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FOLKLORE -WRITE PIONEER,
Miss ltffie Cowan,P.W.
Mc Lennan County, Texas,
District 8.
RMRENCE;
"Interview trith Mr Titus destbrook, aso, Texas.
O. Of "ords.V.
File NO. 24O. I
Page NO. 1.
"I was born on Cow Bayou just south of the village of Lorenajin McLennan
conOtylon the 6th day of August 1867. kr father,Charles Westbrookand his
brother Mose estbrook were natives of gississippi and emigrated to Texas
in the year 18650at the close of the wor between the 6tates. My father
and uncle located in moLennan County near the present town of Lorena, baying
a tract of land consisting of 3500 acres My parents reared a family of
eleven children the eldest stater) well sowed morena,(for whom the town of
Lorena was nametarried S.C.Robektsos of San 44itonio. Joses died in his
home near Lorena in 1902 leaving a fmily who continued to make this town
their home. Joel and myself were associated in farming and stockraising 0
Jennie is the wife of James darrison of Baamont. Eva resides at Lorena;
Charles engaged in farming on the old homestead. Coke resides near Waco;
Louis, farmed near Morena; Lucile married Arthur 13assett of the uity of
4axico; Bailie, married David Anderson and lived in Shanghai China.
I received my early education in the public schools of iJorena and attended
the private school of Professor 6trother of "orena. On the 28th day of Dec—
ember 1899. I married Miss Mabel Battle of Marlin who is a daughter
of the latehomas B.Battle who pasl,sd away on the 11th day af May 1939,
at his home in Marlin, Texas. Mr Battle celebrated his 91st birthday at
this home on the 28th day of January41939. I feel that a brief sketch of
his life would be approptiate here.
"Mr Battle was born in Forsyth Georgia on January 28,1848. He was a son
ROLICLORB-WHITE PIONEER,
Mee Effie CoWait, P.11.
Belennan County, Texai
istrict 6.
Pile NO. 240.
2age NO. 2..
of William Nichols and Mary Ann Oabiness Battle His father chose
Texas as his home in the early fifties, and was formerly judge of Falls
county. Judge Battle was a lieutenant in the oonfederate army during
the civil War and Ar Tbomas Battle( my father-in-law) volunterred as
a private (Mlle age of fifteen yearsfin the 30th Texas cavalry, which nl
was under his fathers commaniar Battle was educated at Waco university
(later Baylor) in 1860-, also attendeddkandolpb *aeon college of *eorgia
and in 1867-68 was a student at ashington and I'eo University 'in Richmond
Vorginia.
or Mr Battle had a great part in the apbailding of this part of the country
Be was not only known for his banking connections but for others, inclad4
-lug extensive farming and cattle interest. de was married to Mies Ykoan
Lucy 4reen in 1873. Their children are Mrs W.O.Binch of Marlin my wife
Mabel; Mrs C.A. Orltorf of Marlin mad Ars S.B.Hunt of Aewirork City.
and Are T.Berry Brazelton of Waco, Texas.
It was because of the historical connection as well as his early atten-
dance of Baylor University that the president Hon. Pat M.Neff gave him
a special invitation as guest of honor at the founders day program, when
the statue of 4adge R.R.N.Baylor was unveiled, on the let day of kebaary
1939..de being the oldest alumni present. Mr Battle and Judge l'aylor
were warm personal friends. Tt was in the early fifties that Judge daylor
became Judge of the Waco district court and
bold court he was offered the facilities of
first district court of McLennan Zounty was
having no suitable place to
one of
the Battle home whereAthe
held. It was when the father,
N.W.Battleibecame judge following Judge Baylor by a few years that the
first court Falls county Was held by Judge Battle.
FOLKLORB-VHITE PIONEER,
Miss Will cowan,P.W.
NeLonnan 4Ounty, Texas,
District 8.
*Mr Battle has been active in community Mid patroitic movements. In his
youth be was express messenger for the Texas 41;ipress Uompany when the
service was new and the first railroad passed thahrallo county. Later
he was general manager of a mercantile business and began his farm and
cattle activities. He was a former commissioner of the county, also
a former county treasurer of the Marlin school board amd former member
of the board of regents of A& M.College of brjanTexas. At the time of
his death he was president of the First tate #ank of Marlin, Texas;
and until the first of May,19390he had not been absent from the bank a day
in years.
tile 10. 240.
Page NO. N.
*When I was fifteen years of age I became interested in raising Shetland
ponies .6'rom small orders in this country the business grew until I filled
and shipped orders to all points of the compass. Among the prominent oon*
corns which supplied was theAells?loto Show at Denver Colorado. After
I grew to manhood I became general manager of the 2,335 acre estate of
the firm of Banger Brothers,soath of Waco near the towns of Satin and
Golinda. In an endeavor to make the 1500 acre of farming interest of this
property bring better financial returns I changed the labor from convict
to free labor. Then I planted more cotton and as cotton at that time was
a paying crop I began to see the deficit turned into profit. continued
as manager of this farm and ranch until 1910 when my brother Joel and myself
became the owners of the estate.
"A description of the above estate taken from an article which was pub
4
lished in a History of Central and "estern l'exas, By B.B. Paddock,Vol.11
Lewis 2ablishing eompanereads as follows,* Down in the valley of the
razos it lies, the model farm of over 2300 acres, owned by Sanger Brothers
vOLKLORB'WHITE PIONEER
Miss Effie Cowana.W.
McLennan ‘'oanty, Lexas.
District 8.
rile O. 240.
Page NO. 4.
now Westbrook rothers, a farm so gigantic in its scheme and so perfectly
conducted as to be a marvel to those whosb'lives have been spent in tilling
the soiAnd all that comes after it, which is a great deal. Call it a farm
a plantation, a bog ranch, if yea will for it is all these and more,
tremendeoas body of tremendously productive lands of which every square
foot contributes its mite to a prosperous and valuable whole.
This farm lies in a bend of the Brazos in Falls county, a short drive
from Lagana(now Satin) a station on the an Antonio and Aransas Pass
tiailroad, from which point trainload after -trainload of farm products
finished stock and cordwood is shipped annually. The great farm is leveed
on the north against possible harm from Ball Hide creek, on the west by
Cow Bayou and the cultivated lands are protected by heavy wide built turn"
rows. The surplus water within the fields is carried off by what is known
as "the red ditch", which starts at the north side of the plantation ant
runs completely through to empty into Hog Creek. The entire river frontage
of the farm is protected by concrete wire dams and by three foot levee on
the water front, which is strengthened with Aermada sod and by growth of
earefally planted willows.
Eighteen hundred acres of this bast domain are under cultivation, the
remainder being reserved for pastarage, the whole being sodded, in Bermuda
grass. Nothing bat a visit to this farm could show exactly what it is.
Figures are available for comparison, but do aelhom up as does the reality
they represent. Iron eight hundred to one thousand bogs are sold annually
from the farm. At the present time there are eighteen len:heron brood mares
owned by Mr Westbrook.
POLKIORD-WRITE PIONEER,
Migs Effie ftwan,P.M.
Wemennan bibunty,
District 8.
The horses on the place are looked after by niorseman McQuaid, a man
who bas forgotten more about horses than the average man knows. There is
not a bad looking horse on the place. All are in fine shape, slear eyed,
and bright and able to do thier part of the work. A number of young males
are grazing in the pastures, sleek, well fed fellows with alert ears and
clean limbs.
Pile NO. 240.
Page X0.5.
The plantation maintains its own blacksmith shop and a couple of smiths
are constantly at work keeping the stock shod and repatring some of the
plows, harrows, horse rakes or other implements of which the place has an
amazing array. infect there is nothiq in the shape of farming machinery
that is not kept on the farm, from a steam thresher and a manure spreader
down to a diminutive 04:Hitcher" used to keep the cotton fields clean and
clear. The farm is sp6ndidly equipeed with building improvements. There
is the two-story managers house overlooking the river and having an office
in the front yard. There are long rows of cottages for workmen.
There are sound barns and sheds there being barn room for one thousand
tons of bay now filled. There are twenty four horse stalls great mach-
ine sheds hog shelters, seed bins and other buildings not forgetting
one great barn, two stories in beight,usei as a feed barn. A system of fire
protection is maintained in the shape of hose nozzles at convenient points
and patented fir* extinguishers bung in the buildings. That this farm is
enormously productive is shown by the fact that between 20.000 and 25.000
bushels of grain will be sold this year, that part of the farms product
left from feeding. There will also be sold this year something like 1.500
cords of wood secured in thinning oat one of the pastures.!
FOLKLORD-WHITE PIONEER,
Miss Effie Gowan,P.W.
McLennan l'banty, Texas,
District 8.
lile NO. 240.
Page NO. 6.
"ether early land owners in this community were ColonelAhrley; J.T.
Davis Waco: Goodrich and Clarkson of Marlin; the Wittners, leaderians,
Wooleys, Duty's 4aines (Col.D.2.), of Chilton; E:L.Natch of Lorena and
the Salmon family. These families for many years formed the principal
settlement on the Ilaco-marlin road, west of the Brazos river.
W An early post -office was at Gada where the earliest schools were lecat*
-ed. It was one mile mortbwest of the predent town of Satin, near the place
owned by mr Gaderian. lbe name Ghat is derived from the abbreviation of the
name Gaderian. The first post -office and station on theAan,Antonio and
Aransas Pass railroad was at Gurley (named for the Gurley family) about
tUiD miles northeast of 6attn. idlioncas was postmaster and John Backner
owned the store.
"A little nearer the cedar brake and saw -mill owned by R.R.Temple
where the cedar was use1( in the manafactare of cedar lumber and pencils I
saw an advantageous location for a'store and laid off a town and called it
n,„
cedar (Point: Vic "alker came over from Lorena and went into the mercantile
business with me The Store was /ncorpormted and changed bands until today
it is practically owned by the walker Brothers. Will walker came to this
community and operated a gin first 2uoth own farms in this vicinity in
addition to thg4 retail basitess.
"After the store was established at Cedar Point and other activities spranv
_
lip, a postoffice was sought. J• P• Hamilton, who had previously been manager
of the Sanger farms was appointed post -master and in 1892 he served the new
town as postmaster.He set about finding a name fon the town and Lagama.was
first suggested and so called for awhile.
?OLKLOREe-WHTTE PIONEER,
Mils Effie Cowan,_P.W.
mo ennan 0óunty, 'Texas
"iitrict 8.
Elle PO, 240
age NO. 7.
I bad hired a number of illexicans to clear the land r. "Lagunanis the
Spanish for lake,and iackson't; lake was near by so the Aiexicans referred
to the place as tAtagana. *ben the railroad came there was found to be another
town in Texas by the mname of Laguna and so fianlly the name of atin was
submitted and accepted by the postal authorities and the little railroad
town south of "aco west of the .drazos river was born.
"In 1890 the railroad (San Antonio and Aransas l'ass) was built through
the community.Engineers cut a winding swath through the dense woods. Traina
came railroad stations postoffices and the means of transportation of
the produce of the country. Down came the huge stately old trees -elms, ash,
sycamore, cedars. willow cottonwood, oak, elder and all the oahers that
grow along the rich river banks
Saw -mills sprang up and prospectors came in for timber for various
purposes. Several years after the railroad came W.G.Liggett and ILA.
Liggett of Chilton came in representing a pencil factory R. R.Temple
was the foreman for the company. They established and superintended the
cutting and sawing of cedars. To all parts of the country went pencils made
of atin cedar. gembers of the Temple family still/Live in tells county.
Cordwood was over abundant and cheap for a time it was so cheap it did
hot pay the cost of cutting,„. until the land was cleared upo In less than
three decades the dense woods have dissapeared. The t-wn grew out of a huge
wildcat thicket, according to many who live today, from a vast flat area
in and around Satin and extending to the river, which was a thicket of dense
woods.
FOLKLORE -WHITE PIONEER?
Miss ffie Uowan,P.W.
McLennan L;onnty, Aexas,
District 8.
Yile NO. 240.
Page NO. 8.
"Satin community was closely related with neighboring communities in
those early days. This relationship continues and the people of Chilton
dolinda, and satin are woven in ortue_ historical background. All that
section of .d'alls county, west of the ?razos river northward to the
hbLennan county line emniaces the communities therein, and was a
Alai wilderness in those days, including the heavily wooded section of
which I have mentioned. 3ome of the earlier families finally moved ti
the other settlements as a protection from malatiaiwhich the wooded
section was troubled with. whereas became interested ih this commun-
ity through my interest in managing the Sanger Brothers plantation or
farms.
"the winding little Cow Bayou has furnished water to these settlements
as it flows on its way to the east and into the river. Althos trouble-
some thdians had passed on their way to the west by the late thirties,
those early settlers still kept a vigilant eye open for them asolater
on they would slip away from their reservations and swoop down on the
communities and steal the settlers stook*
'imong those who helpdd in the development of this section was Col D.Y.
Gaines of Chilton, J.T.Davis of Waco and Colonel Gurley of)Srley4nd
later "aco.) Before the turn of the century Col. &teley had passed on and
his son John continued the management where his father left offyof
their farming and stock business. Finally J.T.Davis of waco acquired
an interest in the qarley ranch and after "Ar yavis,too, passed on,his
son,J.Lee 1)avisInot only continued farming interest but helped to start
production of oil on his land.
FOLKLOR3,-WITE PIONEER,
Miss 114ffie
McLennan ‘'oanty, lexas
District S.
Pile NO. 240.
Page NO. 9,
"Under the direction of J.Lee Davis a number of shallow wells :were
drilled and the foundation for oil development was laid,where once the
dense woods and thickets stood. Many changes have taken place in the past
fifty years as they have al over the world. ;*where down the long corn
der of time have these changes been more pronounced than in this section
of the county known as Westlalls county. So, like magic,arose these
little towns of Satin, Lorena, Golinda, dIalton and Lott on the west
of the arazossin "Tails county, especially in the valleylthe land is riv-
-alled only by the bile in Egypt in its rich production.
";or many years I have been a citizen of "aco, but those early days of
development of the new farming land has been a leading influence in my
life. At the present I am Interested in the Life Insurance business
and am giving of my time to the building up of the Franklin Life Izmir-,
ance Company. But the old days when life was young and we were in the
land developing stage were the best.