for quite often patches of hair was left on the shoes. I MS
seven years old before I had wfirst pair of shoes.
A feu months after our house vas finished the neighbors organized
and built a little Baptist Church at Speegleville. The first pastor
FOLVNAY
Mrs. Edgerton Arnold, P. W.
District No. 8
Uclennan County, Texas
File No. 240
Page No. 4
was Dr. Rufus Burleson. De held services one Saturday and z;unday of
every month. He did not receive money for his sertice but was paid
with corn, neat, eggs, butter, and occasionally a load of rood. 14
grandmother net her payments by knitting all his suspenders and socks
from wool.
After the civil war was ended the people began coming to Wase
from the old states and the building of the twon began. There Comptaes
Funeral Berne now stands, was in thos days outside of Waco and was
known as the old Prather hone.
To keep the savage Comanche Indians away the Government. stationed
the Tonkaway Indians here. They were a kind and peaceful people and
taught the white children many things of the Indian lore.
Alter the war, the freed negroes began to cause trouble and in
1886 the Ku Klux Elan was organized.
One of the things I am proud to remember was the courage shown by
the ronen. In spite of hardships, the menace of the linens, the dan-
ger fron the savage animals prowling around, they seamed to feel no
fear.
Food was plentiful as there were droves of wild turkeys and marls
chickens, and there was a large pond where the Cotton Palace now tands,
filled with wild ducks.
Comparing Waco of today with the little village of those days
makes re stop and think of the marvels that progress has made,
Mrs. Ada Davis, P. W.
McLennan County, Texas.
District No. 8.
MO. of words 860
File Me. 240
Page MO. 1
Winne'
Interview with Mr. B. E. Jenkins, Waco,MeLennaa County, Texas.
Mr. B. E. Jenkins was born in Georgia, 1859. Twelve families left Rock Marto
Georgia in 1862 and came to Texas in ox -wagons. They were four months making the
trip. One ox was lost on the road. mr. Joseph Jenkins pulled in plow* of the ex
for five miles, until they could buy another. They paid about ten dollars for an ea.
The colony was led by B. L. Dehay, whose grand -son is Waoe City Secretary. They same
to East Waco and crossed in a ferry boat, 'shore the new comity bridge is, at the foot
of zaishington Avenue. They went to the Boob Vinson fare, now on Fifteenth and Herring,
nhere Mr. Jenkins built a double log house of cedar. W. Jenkins later moved to Mosque
will. *ere he remained until the Civil war broke out.
War was brewing in Georgia at the time they sold out to come to Texas. They
thought they would probably miss the war by coming to Texas. However they had been in
Texas only a short time, about four months, when they were all conseripted, except a
crippled man. They had to go back to Georgia to Join the home regiment. The sea went
bask to Georgia on horse bask. mr. Jenkins' mother, grand -mother and two aunts with
five little boys from eight to twelve years of age were left in Texas. :lost of the
olaves in Georgia were sold. When the war broke out, Mr. Jenkins and his mother moved
to the old Bleaker farm which is now the summer home of Ha. Cameron on Bosque Bluff.
With the help of Mr. Blocker, the slaves ran the farm. The farm was managed by an old
colored man named Levis Friday. Every one called his wife "aunty Creasy," she would
steal roasting -ears and bake pies and sweet potatoes an1 slip them to the boys unmindful
of old Lewis. The five boys grew up like baby boars on the Bosom) hills and cedar brakes
especially Lover's Leap. The cedar brakes were fall of wild Spanish goats which the boys
tried to catch. They would hide up on Lover's Leap bluff and holler, the goats would
jump over the bluff, and even though the boys were like squirrels, they could not patch
them. They would climb up the bluff from the bottom and dare the goat and each other to
-,1\YLKLIDRI,
Mrs. Ada Davis, P. N.
McLennan County, Texas.
District N. 8.
Pile No. 240
Page I. 2
jump. It was very dangerous, because the bluff was from fifty to seventy-five feet high.
They would have just tow hold on the Cliff, but they were little dare devils. The cattle
and horses would run in every direction from the scent of Indians and thus warn the people.
But the Indians around Saco were friendly. The white bushahackers stole during the war.
The settlers had to bury meat to hide it from them. His family ran out of salt during
the war, so they dug up the dirt floor of the old smoke house boiled it and skimmed off
the top to Eet the salt. They used parched wheat and corn meal for coffee. The second
year of the warp they got coffee at Richey4s store on Bridge Street. About one -thousand
Tenkamay Indians were located at the Bosque bridge for about two years during the var.
One very cold day, an Indian squaw came to the Jenkins home with two papooses, one naked
and blankets around the other. Mrs. Jenkins put her dress on the squaw and dressed the
children like White people. The neat der, the squaw returned with the dress ripped up
and made into a blanket.
The boye played with the Indians every day at that time Hrs. Fannie Sparks was a
girl and played with them. The Indiums taught them hoe to make a short bee and arrow.
There were lots of white hoppinegrasehappers ehich had no wings. The Indians would
catch these by buckets fall and fry them crisp, put salt on the. and eat than with pancakes.
They wild cook stacks of pancakes and pans of grasshoppers. The Indians woubd beg the
boys to eat the., but they couldn't stand the idea. Turkeys, deer and prairie chickens
were plentiful but they had to go to Coryell county for buffalo neat to oat. Dye for
clothing was made from dry cedar and dhumate bark. The spinning %heel wad looms were used
to make cloth for clothing. They raised a patch of cotton and a garden. The seed was
picked from the cotton by hand, then the cotton was carded, spun and wove into cloth.
The boys went barefooted and wore a big, long shirt something like a cotton-picking sadks
they wore only one garment until they were green. They had no trouble about dressing.
They wore underwear in winter but no shoes till after winter, and it had snowed some.
W. Jenkins' mother bought green coffee and had to parch it in a skillet on the
(OW.0313
Mrs. Ada Davis, P. W.
McLennan County, Texas.
Astrict No. 8.
File Me, 240
Page Mo. 3
fire -place, than beat it with pestle. Coffee sold for four dollars a pound about the
close of the war. There were no wood cook -stoves. Mrs. Jennings bought a "fetus -eyed"
cook -stove from Mr. Richey, at the time there were only four houses on Rat Row, which
is now Bridge Straet. She learned how to "fire up that stove, Ws. Clinker, who lived in
the edge of the cedar brake on what is now nineteenth Street at the old Ti. Price home,
got a stove and wouldn't use it. She sent for Mrs. Jenkins to dhow her how to "fire up"
the stove and warm it up gradually as it might explode.
Jenkins
Two years after the war, bought a farm, from Price Standifer, near 44104101111114114.
Me built a log house which had two large rooms sari a shed with puncheon•floor and clap
board roof, fastened with peg fasteners. The doors were made out of punCheon boards,
and there were wooden hinges; the windows had wooden shutters. There wore two plank
doors with wooden hinges and one window, but the were not any porches or stops. The
furniture was home made. The hod had rope cord for spring. Their bed was somewhat
better than most of the bode at that time, because it was a frame entirely separate from
the wall, They used straw mattresses and feather beds to sleep an. They had just two
h ims made chairs.
Mr. Jenkins married fifty-eight years age. When he and his wife bmgaa housekeeping
they started in a one -room log house and eookod on the fire place because there were
very few stoves at that time. Mr. Jenkins still lives on. the Old Prather farms on the
hill above Lake Inc. where highway number T crosses highway number T.