Document text
f,
History
Mrs. Ada Davis, L.Y.
Neliennan County, Texas
Distriot No. 8
No. words 750
File Bo: 200
Page No. 1
li-eREACE
Mrs. A. M. Woodward, Soscateville. Texas, pioneer
E. /1:. Ainsworth. Waoo. member American Guide Advisory Board
Dr. N. J. W. Wortham, nnele of Mra. A. VC. Woodward came to Bonueville,
rollenman County before the Civil war. He purohased a large acreage of land
in and around the present town of Bosqueville. He donated the land upon
which the Baptist Church and the Methodist Church at Bonneville, now stard.
and also, he donated the land for the Boserille cemetery, one of the oldest
in the county. Robert Wortham was the fater of rib. A. r. Woodward. Robert
and Frank aortham cure with their mother to Texas, and stopped at Boequeville
about 1858 or 1859. Anyway, it was before the Civil iiax'. Robert Wortham
had sold his home in Louisiana before (taming to Texas, but he had not bought
any land when the war broke oat. He enlisted in the ContederaLc eerviee. vihen
the war closed and he was muotered out, he returned to Bonneville and soon
I afterward, married Miss Zleanors Scott, who nad juet gradeated from the
Bonneville Seminary, at the time 2rof. John Collier was ;resident of the
institution and Prof. Erman was the music teacher.
Her father came to Boaqueville about 1057 and placed zieanora in the
1 seminary. About 1854 or 1053. Mt. W. H. Cobbe, Sr., and Ur. Rawk Sparke
had persuaded Prof. Collier to come to Bonneville and establish this eeminary.
The Boneeville Baptist church was organized in November of 1054 by
R. 3olomon G. O'Brien, and the Vethodist chnrch was oreanized before that
\1
time. In the very early days of the settlement, there was also a Presbyterian
°hutch, but it disbande& many, many yetre ago. Bonneville was six miles north
of the present town of Waco,. Elder Solomon G. O'Brian, principal of the
sedlinary, stressed classics and rathematics. The school was conducted in a
large frene building, made of lumber hauled one hundred miles from Last
Texas, in ex-drewn wagons. he seminary operated six years. .It elected
History
Mrs, Ada Davis, P.I.
McLennan County, Texaa
Distriot No. 8
?Ile Mo. 200
Page No, 2
when O'Brian accepted the paetorate of the Waco church in 1859. He was
pastor of the Waloo,church for six years. (A).
Dr. Alexander Montgomery of Hartferd„ Ohio county, Kentucky was one
of the first doctors who moved to Waco, and he had a large practice in
Bosqueville. He was one of the old-time botanical doctors, who :rade most
of his medicines out of herbs that grew areund them, i. e., lobelia
other plants. They ttuught it etes almoet a crime to jve calomel. Dr.
Alexeed1W44quate of a medieal university in Ohio. The doctor's
family coraieted of his wife and seven e'elldren. le brou,o4t hiswifee and
four ceeildren to lea, treveltnte ie a two-llorue non, iuich ;ae unusual
at that tine, for most pole traveled in om we:zone. 1e "landed" at Voce
Village, November' 20, 18.51. In a few weeke, his wife traded twe bed quilts
and a rag carpet ihich had been made in Eentacky, for ten acres of land,
part of thieh is now in the city of aco. It 12 near what is known es the
"cedar brakes" out near Cameron park. This was wooded lend, frem which
they cat fire wood and fencins material. It was the castem of =es; of thosee
who lived in the Village of aco, to purchase a "wood° lot" as near teen
as poscible. To of the Doctoria children axe berted in the 411 First
Street 'Nemo cemetery. One of his lauahters wee an henor crate of the
Methodist Female College, aco. He lirecticei hia lerofeseion for relay years"
and was the only doctor between ;;ace (wit Cleb,ernc. He redo horeeback
and never turned down a call, day or night, amir'or stormy weather.
Dr. Barnett Montgomery wee hls son.
Mien the time came to decide which settlement in the county would
become the county seat, Bosqueville gave Waco a stiff fight for selection
because, at that time, Bosqueville wee really a lexeeer town than eaco
History
lire. Ada r.w.
Molennan Only, Texas
District Ho. 8
No. 200
raze No. 3
Benjamin Moore was the first settler at 5esqueville, and the settlement
sprang up about 1838. A Er. Gamble operated a general Okay. Worthamts
bend was named for the Wortham tamily which settled at Bosqueville in early
days. Ben Giles built and operated the first gin in the eommunity;
Colonel Hamilton Brown dOnated land to add to the ehite cemetery end to make
a negro cemetery. Other early families to oettae at Boaqueville were the
Gregorys, Scotts, 1,:atenzies, Innards, Crumpet Kees, Steinbecks, eleirs„
Washinglona, Whitea, Jeakinses, 'aaddells and Gorhams. Desoendants_ of
these first families ore at present leading citizens of Boaqueville or of
Waco.
•Boaqueville was an early educational :center in the county, end its
seminary library was one of the finest private libraries in Central Texas.
The collection belonged to Prof. George Andereen, a lawyer who teut;ht in
the law department of the Seminary. Among the oldest living etadenta: of
this seminary is A. itItt Scales of Lyle Avenue, eaoo.
:Thefiret.Maeonie lode in YeLennan County was orgueizefl at Recleeville
in 1851, and known in ite charter as 3osque Lode eo. 92. It was ceeetered
January 23, 1852, Later, its neme wee Oanged to laeo Lodge lie. 92. For
a veriod of twenty years, eesqueville. threatened. 6aco as the leading
tewn of the count?. (B)