Document text
rw..Lott.e. alit,' Pioneers
Liss Effie Cowan, k.
acLennan County, Texas,
District eo. 8
to. of ords
File o. 240
Page bo. I.
Interview with -r. R. A. t.:0Allistier, Odds, Texne.
I 91rae born in 1865 near the present torn of odds, but at that
time 7Ar luet an open range country. It is located half way between
rlin ard Groesbeek, on the road which connects the two toms. iy
father rms illiam S. Moellieter. 1-4 was born in South Carolina, a
on of Andrew fcellister who came to AM00.00 from
Ireland in the days
before the evolutior.
°Father came to Texas in 1353 and located on the strip of land
known ap alue Ridge, some eight or ten miles from karlin, Texar.
lived there a few years and moved to the present Odds community in lt4,58.
tiere he married my mother, oary Erskine, who as a daughter of hugh and
Jane Erskine of this community and who came to Texas with my parents.
To me fnther ard mother were born sever children, all of whom lived to
reech maturity and had families of their own. There were three boys
and four rirle, namely: tarearet, who became 7iym. Z. T. Todd of Falls
County; Rry 'lam, wife of T. Vammond; Olive, wife of j. alker
Falle County; ard Lizzie, rife of J. H. %undy. The boys were ilugh (who
roved to the India Territory before it became the State of 1ahoea),
and myrelf. All have parsed away but my rister, rv. :,alker and myself.
father's family were of the old school .-resbyteriar denomi—
nation, and he belonged to the au, Ridge and later the M)se Church,
was an elder in the Church from the time I can remember. The first
church which we attended was the first church oreafized in lealla
roL4404 4144 YIDUOWO
i4isa afie Cowan, 4,
mcLeunac county, Texas
District Na. 8.
File O. 044;
kage o. 2
This was a non —denominational church located at Salt Braneh.
4The first Presbyterian minister to preach to the 0dde Church was
named Jones, and he went from house to house. The first methodist that
I remember was Rev. J. J. Jordan and later Rev. Sanders. And for the
Baptist, Rev. tAllingham, who was an evangelist. Wort the Aptists
had a church, either on the Ridge or in the Odds community, they went
to Marlin to hear Rev. Morrell who organized that church op April
10, 1852, lust one year before my father located in the Blue Ridge
settlement. I have heard my father speak of the charter members of that
church, who were A. B. Ewing, L. rArtons Nancy Dobbs, and Largay
organ; a -r. and ,rs. erewitt, and their one servant.
*the first kresbyterian church organized in Falls County, was
across the Brazos iiver two miles east of the present town of Durango
at a place known as Carolina, and was organized by John Balsch, on
November 14, 1853. AS it was the only church of my father's faith in
the county, we sometimes attended church there.
*rho pioneer schools were supported by private donation, the first
in the county being held at Coleman's ?rairie, three miles soutb—west
of Varlir, with J. k.. Jarvis as teacher. The early school buildings
were made of loga. trarlin, the county seat of rall.o, County, wan just
a cross—roads village when my father came in 1853. In 1856 Green and
Bartlett had a hardware store, and so did Boles and Company. 'ha latter
store was the first'brick building to be erected in C,arlin. And until
the new City al1was rebuilt, it was used as the City :Ian. The first
FvLAIAAS *Late rlancers File .Ao. 240
Page tio 3
14iss aft* ODwant V. LI.
ucLennan County, Texas
District 1,0. 8.
court -house was built by Francis Fredro. Ttis was one large room built
of split logs with a ground floor. The old court -house was replaced by
a two-story cedar building in the early fifties and this was burned
in 1868. They had a Union Church in marlin whioh was used as a school
building during the week; this building was boated about 250 yards
rest of the present court -house.
siNfter father moved to the Odds community in 1856, I remember that
there was a one teacher school about three miles south of us, where I
attended and my teacher was named itais Mollie Sanders. I as a small
boy ten. There was a sehool which nerved the Odd community, in 1880,
taught by Rev. john Sodere on what was called Rocky island near the
T. h. Garrett home about a mile south of the present town of odds.
Among the first teachers were Jeb Long, re. Price, Solon Runn and later
A. C. McDaniel who taught for ten or twelve years. :Some of the trustees
wore LcDaniel, John kirskine, Jr. O. mc4inley, Jim_Rrady and later
on Tom Garrett.
stnie first school was built on the present site of Locust Grove
School about 1890. The original building beirg rebuilt. This is on
the Odde-Groesbeck road. It in called the Locust Grove school Rrd the
present teachers arer. and cry. J. A. Byrd and ;AIM Dimple Liles. The
nresert trustees are R. R. Mrskine, G. alI aid Oari
All descerdarts of the early pioneers. It ras about this time that a
church was built at the present site of Oddr. Pr. :cDaniel and TLm
Garrett helped to organize the ethodiat Church. It was under the
Fula/U..03.6 *tate Pioneers
Mier Mffie Cowan, P. 0.
NeLennan County, Texas
Dirtriet No. 8.
File No. 240
sage D. 4
Tbornton charge. The Baptist denomination organised several years
later. Ellobury Criswell wee Church Clerk. The membership in both
ohuroher was smell, but they were in earnest and believed in having
the benefit of the schools and churohes close by. The younger gener—
ation had the benefit of the religious and educational advantages at
their door.
'Father was a stook man. We did not raise cotton at all those
first veers of my boyhood. There was some stealing of the young e,lves
an the range. The unbranded calves or yearlings were called maveric4s.
Tr that day it wan not really thought to be stealing, the range was
free and therefore the stray yearlings were supposed to belong to the
firmt ran 'ho branded them. The cattle were taken to Varlin, after
the Houmtor erd Texas Central Railroad Was built from Uouston to •Aso,
and 'hipped to the markets. Before that time, the men would go in to—
gether and drive their cattle up the trails to the market as in Abilene
and lianeas City.
do not remember the exact year, but I was a boy about twelve
years of age and was working in the field thraehing grain. It was in
the middle of the afternoon and the sky all at once became dark and no
clouds to indicate rain, we rushed to the house, the ohickons all went
to roost, and we could not at first think rhat in the world it neart.
ity children were soared and thought the world had come to an end. It
was dark am the darkest of nights. y oldent brother was out on the
range huntine cattle and when he see it, he had but one thought and
bits AiDnSSXS
rile 240
kage 14o, 5
Miss an* Cowan, r.
AcLennan county, Texas
Distriet so. 8
that ras to make it to our uncle Jeemm, before the end of the world
cane. lut after awhile the sun came out ard father eaid it muat have
!Jeer] the :nun in eolipse. In that day we had no weather foreeeste Rnd
did not knew when to expect these thinge.
It rem in the fall af 1877, that the graeshoplere oeme thro,
our community and the sky PitS again darkened for two or three days.
They were in great droves and deetroyed the grain and damaged the
bark of the tree, they left their eve and the next spring they
hatched out c, the gardens were ruined from them. ,ehen they grew
range they left. They came with a 'Z7eptember equinox storm.
%Ix the earlier days the land produced far more abundant Grope
than it does POW. it rae expected after we commenced to raise cotton
that at least a bale would be harvested to the ,ore. The ineeote had
not gotten a start and the soil had not waehed away. If re had the
soil conmervotiot in those days our production now would have been a
different ntory and the land in much better shape. The open spaces
in the W.de cemmunite in the early days wee covered with meequite
tree. it was considered Prairie land, altho' the terrain ir hilly
and rolling. ;INairie fires avid have prevented the growth of trees
in days gore %v. few treen dot the communit7 here and there ard
if they could talk, they could tell many a story of picnics and happy
days of the young (now the old) migration. Up at Buffalo l•'ott, where
the cowboys used to camp, and reet in the heat of the sammer nun, many
a boy'e. name with the initials of his owe theart was carved on the
irkALAL01,04 white Pioneers File :0, ato
left° i. 6
MIPS gf'lo Cowart i.
neLennan County, Texas
District d:). 8,
trees.
id6C, i)ononoo of ttarlin and W.11 Oooper owned a gin
in riur comnunity. 1 car roccollect taking the cotton to the giro where
it vas unloaded from the wagon, and baskets were used to carry it to
the gin stands. ibis uas before the invention vhereby the cotton wee
car- ieo tr the stands by conveyors or wind blasts. it raft not only
work to carry the cotton to the glr stands, but it was very unconfortable
t times. N.inging poorpiona T.,ere bp.d an many ti,7Ale the carrier was
stung bv the.
"I reccolloct one ti7:e the late iqat Criswell decided to play a
prank or the net- hired to carry the baskets to the gin stands. de found
an extra large 7tinging scorpion, clipped his tail and said, °how wateb!'
whereupon he dropped the tail in the workmars open shirt. Llf course
the workan gave out a long range of bod words when the stinger took
effect but the funny part was that hit Criswell gave a yell at the
same time, a lizard had stung im just below the right eye!
peaking of jokes when boys and girls got together and did not
have the benefit of picture ehowe and radios, as well as automobiles to
help pass the time, they found other amusements some times in jokes on
each other. Ore tuatara. 17as when the tailoring boys and gule were
picnicking around the rocks at old Buffalo i,:;ott. in the group were
Irma Ship, nor Li's. R. Carter; vicar and Frank c4irlev, Beulah and
Amelia mcginley (the latter now Turner Criswell of .iAArlin); John,
Jim and Lee 3rady and others.
Jatt cioneers file 13. 240
?age oo. 7
Ules Sffie Cowan, P.
AoLennen County, Texas
District Lo. 8.
*Lee Brady know vice-Iqiesident of the First ka.tional bank of art),
became dissatisfied because the others would not play the games he
wanted to play. U. assumed a downcast attitude and told the crowd that
he had as soon kill himself as not, he disappeared from the crowd and
a little later they heard moans coming from a grove of small trees
neerby r?ome of the boys and girls rent to investigate and there lay
Lee Brady with what looked like blood all over his shirt and face,
around hin throat and collar —with a bloody knife across his chest.
avqth !utile of surnrime and horror every one ran frightened to
break the news of the tragedy. Lee had to run like the devil to keep
up with them to ntop the news from getting back to the old folks, since
the boys and girls were really frightened out of their sense. Lee had
only faked the stunt by using poke -berry juice to resemble blood.
'Ibis is my father's diary, written when he was in business in the
Stranger-Qdds comunity. The first pages read as follows:
okanday, December Zbth, 1648 —Myself, A. Stevenson, ,m. P..
4rekine and John Todd went to Broadway bottom and split out cone
buggy spokes and it rained all day. :4) stayed all night at
Tuesday, 26th —clear in the morning, but clouded up in the
evening. 'yself, m. A. 1. and I. T. ent to the sewing at
John -tevenson'm thift evening but part of us left after supper and
wort to Andermorm to a dance. Stayed all night at A. Todds'.
,ednesday. 27th —it rained all day today. I stayed in town
FQ 41.-.44it; late vioneers
Otep 7tfie Cowart e.
VcCerran County, Tome
District Vs. B.
or):
rile :3 24c)
rage oo. 8
ard sPent the night again t iDdd".
n'hursday, 28th --A little cloudy and cold. I came home this
morning ;yself, A. and I. i. started nerenadinu and gathered
a crowd and qad a frolic) at 14rs. Islth'e. It rained all ni ht
and e layed all night. issee 2. a., N, A. L., 3. L. L.,
4. and O. 'were the crowd of girls.
I came home this morLinc-,. It watt cold and
riday,
rained all day.
;aturday, 30 I oame Aome this marninL and went to Dr.
Anderson today. Returned home and Eogain rent to U•!cle James
Todd's.
'F;ach dpy in llore or lee n of a rotitine nature until rtarting auein
00orday, January 8th, rent to Anderson's to the
clerk' election. A. a]o rent to r. Ballels this rorning.
lnday, January 14th, 134--1 rent to Vroadway to preaching
today and r. Carlile preached from the Uth worse of the 49th
1 Tent %lith rgaret home and st:)yeo all night nt iodd'?.
0::tanday, Javaary Ibth--I stayed all day in the village try—
ing to get a negro boy for mother. I brined for ienry, a yel—
low boy, today.
4cloesda January tNent to U. askine's last night and
stayed all r;16ht. i came home this morning and rent to vork.
,ednesday, Jarj 17th --I made a fair of cart ehat e for
shit, klowore tile ho. 240
Page ho. 9
Gaon afie Cowan, v. q.
McLennan County, Texas
District Io. 8.
D. Brown on account today etc.-----.
"saturday the 20th --I went to the election today; we elected
I. B. moor Captain----, (here the records become illegible at the
bottom of the page).
*.onday 22nd --I worked today and. went to Anderson and stayed
all night and heard a temperance lecture by 4i%. Duryee.
Elsewhere in the book this notation appears: Something uncommon:
nApril 15th, 1849--A considerable snow fell today.
April 16th. --A heavy frost this morning. Also on the 17th,
18th and 19th.
"Fathers' Diary was not kept up but the nameo in the book to whom
the blacksmith work was done are of interest. Some of these names dated
for the years 1848 to 1854-55 are those of the following: Elias 2301,
Jamee Long, U. Todd, Hobert Todd, J. D. Erskine, jesse Brothers, Dr.
Pommy, v. P. Erskine, Vr. dells, 1off.tt, L. Kilpatrick, Ipsrks,
rorrell, John Todd, James Gutty', Gaimpsor, H. Steele, Col.
Goudy, T. Garrett, Samuel Sell, Thom, Garrett, E. Thompson, David Barcley,
James Pteverson, r. e. Stevenson, Larkin Rogers, hurnicutt Other
names in the list of customers were names of residents all along the
Blue Ride mettlement; A.Ilaby sparks, james cGhee, L. Ldwards, Isaac
4asen, berry Rogers, Garrett Long, tiol. Axes, L. Edwards, :r. Vinson,
hn Hodge, G. 8. Duncan, TRORO Smith, Robert Smith, 4 keogans, John
4erefes, 5rarville Rose. Other names in this day book for work done
by my father were Alexander Lodge, John ?Utensil, .pathew Sparks, ix.
Ff441.40..uttl, hit, A.onecre
Mee brae Cowan,
Sellesan County, lexas
Disbrist £4o. 8.
File 4;).
rage 10
Forbes, John it4rcuson, Fortis, 400041 Corntilison, Johr togors, r.
Ass4S11, Dutch George, i,ienry odiand, 1)unean, Cilliford Long,
R. 1. Springfield, M. Y.•aenneta,
"This day book 'shown that branding irons r.re in use than tliA8-1856)
The Worde "pinchers, ottani°, clevin, horse shaein,7,4 buzzard plow, re -rim
wbetlis, hooks, chain', ox -tongues, filling wagon 1Theel, mond spurt
shappem plow, fit head or bariel, sharpen maddox, "et of chair -frames,
rarteel and catch for loom chimney iron_ ti(we 7 I used ir dencrib-
ing the work dors.
'In the day book are reeeipts of ask:aunts paid by my father as rell
as those. be received. :one receipt is a final pay775ent on the estate of
*Warn Jones, and reads this way:
MReeeived from 6. cAllister the sum of same beiug the
amellit in full of all demands in favor of the estate of -lburr Jones
deeeased. tlay 1846.6
sour forefathers were not without their feelings of sentiment aid
to view of the shortage of song books, in the bric of Lc Ua b3 are
the rollowihe goner; written in hip own handwriting: ''ember
mx111 you love re the er rorrto, 'Think of e, and a few other popular
songp of the day.
"The blok reveals the lives of the morking world it the aecor,7tn,
as Mal as my father's own life --as evidenced by his diary, ara the
finiehing-touch with the longing common to Lai the world, to be remem-
lere# when Time will be no more'.'