Document text
k41.04104 1.114,te simmers
Miss !fie nuocan, r. r.
McLennan 0ounty, limes
District «g). 8
nD of cords2,8O
File o. 240
Page tio. 1
=maw
rIntervier with Amanda n. Lookered, Chilton, Texns
*I van born in Fells County in 1886. My parents rere flecton 8. and
cNIner tern ther we, born May 6, 1632 in tentucky, chile
mother r!ns born in Indienn. To then were born seven children, namely:
31111e ftmen, of Marlin, Texas, Deeeared; teve Anxey of Chilton,
decennee:); john D. Reign, Lorena, Texan, demeaned; Dieey Ryden,
Ghilton, Ixan, depeed; attie Thields of igrt, Texas, and Albert
Maxey of Iwo, rire still living, the only two beeldes mynelf left of
this large family.
"During the civil father served under the nfederate flag, and
w n stationed nt velventon, Ames. he rap home on a sick furlough when
the war closed. inn cnme to Tex an about the yenr 1351 or 'LAI. There vene
five fanlliee rho one throuch driving oxen to their rag= train. They
rere all from '11rsourt, and core the Dixons, vlahamn, c.nutchonn, Unser,
and eatherm. The dnughter of clr. Amthers, •021eln, being my mother.
They croseed the 3razoe rIver It the Fnlln of the firasom, and boated in
the nettlement nor tmcron Rn Chilton.
of.lether hnilt n log home mouth of there the depot nor starcle.
mv, the firrt r7hlte eettler in tfle preeert torn of Ghiltor. The nearby
nettlemente mere TxtrArt7.1 to the couthrent, and old Carolina to the south,
and noorevillo five ellen porth7ent. The country cos wild and nsettled,
Ve all lived In log cabinn. The ro3de %Ilene Just cot, trans; and mbar: vie
needed any surAiee re lent our Droduce—corn, hogs and later on cotton,
alee Nine ‘mwan,
dcLennen County, '4'%4K0A
UletrIst flu. 8.
t31tO riermoris V' le kio. 214)
kage ;4). 2
to dilliken, where they IS exchanged Cor farming implement'', elothes
and groceries. They drove through tn the ax-drovn wagene rind would be gone
from five to nix ueelia.
*Anether early mettlement over tot,wdn nr1In uan Cedar nprings,
so willed from a number of mnrtngs. 4ne tvArirg was located ti the valley
rear the cross-roads to fIrlir where Oneke'n mtcre ntmndn today. Hear
the mrinr ntood a large aerial, tree and nearby n 'oup of smaller ()oder
treer. Nenee the name of °Cedar aprirgs°. Theme springs Are renr the
river nrd only a few miles mouth of the pot coneeded to be the old site
of Vlenea. The mall crier rran ''Qroft wnro, no is$. Orem Roberts
rocalln. •uawao n hehelor and he neyn reond to &wive special A.ean-
ure from Q L1A6 of °homing tobcco ard au 300 i1 Arirk of whiskey,
and Oarrytn the mnil in al/ kindm of vlether. ite roue horeebaok And
carried the mail from ;Aarlin throutfi Vienco and on to the other communities.
Later it mnn enrried from narlic to Lady by a negro rafTed johr Love.
Thin route vont through Chilton nnd
The mail eprrier'n had the armors to ford at the Falls, or when it
use on n rine if they did not appear or eehedule—iwe kne the old river
vas on a rine nvd they could not win their hornen over it. There wme
a story of Proft ]powne trying to %lir the river rhile it rnm on one of
these risen. The r/ster vno swift rtnd near the flood ntrv,?,e, when he
ntarted .acronn eve-witneenen !laid they nau the riall carrier, mail and
all, nlip nder the prennure of the current, plunge over the Calle and
dinn peer in the deep, whirlina Pater party hurried to the
.1tel :100011r
Mier rffie Cowan, r.
MeLenran Comte, ',Rae
District o. 8
File no. 840
e Po. 5
reocue, expecting to drag a eorpee from Its depths. Out they rere mis—
taken. The mail carrier, horse and mall, had drifted down past the bend,
through treacherous !Almpter holb, and had climbed out an the !lam aide at
the river. :;.he mall rent thraugba—after having been delayed only an hour:
The Brazos bottom at thnt tine vas dereely tiebered and all Mrde of
wild animale lived in it. There refs rild game to satiefy the greatent of
hunters. Deer, bear and wolves, as well ae all 1..irde of birds abounded in
the timber. bile or the banke af the river occastanolly an alligator could
be weer er he mlept 91 the man by the bank. This remirde me of a story
of me father. It may sound a little far—fetched, but nevertheleme it im
true. 'le after hunted fifteen or trenty ilee from hone on the river. im
are of thee tripe he carried evreral hunting doge. They came troy one of
these alltgatare on the river bank and the dogs att,Jted it. The alligator
turned and awallowed the dog. My father immediately stabbed the huge
alligator with tic large dirk hnnting knife, rercued the dog alive, from
itn atamac,-,. It war 111 over in :yet n f er minuter, onlr the tine it took
to stab the animal through the heart atd cut it apen and reecue the dog.
lalother time he killed a bear rah this krife.
7ns just e few recite after they reached Texae that my grandfather
eethere was killed accidentally by the hired men who rietook him for a
bear. 'hey were out trnttrg and had killed deer, grandfather -eathere
had on a coat made of bear skin and ras leleirg over the deer, shirring
it, rhea the hired man ear him and thinking it 719,/ a bear e'tinrj the deer,
ha fired the fatal eho, ,,hich coot rr grandfather hie- life. f!e nes the
File lio. it
age .1. 4
Vies P1ffie Cowan,
Hammen County, TOXRP
District r*. 8
first person buried. in old C line cemetery. Carolina'me once a net-
tlement betweem the present town of Oursingo and Uhilton, some few miler;
east of the town of rarlin and in what we stilled -feet Falls County. To-
day all that remains is the old cemetery where our loved mem lie. Al
went to the old Cow Bayou OniAist Church, the minutes dating from itn
organization ink* in possession of my daughter, -Ire. uie iies, of
Chilton. This old ohurch as rebuilt once, the meobers worehipped there
on the bank of the bayou for many yearn, and. at times at old Cottonwood
school house, finally building n church an the hill at oorevilletfive
milee ivwayd, overlooking ;rov _ayou, not far from where the early Beereville
oehool house stood. Later light:111g struek the church after it had been
moved to the hill and it burped to the ground. The congregation met for
a number of years at the school halms. 7ums time after the orold
this church diesolvad, members having moved away. The ,lethodist Church
established or its preeemt site in 1874 served the community since. Its
undav School being regularly attended by children and members of other
denominations in the communit,v.
The minutes of the old otTi flowou Baptiot Church given the names of
the early settlern of the Chilton-Meoreville community, empeolally those
who came during the ten year period of 184t:; to 1869. Reading from these
minutes we read as follown; 'The Cow Bayou hmptist Church of Falls County,
wax organized Jul 14, 1. The following portiere having presented them-
selves an Cot' Bayou: z. 73. Mot, Elizabeth iz, flebecca Dixon, Oartha
hernden and j rah their lettern and the following brethren and
misters who were baptized durirt the week previous, namely: usan
.JUULILlamisca
miss stile Cowan, v. v4.
MaLennan uounty, Texas
District óO. a
File No. 240
Page No. 5
Brabbin, Laura L. iiarris, gal, b. Kirkpatrick, Joseph Herndon, John T.
*sere, anthoney :lytbe and F. Kirkpatrick, these deeiring to be
constituted into a Baptist church and all of them having been baptized
upon s public profeepion of .their raith in Chiret by a regular Baptist
minieter, wee by their requent constituted into n Bartist _Iturch according
to the ?lewd forms. J. Arrin was chosen clerk and johr cLane, :aster'
QAt the next meeting (fifth !Imlay in July, 1859), MeCalb,
Margaret Moore, Robert Tftorel Z. Dixon, and Margaret Jackson were
received into membership by letter and Corn Ann lythe was Baptired. A
month later (fourth ninday In ugust, 1859) rot.her John McLane preached
at candlelight and Newton 9. Maxey (my father) and Lucy 1mith joined by
faith "and in the following month went down into the waters edge (Cow
Barra) and were baptized.,'
"Later minutes reveal other families who came to make this community
their home, thin settlement extending almost to old Carolina and Durango
on the south, to the NcLennan County line on the north, and the ell
County line to the river on the west and *net. Some of these settlers
lived deep in the rlodn where the timber ham sines been cleared and the
towns of Patin and Chilton are located.
"That the Cow aylu Baptist Church of Palle County, was active and
pregrenrive ir revealed, in that, as early as 1859, it made application
to the Santini tarociation for memberahia; that it wan accepted and
Robert Moore,
ix nd t. Dixon were delegates to this associat—
ion in 1859, ar shown by then
inuten. tines these minutes throw nose
F$44.54.0i0s;
c,hite dipmre
Miss PM.* caviar,
hisLennan County, Texan
District No. 8
Pile 'hp. 060
PR OD 6
light upon oho the early eettlere were, listed below are additions to
the ahurch for the firet eleven yearn, namely: *Joined, in 10E9:
t.Arabbin, Joshua Isith.'4 Theme minutes reveal that no eervicee were
held in thin church in 1860, but that nerviest, were held in the various
homes. ,Irrhnpe the log cabin had not been built in which se a girl
morphed, I do not rectal if hmve heard from my eldere this fact or
not. Perhamn since the Indians yere still keeping the nettlers'in fear
it was thought ,bent to have the cervices to the homes.
lout the time of the breaking out of the sr betrteen thetntes,
the ninuter, chml that the church "as still receiving members and some
new names appesr, Joined in 1M miantus emit-sok, Jehn ortune„
Leonqrd rlagee, J.
Await, nobert ftieldn, Thedeoue nicer,
Brandon, "nrah nrandon, Isom' .742t, /win there iP
a skip in the ninutes from mgumt 1851 to Dovember 186Z. This was gar.
tog the ar mnd the bent of my memory the community was in such ND un—
settled mtmte that the minutes tire not at while the mar VRS raginc,
or if this alone aria not the only reason, the church clerk must have
been aqay to the conflict. a aunt a very mall child ne you nay note.
"Men in 1863 the minutes etlrt win and again ripnve nee name:
Y''Joined in 1363: Fneett, C. nod T. Pogett, Jane
Efjyr teld, ve nnd ei;!7e,
Poye. -e have the fpl—
lowinn nmmee Thich still 'thee that ether settlers had come into the
community: Joined in 1864: G. Z. ?esker, ;star Aeons, etherine
Vinson, Alianbeth tqicor, Robert noose, Issas vlsyrield, tills Ploys,
4.6aUskii4. And jinn=
Mins 4fie Cr,nan,
doLemnan County, iexnn
District o. 8
rlunan Nnxey cm mother
File All. 24o
age Lo. 7
d. %;01ingp "rab!Achols, Aize, Jnne
DePraffenreld„ Try !ielen DeMaffenreid, Flinabeth tiinen„ Ary
Mnry Tarter, .1tArly elenhernor Ind Margnrot
van nnother 'mar minnow; by with no records of nv dMneions
into the church, thin Ilas the yam, 1866. r'everal called for lettern
of dinsinrion. -YerhmTin the closinp of the rer had something to do mnnin
with the rfork f the church. Joined in 1346: 9. oArtin mad rife,
P. art in :tenon 9rttn,
Brandon, nnd rite- aware
lackrell, Lucinda Bleckneil,
x.ittlefidll and rife, ,rancen
Littlefield, 'nnontha tax, Anrion Ix, io. Burnley And r-floter''
Griffin,
Joined in lcJi574 •J.
arab A-ser, J. oaere, c1ftry ,irker.r)
'wenn and 'inter Wrards “raysoc,"
:4;•
This is nll the nor saxhorn nhonn for this year, but n collection rns
taken to build a nem/ church The records do not nhor if one Flnr built
thee. one noten that 'nab year sbors that ner fAmilien hnve come into
the community by their nff llation rith the church.
"Joined in 15,368: f1eo ight„ Yller, mnd 5Aler
171mter F.„oftir and Thomas ir. r interesting note in
here found in the mtruter for this venr: -folloning consider9ble din
(twat= and ,.7,rayer f-)ot.panting, ran rejected by R vote 7f the ern.
Joined in tR59: 1. rddins nnd wife Pnrraret rAdles„ Latlefield,
Rachel. Brunson. Joined in ldro:
"Joined in 1,71: Timel Jackson nrd Mckno, ;Arthn Greven,
John end _arab 4urraer, Janes illiaen, alien ..;lexey and sietor
FWAL4/11, ,10,14
mine hifie Cowan,
McLennan k;ounty,
Distriet l3. 8
Maxey, J.
Robert Janes,
etopeers
i-.
acme
File hp. 260
age ho. 8
kerely. Joined in lu72: Frances Droner, r. J. Young,
and Mary Publ. Laneford jonee„ Thomas Janes Josis and
John aeGraffenreld, Littlefield, L. z. end Martin and four
weenie named tiayee, no initials, were Hated;
and Amnon
Joined in 1873; Harriet Ruble. Joined in 1874: Mosen d Lenora
*en Mearc.a
"rreçnentiy lettern of dinmission were granted and many received
their letters whose ranee were not listed in the mlnutee, they probably
Joined the church and their names failed to be listed, possibly through
the ohanger of the church clerks. To complete the reference to this
old Cow &van Baptint burch it in well to reflect that the old mtnutes
offer a glimpse into none of the early trials of the pioneer age.
Throughout the records of the church t'in conference 1abored'' and
prayed with members for bts4 behavior pertaining to dancing, Cr eking,
getting drunk4 sellinr whiekey„ wearing, stealing cattle shooting a
man, or unbecomine conduct." The church top, in a mother of inctsncem,
eat ac a jury to nettle raltrunderntanding between it. memberr. htuan
pathos often creeps out, wham it in recorded that some members oame hbiy
before the church and mked forgiveness, were forgiven and received
with 'per and loving srun again into the fold —into the care and watohful
protection of the church.
aheri father returned from the war, I tvac nixe
remember h' the eommunity becan to settle rNAdl.
north. e moved near the month of Cow Won to what
ars old and can
rany came from the
in now the L„nrruth
LISLU1t Uhtt. OlioR,Ve
Use mut Gauen,
McLennan %;onnty, :exas
District Na. 8
File tio. J40
ea& No. 9
"prings nettlement. Among the new emigrarta wore the illi,Lees,
Axons, %Am and Landrum families.
"In 189U, the "WI 4ntanio and wassail inse ;,allroad was built frost
Cameron to aco, thereby making the final convecting link to the coast.
The new towns sprang up alone the road. Chilton was to itn path, so
the settlement along „;ow ayou noved to the railroad and our nee town
was named Chilton, for L. Chilton who owned the first store here.
Another mercantile entabll boort was ,rawford and Lere. The old town
used to be or the Arlin road, but when the depot Paw built, the bust
nern hearea moved nearer the depot. lowere also awned a store
and the uoatoffiee was in his store for P while. Dane ard "'teen had
saloon and =don Gaither fame had a store
sa girl i meat to school to ro. .a dan Gaither who at that time
wan a Misr orem Aarrow of ac; Mae. i Will give yon some ex-
tracts fram some notes by mrr. Gaither or these early days and the eam-
ing of the railraad. (Ars. Gaither passed away last minter, 1966). She
was a lovely character. To quote from her diary: °I claim i am a nat-
ive *Plum, although 1 rnr, born in Canada. Ihe first ever knew of
life war in oeo, sagas, a fiP months after I blinked at daylight.
There, I grew up, received my education, and got a position as teacher
at Durango, -ails ,annty. At that time Durango was the leading 030
=unity west of the rasps river in ells 'aunty.
ith the railroad pnahing its way through Falls 7.4ounty to acoi it
was my good luck to be the first young woman to ride the train to eac,„"
1
heir and hate. Ihey talked loudly and A pt the impreseion half of then
were drunk.'s
(Lt asked,
if 14 LICA•41
Mien rffie Cowan,
YeLennan "tonetY•
)1itriet no. a
Ptaneere
e Mo. 840
age ho. 10
(Mre(ither craw') n/ menaced to get to Lott, the nearest Illation to
take the train, and to my chagrin when Dt there, i nal" the anly woman
at the station, and it looked like an army of corking men, men of all
types tall, otoeky, same rout* looking cith grit -spy overells and whiskers
it., safe for ma to get on the train
cith thane men'ir 0)f oeuree- the repla. flaitroade Are mappomed to
be Aare, end the conductor ard engineer yill take care of you. °L
ktnd blirked, bolatered up rm courage end alert -boar. The train
whietlett and mer--e train-loftd--climbed on. fecl ninutee later re *ere
an the w—rit gator ma feet e me shauld a a rale !lad danned the
trot*, ao c'e /nrt rolled alma. ln a little tic Irtor cot aboard
ror having the time of m life. 7twa, men mere fitite 2entlemen/y and
eonsiderate and being a a g 'MUM and the onla ore on the train
received plenty of attemti:
'Arm. cAsithar'a Clary °anti:mop, t hnd trv1 rzt,our,
some one called out 4tailton'. he train came to r nt
nrd looked
around and eouldn't see a thing but a nesquite thicket, it wt looked
like a stop in the road. Chiltor'n storey rTere throe-fivartere of p mile
up the hill on a spot near chore my home Mande to:. it could rot be
seen for the mewinite treen and being up the hill from the trlir. It
rtas nearly dark ?ter the train reached aco, and none of my family met
Mee end after II mooched home a thousand -lueatione ere asked. for ea
managed to get along on the nem railroad rithout going into a creek
leasers
tirfle Cowen, r.
LicLennan ,.--ounty, Texas
Astrict r,a.
2410
11
*r a dump, etc.lr. !tither van elected to teach school at ht1toz, where She
roe.ed with name of the other teenhera tn the Gatne ft hocm. After
temehin, until the school term eloped, mhe vas, re-elected to teach at
norango, he tmught to full ter, but after two yenrp, ehe
taught to hilton, and ITae aseletent to -iddins, who later
became the superintendent of the relln tynohoole The trreteee of
that dny were John Bryant, John 7ylvester and an either; end as
vrofeenor ticitne used to aey ordon t either stole one of the beet
eehool teachers Fella taaty ever had when he married her."
-.41 the first day of January. 1674, married henjandn 1. Lockered,
es native of uteorgia, rho worked for John lliott to a c.r1 mercantile
businesn. AL) up were born nevem children, namely: La. ertie tendi,
chiltor; s. J. kenp, ihilton; Mrs. F. "ilep (with whom i make
g;y home), .-hilton; 4. Lockered of 1.11e
of Tiler, 'Amee; nre Alen of :.%art, 1 husband 1,1,!,me,ed
WW1 in-ebrupry, of 1895.
"Ard Pa the wilt ne it ripps UD before me looks if it r7.re a
dream, timer we nrk chfored• rIN we llok trek over our little oommunity
history it ir the hirtery of other oommunities and theme other cos-
munitiee make up the whole of aur Nintory mod country. There have been
lulls to the trek of mankind Word civilisation. .11 effortn to etny
the hande of destiny fniled end the man with the modern trend of A
newer civilization moves an. .hether he is hapi,icr or not does net
TaNAN VelltOn 5• LOOkare6
Mine ffie Cowan, e.
McLennan County, TOUP
uletriet lio. 8
t'444,A,(6.4114. Alit‘s 41011991rp Fl h*. also
age ti44, 12
alter circumstances. To an who hove been here through the turn of the
century, we see from both viewpointe.
Hut dentiny ie still an the uoroh. 9omis of the events re do not
like. e could nerenely olinc to the old traditione--the old nRys.
fwel that this in eivnecially true of tin of the older seneration. Jr the
other hand there are many diesatisfied among the younger net rith thiner
am they nre. bother they should be astiefied—mhether it le their fault
that they nre not more oontented, or hether some destiny over which they
have no control rules them, the fact, are, ohmsen in the old order of
things -,re upon tin. The delixd8 of a more oomplex nociety eemaine to
be solved by the younger jeneritioz. e have done 3ur pqrt, and ne were
hai,py iv doinu it. .e lived nimply ano empyed for the very joy
at life!n