Document text
Early*7istory
Ada Davis, P.W.
McLennan County, Texas
District No. 8
OCT 1 1921
References
A. Sarah Marlin Pruett, Perry, Texas
B. Maggie Strangs, Reisel, Texas.
No. Words 1132
File No. 200 ).1
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Page No. 1 1144./41(...,,,
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James and John Marlin came from Ireland to the United States and
drifted to lexas and finally, settled near what was then tJe town of
Tieson, capitol of the province of. Viesca in Robertson's colony, which
was on the west banks of the Brazos river near where the town of Marlin
now stands. The town of Perry was named for judge A. G. Perry, grand—
father of mrs. Sarah Marlin Pruett. Sarah Marlin Pruett was,born
March 25th, 1863 near the present town of Perry, Texas. At the age
of seventeen, she married Sam Marlin, son of James Marlin and they moved
to Reagan.
At the time that the Marlin family came to Viesca, the country had
few settlers and the Mexicans and Indians were very dangerous. The little
frontier town had no fort and no soldiers, so, when the Texans went to
war with Mexico, many of the settlers there, and around the Tails of the
Brazos, moved to places more densely populated.
After the War with Mexico, the Marlins and the Morgans were among
the first to return to their former home. John Marlin settled about four
miles from the present town of Marlin. Other pioneers settled near,
and the settlement came to be known as "Bucksnort." There were two or
three stores and a blacksmith shop, but it was the trading center for
the country for miles around Busksnort was the first post office in
Falls county and some of the old settlers stillIcall it /Old Marlin."
After the War with Lexica, the Indians were fierce and kept the settlers
in a constant state of terror. During this time, occurred one of the
first Indian massacres in Falls county. This is known as "The Morgan
Early History
Ada Davis, P.W.
McLennan County, Texas
District O. 8
File No. 200
Page NO. 2
Eassacre.tA)
James Marlin and ',eorge morgen built a cabin of hewed cedar on
what is known now as the Rock Dam road. The two families lived together
in this cabin. That was the custom of the time, as it afforded, better
protection from Indians and aid in case of illness or distress. The
old couple of Morgans were quite old people, but ,„;eorge Morgan was
about twenty-two or twenty-three years of age and recently married to
Stacy Ann Marlin. Mr. and Mrs. James Marlin had a son, Isiah, about
ten years of age and two daughters. These were: Stacy Ann.Idarlin and
Adeline who was about sixteen years old .1.111 very beautiful. (A 3).
On the morning of January 1839, the men folks who lived in this
cabin, except old man, James Marlin, had one about eighteen or twenty
miles south of Old Marlin to get a load of corn. At that time, thekr
roads were only bridle paths or cow trails, without bridges and there
were several streams, swollen by recent rains, which the men were forced
to cross.
The women knew that the men could not be there that night, so they
hurried through their household tasks, finished milking and feeding and
got in wood, water and kindling before night. Also, they rushed to eat
their supper before night so that no light would be needed other than that
of the fire in the fireplace. They were sitting by the fireside carding
wool when the dreaded Indian yell was heard right by the door. In the
'twinkling of an eye, the Indians had broken down the door and were in the
house hacking the women and children with their tomahawks. The old
couple were killed instantly and scalped. His. James Marlin and the
little blonde Adeline were mercifully at once.
Early History
Ada Davis, F.W. File No. 200
McLennan County, Texas Page No. 3
District No. 8.
In some manner, Isaac Marlin, the little ten year -old boy, managed
to slip out of the house as the Indians got in, and he ran out in the
dark and hid in a fence corner. The Indians cut Adeline's head off and
scalped her long, beautiful hair from it. Her body was found in one
place and the bloody, beaten head in another. The Indians beat Stacy
Ann, the other girl, until she fainted, and they left her for dead. She
fell through the floor where the puncheon boards had been pulled up by
the savages. When they chopped her head with their tomahawks, she put
up her hands totry to shield her face and eyes and they chopped her hands
up in a terrible fashion. She lay quietly ander the floor, not daring to
mave, becaase she knew that the Indians would chop her head from her body
to make sure that she was dead. When she heard the Indians leave the
house and go riding away, she began to (trawl out from under the house.
She was very weak from Alin and the loss of blood and it was a terrible
effort to try to crawl. She managed to crawl out of the house and into
the woods nearby. She stayed there all night. The wolves howled aralnd
her all night, becaase they could smell the blood from her wounds. They
came so close that she thought every minute that she would be torn to
pieces, sat she .as too terrified to retarn to the house. The Indians
often returned to a place where they had killed and robbed and would
set fire to the house to get rid of the bodies. (A B).
Stacy Ann fell off to sleep the next morning and did not wake until
the afternoon. She was feverish and very thirsty. She saw some of
their milk cows goana to a aond at a spring. The old bell cow was the
nearest and she managed to crawl to this gentle, old animal and to catch
on to the bell strap. In this way, the cow drug her to the water where
she quenched her thirst. Then, she made her way to the house.
Early History
Ada Davis, P.W.
McLennan County, Texas
District No. 8
rile No. 200
Page i4o. 4
In the meantime, Isaac marlin, the little boy, had slipped back to
the house after he was share the redskins haa really gone. He found
that his mother had been brutally and horribly murdered. He spread a
quit over Lae oodles aid starte oat to John -;:arlin's ilJuse to sread.
the news. It wa .fter ten o'clock, bat the breve little boy made the
trip. The next morning, the men who had gone to Old Marlin joined
John Marlin and they went to the cabin of the tragedy. That afternoon,
they saw Stacy Ann slowly creeping to the house. kt first, they thought
she was an Indian, but her feeble cries drew them to help her. She lay
for lays, lust barely alive from the shock of the tragedy and the loss
of blood.. (A).
Stacy Ann lived to raise a family and outlived her husband. She
told many thrilling stories of the early settlement of Texas and of her
experiences. Her hands were terribly scarred from the blows she had
received from the Indians' tomahawks and the scars in her head were so
bad that she always wore a cloth cap over her head to hide them. She
had a sweet face and a kind word and cheery smile for everyone. (B).
Pwhile after the Morgan and Marlin massacre, the Indians attacked
the home of John Marlin. His son, Benjamin Marlin, Garrett Vanifee and
Thomas Menifee were there when the Indians came to charge the house.
They killed seven of the Indians and this caused the others to leave.
The settlers organized a fighting force with Benjamin Bryant of Bryant's
Station in command. They decided to ,engage the Indians in battle and
frighten them out of the country. They encountered Jose Maria and his
Indians at Mbrgan's Point, near Perry, in the open post oak woods close
to a dr7 ravine. Jose Maria's men won the battle, but the loss was so
great that a treaty of peace was made with the Indians and James Marlin.
Early History
Ada Davis, P.W
McLennan County, Texas
District No. 8
File No. 200
Page No. 01 5
By this treaty, the Indians were not so hostile but pushed farther
west. New settlers moved in, and schools and churches were built. The
Indians had captured the slave girl belonging to Yrs. Marlin. She was
never heard of again. Slave owners who came to settle in and around Perry
brought their slaves from other states. The county was organized in 1850
from Milam end. Lines one Counties and a log courthouse was built upon
the square.
Isaac Marlin never married. He was a prosperous farmer. When the
Civil War broke out, he was one of the first volunteers froth Falls County.
Ire was killed in action, and buried in an unknown grave.
The Marlin family and the Morgans were the first pioneers in Falls
county. ,1 monument has been erected to their memory on the site of the
old homestead.