Document text
Miss Effie Cowan,
4cLennan ;ounty, Texas,
District 8.
IEFUENCB:
Md cZ5O
Arile NO.240.
Page NO. 1.
No. of Words
"Interview with Mrs Phoebe Arnett, White Pioneer, Stranger, Texas.
"I was born in Robertson County on the 30th day of July 1848. My parents
were Mork and Po4ir Somerville. They came to Texas when it was under the
rule of Mexico and settled near the present town of old Wheelock. They
lived with the WheelockPand a few other families in a fort the first
two years. This was for protection against the Indians.
"This community was a small settlement situated near the town of li!rank--
-lin in Robertson County. Most of these settlers came from Tenneessee
with Sterling Robertson( for whoa "obertson county was named). I was
13 years old when theikar between the4tates started and can remember
when it was declared and the $outhern states seceded from the Union.
There was a company formed at Wheelock known as the Aeelock Company, I
do not remember the other name, what company it was, but I do remember
that I had a cousin who went with this company to fight for the4oathern
cause,or the cause of the Confederacy, and out of this company of a
100 men only five lived to return.
VT
There was a drodra in Texas this year and only two men in the commun-
-ity raised any corn. The flour was shipped in by wagon train to the
little store at abeelock and we had to pay an enormous price for it.
We lived out in the country after leaving the foftt and attended the
old Shiloh church. When my parents came to Texas they did not have
any team but oxen)and so they drove them to thir wagon. This made the
travel slow and they were weeks getting to the Wheelock fort.
Folklore,
Miss Effie Cowan,
McLennan Obanty, Texas,
District 8.
271K4/424(dhZ4L-5-0
/E4ile NO.240.
Page NO. 1.
No. of Words
REFERENCE:
"Interview with Mrs Phoebe Arnett, White Pioneer, Stranger, Texas.
"I was born in Robertson County on the 30th day of July 1848. My parents
were Wrk and Po6i Somerville. They came to Texas when it was under the
rule of 1.1exico and settled near the present town of old Wheelock. They
lived with the Wheelookkind a few other families in a fart the first
two years. This was for protection against the Indians.
"This community was a small settlement situat4d near the town of *rank--
-lin in Robertson County. 2ost of these settlers came from Tenneessee
with Sterling Robertson( for whom "obertson county was named). I was
13 years old when theltar between the states started and can remember
when it was declared and the ‘uthern states seceded from the Union.
There was a company formed at Wheelook known as the Wheelock Company, I
do not remember the other name, what company it was, but I do remember
that I had a cousin who went with this company to fight for theicathern
canse,or the cause of the Confederacy, and out of this company of a
100 men only five lived to return.
1I
There was a drib in Texas this year and only two men in the oomman-
-ity raised any corn. The flour was shipped in by wagon train to the
little store at Wheelock and we had to pAy an enormous price for it.
We lived out in the country after leaving the foft and attended the
old Shiloh church. When my parents came to Texas they did not have
any team but oxen/and so they drove them to thir wagon. This made the
travel slow and they were weeks getting to the itislaot fortt
Folklore,
jiss ?,ffie Cowan,
McLennan County, Texas,
District 8.
iile NO. 240.
rage NO. 2.
On the 10th day of Jan, 1866 I married Hansford Arnett,who had re-
turned the year before from the service in the Confederate army. Be
foutAt in several battlesfsome in lissoarriond some in other places,
but he came through it with only a bullet wound in his arm. He passed
away in 1879. We had six children„all living but one. Those living are
Mrs Mollie Tate near arlin; Mrs Lizzie Richardsoniwho lives with me,
Mrs Afidna Rays:Stranger Tom Arnett,Groesbeck: Robert Arnett, Kosse:
,1 I have liveyn five miles of Stranger ever since I married in 1866.
I have seen thei,towns surrounding grow from small communities to villages
and then towns. I have seen the soldiers as they passed through Wheelock
as they were going and coming from fighting for the Confederate Cause.
We lived on the road which ran through Wheelock to San Antonio, hnd
also to Houston. When the soldiers passed they would often stop and
my mother to cook them something to eat. If the women did not
feed them)they helped themselves to what ever they could find, such as
groceries, meat,hogslor chickens,or cattle. They considered they were
fighting for us and it was our place to feed them. Very few of the folks
refused to give them what they asked for.
I have lived through the trying days of Texas daring the Reconstfn-
following
ction reriod,Ohe days of the *ar between• 'the states, the Spanish
,,merican war,\the World war, eut the most trying things that we had
were the days of reconstruction and the Indians. The delegates to the
first Aeconstraction4Onvention were elected just two days before I
was married and 4ma the day I vvis married the convention met and was or-
ganized.
Folklore,
Miss 2ffie Cowan,
:oLennah County, Texas,
istrict 8.
File NO..240.
Page NO.43.
I came to the Stranger community with my husband when we married, -7
in 1866. We traded at tremond the nearest town at that time of any size#
Marlin over about 11 miles to the west was just a small village, as
was osse to the east. -his was long before the Houston and Texas rail-
road built through Kasai. To the north about fifteen miles was the little
community in later years called Willow dprings, but now the town of Mart.
2bis community sprang up about the year 18701i thitk I know that a
few of the pioneers from the Ridge cle014,6), moved to he Willow Spring
community. Among them the Douglass, the Harlan;, Jones,CowanSand other 'e
I do not remember.
And now let me go back in memory to the early days of The didge as the
Stranger community was called. The Ridge takes it name from a long strip
of land from a point near Steels's or Garrett's place near Ilmestone county
and extends in a southwesterly direction almost to the dobertson county
line. It is in reality a ridge and the Stranger community lies on top of
an elevated section from which one can look over a large section of the
Big 6reek valley westward to the court -house at marlin, even to Benne Hill
which is the beginning of the Brazos.
Many of the pioneers have passed on, but there are a few of Fs who
lived in the days I have mentioned) following the )lar between t he Aates,
As we stand on the Ridge and gaze westward- eastward northwaird and
southward, our minds go back to the days of the past and once more we ass
in memory those others who helped to build the community. We see
many
horses and rigs of all sorts, the roads are winding rough and fall of
mad holes in the rainy season, in the summer they are dusty au4 bumpy
Folklore,
use Bffie Cowan,
"4o;Jennan Connty, Texas,
District 8.
Pile NO. 240.
Page NO.y.
The stage coach at first passes by on its way to Marlin and the east
to Kosse. There is no harry, every one has plenty of time We see once
more the aristocratic Jasper Garrett, moving among his family and his
neighbors,taiing great pride in his famity his heighbors and his friends.
Once again Harris Kay conducts Sunday School in the old church -school
house or they open their home to the community for a Christmas party.
We can hear in memory the chuckling voice of Arch Hodge and his quiet
humor, as the voice of Lira Hodge in her quiet matronly wady.
"Then in memory one can see Jesse brothers as he rides around his farm
watching his men at work. Then it grows dark and one can see the hounds
on the run. prom the woods down the raviria: from the Aidge one can bear
the bayiag of the dogs on the chase. eollowing the dogs are Unoly Billy
Brothers -doe Sandlin, our humorist, some of the 4irskines and the Garrets
and some of the then younger generation. They are having a great time when hunting was real sport and at the end of the chase they brought
home the deer or the wild turkey.
Around the corner of the road near the school house and church are
the family of Jim Swinnea. And in the house Are Ida find 141 and Floyd,
and perhaps some neighbors passing the time of day. Ida and Lil are
living in that ,house todO. little farther to/be south and west sit's
A.1 rVAAA.L.
John ddins He is smoking a pipe, his face is covered with long whisk
A
ers,(the style of the day) be is meditating over the days gone by, per-
haps in the service of the Lost Cause Its warm and in the house one
can hear the hum of the sewing machine as "Grandma Bidding sings, "'berets
not a friend like the lowly Jesus: No not one-- no n -o -t o=n -e."
Relklore,
Miss Lffie Cowan,
McLennan ointy, Texas,
District 8.
Pile NO. 240.1...
Page NO..
'lace again I see beyond the old well on the south side of the road
near Stranger store just below the hills.,'a horse and baggy and in
it sits a gentleman with an expression of peace with the world. e has
a peg leg and he lets the horse have its way over the road. It is the
mail carrier —Joel Roberts carrying the mail-- and bett,s been carrying
it since Stranger got its post office and a name'.
Along the pages of memory there goes Dewitt Stone-- still having a
good time. He has just found a skeleton .from an old Indian mound, and
here cokes a candidate for office where -upon Dewitt lifts up the skill
and from thence hurriedly goes the candidate without waiting to ask him
for his vote. Then there go "AoctorAin his baggy of bygone days, and
once again we bear him tell the story of his first patient. or a whole
month the new doctor hadint had a Patient and be did'nt see bow be was
to pay his board bill at "Granny Williams".
"About sundown he gets a call and all night long -he-lay groaning
i\
grows pale then hot and pains in his side. The doctor tries all bis
remedies it seems his patient is going to die in spite of all his
efforts .'He goes oat to the ben -house and rolls up a big pill and.
gives to the patient. Immediately be relaxes and falls into a peaceful
sleep from which when be awakes the next morning the pain is gone and
be is a well man, or at least for that time, the trouble being what was
known as
lateskan attack, of appendicitas, bat at that time it was just plain
indigestion. Later Dr piondexter spent many years of his successful
career practicing medicine in Koss* .serving his old tips friends
Folklore Pile POO 240.
Miss AIfie Cowan, Page NO. 6.
mmoLonnan Gonnty, Texas,
District 8.
at Strangerl Riding the winding roads a herd of cattle ahead, we see
oany of Strangers fathers and graei f thers with their riding boots
astridelhors4rounding up the cattleridles and harness for the
buggies, surries, wagons with spring seats and fine teams of horses
and males, each were the modes of travel and when the new machines
called automobiles come in we hear these fathers and grand -fathers
saying "you wont catch me tin one of those "contraptions";
Again; down memories lane we see the neighbors meeting for a big
picnic among the trees in Garretts pasture-- plenty of well filled
baskets a string band and all day speaking,for it is election year.
The is made up of country musicians from all sections of the count))
t
it sounded so good despite frequent discordant notes or misplaced kayo
There's a lull in the enthusiasm, things are beginning to drag. he
band leader knows the remedy. Shaking his fist and bringing his hand
down briskly out comes loud and clear the strains of "Dixie" --and
the crowd responds with the chorus of "I'wish I waz in de lan' ci
cotton, ole times dar am not forgotten-- Hurray-- hurray, in .qxie lan'
I takes my stan' to lib an; die in Dixie",
A sadden gleam shines in the eyes of Jasper Garrett, John eldins,
George Barnes, Jesse Cornelison, Bill Clawson, Ad Vann, *Dr Shaw and
other old Oonfed's,
the spirit of"Dixie
including Dave,Boyles of 4eagan,(later Judge Boyles)
de-tn-tmavu.-
is catchin0040701044-daughte4c grand -ions and grand
daughters alike join in the chorus of hurrahs and there's new life in
the crowd after the band plays Dixie, and the platform is clear4for
and old time square dance.
Folklore,
m'isa ffie Cowan„
Alicl'ennan jountygl Texas,
District 8.
tile NO. 240.
Page NO. 7.
Another look into memories pages and we see the old school house and
church building which served for both during the week for school and
on Sundays the different denominations took their turn about holding
services. It IS a school day and -.1r J.A.Dunkam is teaching school. There
are big boys and little boys Big girls and little girls, and today these
boys and girls are 7athers and mothers of the younger generation. Irtfessor
Dunk= has passed on, after having led a successful teaching career tnd
afterward made a success as a banker and farmer in the -4arlin community.
"Sat look:there are other teachers who pas on the stage of lifes memory
and leave their footprints on the sands of Time. There is John Lattimore
whose father was a teacher too. i'rofessor Stout,Blair,and others. All took
their turn in the old church and school house combined. Then c mes the
Sunday services. One incident stands out clearly in my mind. The liaptist's
are having services. Throught the audience the deacons are passing the
elate around with the "bread and wine" ftr communion.
ff
DolgtE near. the )144A-1,of the church is a young man who has imbibed of TT,c-
21/1A-v4._
the,grapes a 11.ttle too freely. He rises and remarks" I want some of that"!
The deacon returns "You cant have it, You're not a Baptist". He comes back
with "Well I'm a 2Methodist Besides this church belongs to us all".
The deacon reflied"It may be your °church, but this is our day", out time
to hold service". it was then that the argument gre trOnger and stronger
until there sprang up two faction5one for the other against uclose
Communion" and the outcome was the f3ptIst built their own church in
the year 1902.
Folklore,
Miss Effie Cowan,
McLennan County, Texas,
District 8.
File NO. 240.
Tale NO. 8.
Following the long procession down Memories Lane comes "Granny Moffett"
quiet kindly, Old- timey', tyPioal of the pioneer women in which
she lived and spent her youth. Typical of the days of Snn Jacinto
could tell you lots of things about the days when Texas was fighting
for her freedom from Mexico. She ran with the other settlers in the
Run- away Scrape as people fted from Santa Anna-- before General SRm
Houston turned the States destiny at San Jacinto Selig could tell all
about when Texas won her independenceland also the days of the Recon-
struction when Texas also won her independence all over'again,and her
fight for the vote after the men who were 'soldiers daring the ksr between
the States bad the vote taken from them. She saw the transformation
from a gepani.ic to a state.
"This reminds me that in thS month of ebuary after I was married in
JA.nua-xy of 1866 that the econstruction convention met and was organ-
ized., with Throckmorton for President and did not adjourn 14.44til April,
and at a general election the constitution was adopted and the legiala.
tare met at Aastin.san the 13th day of Augast.)Throckmorton was inagur-
ated governor and Nash .-ones Lieutenant governor It was In Aarch of
/147
the next year that Congress was displeased with President Johns4s, plan
of reconstruction and declared the gOvernments of Texas and Moulsiana
provisional only. and in April of 1867 General Griffin,Ithe military
commander at Galveston =prohibited all-elecTtions in texas.ikaim... on the
17th day of April he pat the negroes on the juries,with an order issued,
Prearing for the regrietration of the voters. The best of my memory
the voting straggth was about equal around 5'61400ibi$010,41.500 neg..
Folklore,
Miss Effie Cowas,
McLennan County, Texas,
District 8.
lilts NO. 240.
Zags NO. 9.
"Looking down Memories Lane there unfolds a hanaroma of Texas history
with the incidents politically, soiially-and'economically that has made
Texas what it is today, bat the picture that I like the best is the simple
life of neighborliness and the ocipanionehip of the pioneers,as they met'
in social gatherings, church, schools, all4day singings, Tionics, cele-
brations and in some yearsfthe political meetings.
"Entertainment came from fellowship, conversation, music, and stunts
for -the young, instead pf picture shows on fine Sunday 'afternoons the
young men and women rode their horses, played and enjoyed the simple sport,
Unlike today -where the young people go to the movies and to the professi-
7onal entertainments with no contact with their mighbors.
"Yes: Things are different The old Ridge itself is the same. The. birds
still sing merrily as they fly from tree to tree, just as they did in
the fifties and sixties when I mvrried and came to the Ridge-. The old
Big Creek flows or stands still just as in the days gone by. It is we
who, are different, and we are different because the progress of civili-
zation has made as so.