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-FOLKLGRzc-i-White Pioneer
Miss Effie Cowan, P. W.
McLennan County, Texas
District No. 8.
Referenee
Interview with Ir. Leroy Dean, Mart, Texas.
No. words 1,750
rile No. 240
Page No. 1
"My mother was kiss Eliza Steele, who emigrated to America with her
parents from Ireland in 1860. They landed from a boat at Galveston end
came directly to tile eommunity just east of rarlin, known then as the
Blue Ridge settlement. My father bought a tree* of land on the upper
Ridge, east of the present village of Stranger. At that time, Marlin
was just a small village and the railroad had not built that far, the
people did their trading at Bremond and loss., which was eight miles to the
east. The present community known as Odds was also within a few miles of
their home.
These communities were known as Rocky Creek and Steele's Creek, the
latter creed was named for my grandfather, Steele. My father's name was
Lou Dean, who came from Mississippi to Texas just after the close of the
Civil War, in 1866. He was a soldier in the Lost Cause and surrendered
his arms at Appomattox. He fought in a number of battles but cans out
unharmed. When he first came to Texas, he located at Bryan, Texas, where
he lived for a few years and helped to build several brick buildings
which are standing today. About 1869 or 1870, he eams to the present
communities of Stranger and Odds. There he met my mother and they were
married in 1870. They lived in this community, where they reared their
family.
My parents had nine ohildren who lived to be grown; they were:
Lizzie, David, Leon, myself, Eva, Arthur, May, Cleveland and Herman.
Grandfather Steele built the first gin in the community, between Stranger
and Odds. It was operated by ox -power, long before horses were used.
FOLICLOfiEm—White Pioneers
Miss Effie Cowan, P. W.
MeLennan County, Texas
District No. 8
File No. 2240
Page No. 2
"In the days before there were the oommunities of Odds, Stranger,
Eureka, Ogden, or the other little settlements on Blue Ridge, or close by,
the country was part prairie, part lowland and part timber, surrounding
the Ridge. I oan recall, as a boy, how we used to roam over the wooded
part, up and down the creeks hunting for birds of all kinds and wild turkeys,
and hogs. We learned the lore of the birds and the woods, to understand
the wild life was part of our education. It was our delight to listen
to the talk of the older men as they discussed the politics of the day;
or the latest hanging; or the newest cograittee of Vigilante who were or-
ganized to help the officers to see that the law was upheld. For, at that
time, law enforcement was yet in its infancy in Texas.
The organization known as Nuentrell's Men", whoweee buthwheekers
during the Civil War had some mothers who lived after the war in our
nearby town of Marlin, Texas. There were three or four whom my father
knew well. These were Major Swann, a lawyer of Marlin; Stump Ashby,
another lawyer, and Professor Lattimore, father of the late Professor John
Lattimore, who was at one time the County School S uperintendent of Falls
County. After the Civil War ended, and the days of Reconstruction required
the best of men to help to uphold the law, there was a committee of men
formed called Vigilante
These men who had belonged to guantrellts Organization were among the
first to help to nake Texas a place unsafe for criminals. The course of
the law being so often delayed and not enforced, caused many a man to be
dealt with without recourse to a trial by jury. I remember that in our
own community there was an example of this. It was the hanging of one
of the neighborhood men, kilt Brothers, Who was accused of cattle theft.
FOLELOHL--White Pioneer
Miss Effie Cogan, P. N.
McLennan County, Tomas
District No. 8
File No. 240
Page No. 3
"Another instance of taking the law into ones own hands was the
killing of a kr. Heaton, who was a Northern man who oame to this country
soon after the end of the Civil War. He owned a ranch in the community
now known as Mart, but at that time it was known as Willow Springs. This
Wa3 east of Big Creek and twelve miles north of the Odds settlement. He
was killed in a dispute about amine cattle that he had boUght from the
widow Walker. Her son, Abner Walker, was accused and tried by jury and
sent to the penetentiary for life for this murder. He only stayed there
eighteen years. He was pardoned and came home a broken man. Be plead
his innocence to the last day of his life. From Later evidence, it was
believed that he really was innocent and that another party was guilty.
But this revelation came to latcl to remedy the result of eircumatantial
'evidence which sent him to the pen.' In those days of hasty judgment, there
were perhaps many men who suffered for the crimes of others.
The first post office in the Odds community was about a mile
north west of the present Odds store, atlibeaross roads.' It was on the
Milam-County-flaco road and the post master was named "Noon Curlee." This
post office was known as Oloott. WI J. Durham, a on of M.' T. Durham
who came with his family to the community from Georgia soon after the
Civil war ended, built the store at what was known as Criswell Lake.
Mr. Durham became post master and the name of the post office was called
Ogden for George Ogden who lived in the oommunity.• At present he lives
at Marlin. Both of these post offices disappeared with the coming of
Uncle Sam's rural route system; but a store had been located at Odds. It
was more favorably situated on the cross county roads and Bill Cooper and
W. J. Durham had built a gin in 1899. 4%) the name Odds remained with
this community. The present site of the Odds post office was selected
01.1;10 bite J1oriep
glee hffic Cowan, P..
eieLennae County, Tees
Distriot 7Yo.
File NO. 240
Pasee No. 4
"II leg. It was at a store owned by .trienk Adair, ite first postmaster.
A an nened Dlezell carried the hail. It was in the day before good
ronds a e outoelobileo, end so the eail carriers either rode or drove a
pair of me1,0 in Tet reather to a buegy or cart.
'leen they orrivod at the seot where the Methodist Church now stends
a fct hundrecj yards west of what is called Buffalo Mott, the black lend
in tee low valley often became) so muddy that the mail carriers had to unhiten
his team, tie the eail on one of the animals end ride the other, driving
the emle with the mail, across the mud hole. But the beginning of the
Odds community dates book before this time.
"Perhaes the first te settle on the hills and valleys of the Odds
come -amity evre the families of Sim and Sohn Erskine. These families
left any descendants who are still living. Abolit the sale time, the
rskines came, tee jecAllist. es arrived fm Blue Ridge in MG, according
to local eistory. Then, the illia, Criawell family came next, and abott
the same time, the M. T. Durham family came from Georgia. According
to hire. 4.- L. Criswell, of learlin, who is a daughter of Nr. Durham,
they came soon after the Civil). ear. Some of the older people hold memories
of one, C. C. Clock, eho never married and who lived in the community
in the seventies and was supposed to have came from !up North!. There
were two other early settlers, L. Vioson and 2aok Cookburn, who lived
in te oommunity for awhile but went away.
new. A. W hoDaniele familymme in the early eighties, and built
a h me on the rocks on the hill which is another outerophing of the
famous Balcoees Fault which extends almost aoross the State in a north ee stee—
ly direction. The AcDeniel house stands today and is one of the oldest
homes in the Odds co mnity. The other e7:.rly houses have been :removed
or tern down. The rocke ore there, as they have been for ages, and the
FOLKLORE —White Pioneers
Miss Effie Cowan, P.W.
McLennan County, Texas
District No. 8
File NO. 240
Page NO. 5
the spot i s still known to some of the older inhabitants as *Old
Buffalo Uott."
Buffalo Mott' was a famous stopping place or identifying place
in the early days when cowboys ruled the prairies. The outcropping of
rooks -at this place was an easy marking for directions to go by, and
so 'Buffalo Mott' became a well known spot. Before the days of the
Texas cowboy, the spot was famous as e meeting place for hunting buffalo.
These animals were found in the hills and valleys around the spot which
afforded a choice grazing meadow.
There was a large tree which stood in this vicinity within a
few feet of the koDaniel home. Until a few yLers ago, nearly every cow
boy carved his initials on this tree. As the tree grew in age, the
markings grew with it and the initials carved in the bark assumed grotesque
shapes. The letters grew upwar as the tree grew. Not many years ago
this tree died and with passed many a story which, could it have talked
been told of the patherings of hunters and cowboys under its spreading
branches.
0 The 7.1_n built by W. I. Durham and Bill Cooper in 1899 burned
about 1900 and was replaced by Frank Adair who owned the store at Odds.
When hr. T. C. McClelland married he bought the land with the gin. He
married the daughter of the man who owned the old Chisum Ranch. (Chishdm)
This land finally became the property of the Merlin Oil Company.
0 J. C. McKinley and family moved into the Odds community about
the year 18e9 and John Shim-, came there in 1894. Tom Cleaver is another
early settler. It is not known where he moved or where his descendants
are now. Tom Garrett now lives at Bosse but was prominent in the Odds
and Stranger com...,unities for years and several of his sons and daughters
FOLKLO2E—eWhite Pioneer
Miss Effie Cowan, P.W.
McLennan County, Texas
District No. 8
File No. 240
Page NO. 6
"now live in either the Odds or Stranger communities. In fact, because
of the close connection between the Odds, Stranger and Blue Ridge
communities and their families, they are very closely related.
About the time of the avida -er, the records show that lend could
be bought in the Odds community for 0.50 to b.00 per acre. ?any of
the modern farms of this section, according to the deeds, came from the
'R. A. Skinner Survey'; the Stephen's Section'; the 'Braoy Section'; and h
the Chisum Ranch'. The McDaniel hme on the hill was built in 1885, but
has been, remodeled since then. This family came from Georgia, soon.
after the Civil sr. Er. WoDaniel is'known as "Tom", but his initials
are A,' W. He is a Confederate veteran. Mrs. MoDanlii is the daughter
of rj4*. and 'q -s, C. C. McKinley.
Anoter i teresting family is that of Reuben Springfield.
Mrs* Springfield is a daughter of the pioneer settler, William Erskine,
but she wes,reered by her uncle, James Erskine. Li'. and lire. Springfield
observed their fifty—fourth wedding anniversary on the 24th day of
'DecallIber 1938.
"The old McAllister h me, built of logs, in the fifties, was
loosted a short distance from the Odds store and gin. It burned a
.few years ago. As far as I know not a person was arrested for violation
of the law in te Odds community during the last forty years. I have
been a constable and deputy sheriff of Precinct 4, McLennan County
for many years.
"It is a long time since I sat around the fire and listened to
the men who had belonged to the bush whaokers in the Civil War days.
They often spent the night at my father's home and told of their ex—
periences during the Civil War. And it seems today as I look into the
days of my boyhood and recall the stories of how they dealt out justice
FOLKLOE--ihite Pioneer
Miss Effie Cowan, P.W.
McLennan County, Texas
District No. 8
File No. 240
Page No. 7
"in the hasty way of that day, so it became my ambition to be of servioe
in helping to keep law end order. It has been a privilege to ;Le to be
numbered among those in the community in which I have lived to be
among the men who helped to uphold the law.
"In, 1901 I married hiss Elle Bailey of -Cart, Texas. To us were
born four children. They were: Velma, Ulen, Ire, Lee and Blanche.
All are still living. My first wife died in 1934 and in 193b I married
Yrs. ROSie Smith, my wife now.
"While most all of those who lived in tue days of reconstruction have
issivd to Vat mysterious realm where all must Fo, whet they did, how
they did it, are still living in our memories. Their peneretion was
the generation of our forefathers end, as our minds dwell on the past,
once again their snirit seems to hover o'er us and bids la hold fast
to the example slit by them so long ago. The influence of their linger-
ing personalities are held in our minds and we hallow their memory for
their quiet, unassuming love of their fellow -man.