Document text
after John Liar11n
OLKITAYS
lelary AgnesJavis, V, A.
Hill County, Twins.
District No. 8.,
Eeference
i...uby Hammock, Brandon, Texas.
(A -Story Lela to the grandoUldren.)
c/rov 23 1936
0
woras 1755
5:1 File No. 246
Page No. 1
The story I am going to tell you girls and boys this
morning is a sketch of a family, just one of the many 'families
rho -helped to make TOXEIS 'Liston" and it happened almost a hundred
Yebra ego
in the year 1833, a nuraber of families cane from. :!..14eborough,.
Tennessee_ to Texas. They had been given ,large tracts of,lana. This
was to induce more people to come into the state. Athong these people
_ _ _
w.ftref#Y,gi.eat grandP4her, Seteni.Nenefee sii)nd his brother-in-
ey ;settled -kt Oki /toi',111 Marlin
4tce ,tOday, in tactS*hesel people built :the Trork-nd it took its name
grandfather.' was a *mall' boy of three years
These people set to work to protect themselves- froa the
Indians. They cultivated a to acres of corn nal laid in u supply of
fuel .and food to keep them through the coming winter. They remained at'
the Tort for two years, and they were certainly hard years, with bitter
cold winters and --a number of Indian attacks.
My great grandmother, Amanda Menefee, Viough a mother of five
children, wan also a woman 'dector'and. spent most or her time in doctor-
ing and. _nursing the nick and ittOun4eits'-- tihe left her children in the
care of a negro girl and a negro boy about eighteen years of age whoa
she had brought out here from Tennessee.
In the latter part of the year 1M4 or perhaps the Virst part
of the year 1835, the Indians nude a riost brut)l ttnetz. on the
.k4ourivan
Lary Apes Davis, V.A.
Hill County, TAMS*
3istriet 11C. 8.
File No. 240
rage No. 2.
Fort. Rumors had come to tne Fort during the day the numbers of
Inlians were hiding outside in and among .the trees, so it,wai thought
best for all the women and chlisiren ta.come toget-er in my great,
granrifather's house aid John Lorna's. They hod built their hotises
together with just a lonG hall between.
As night began to fall most all of the people came together
in this house. ;en were stationed to watch on the outside. It was a
very cold night and they were forced to have some fire„,somoone, for.
getting that the tamoke from the chimney would tell the Indians where
the people had hidden, had built a large fire in the open fireplace
and u large 7ot of old fashioned hominy hung from the iron over the
fire. The rest of the Fort was dark, no smolte could be scent** the
people talked quietly nnd listened for any sound, there came into the
room ,an arrow from a small opening in the window close to the firePlae
The few men in the roaa ran for their guns and some of the women did
too. The mothers hid their children the best they could, y grand—
father, a very saall boy, seuemborsit the attack, but, could not re—
member where he was hid whether it was under a bed or behind a large
trunk.
.-oat of the men went outside and slipped behind trees for
proteotion. Two.of the women in We room were instantly killed, one
woman fainted Olen she sew two Indians come in et the windows and she
fell eq. if she were dead also. The Indians *wiped the two dead
women, and while they were doing the scalping, the wotaan who hod
fainted came to, but she lid not move when she saw :that they were
doing. ror some rea,4on they did not bother her, but it Vali min she
had the most beautiful hair.
FOLK:;Aln
iary Agnes Davis, V.
Hill County, Texas.
District 1:o!, 8.
The men finally drove the Indians away. It
three o'clock the next afternoxl before the
back to the house. That night they did not
File flo. 240
Page flo. 3
ve.1:! not until about
people began to co2a
have a fire and worked
moat of the night burying the dead and dressing the wounded.
groat -grandfather was shot in the leg.
Some tine the next day the negro boy came in. o hal hid
under the house. The negro girl vas never found. ;eople supposed she
was carried away with the Indians.
There were so few people loft that they decided to abandon
the Iort mid go down to 1:ashington Co. where there ere (lore
so one night they took what they eould and started.
They found a number of people in Exshington Co., and they
began to hear of trouble with :Lexie°, how as far back as 1824, anta
Ana had made encroachment upon Texas soil, These had continued and
were becoming more freqUent and distasteful to Texas people.
So, in 1:ovember and December of the year 1835 people were
meeting and adoptinc-recolutions for independence. A paper was drawn
up and was in that year called a"Consultation."
nom people did not
_ want independence altogether, but wanted Tomas to have tate rights
under the lexican Governoent. But the year of 1835 was a year of
terrible tragedicia to Texas. On arch let, 1636, delegates net at
Washington to sign the paper of Consultation', and to declare out-
right for Texas Independence. :;:y great grandfather signed tbiu paper
and in a few weeks died from pneumonia due to exposure, The paper was
written by a young lawyer w%ose name was Geo. C. Childress of :118:71,
Texas. It was written one year before it won signed and went into
effect, and when signed, not olle_word was e:,anged.
FOLKWAYS
Mary Agnes Davis,V.
Hill County, TOX30*
District No. .8.'
A.
File No. 240
.1.)age No. 4.
When this aper was drawn up it would have been impossible
to raise an army of 1000 men, the enemy was already on Texas soil
10,000 strong. The little army would only have had shotguns and
deer rifles and would have had to depend on gene fer food. ,The enemy
was armed with the most aproved weapons. That was the, kind of
men Texas had.
Ey great grandmother at the death of my great grandfather
was left with five children. Three boys and two girls. She had
several large •tracts of land, but very little money, if, any. She sold
some .o; her land and moved to the small town of Houston. SoMe time
after moving to -Houston one son wandered away and was net:heard of
until years after'h r death. One son William, and the two girls
were nut in school in Houston, ply grandfather, prank, opened a
hardware store, selling mostly tin -wore, going out in all directions
from Houston with his ware. Yy great grandmother practiced medicine.
.At the age of 22 my grandfather, H. F. Npnefee married a
woman doctor. His older brOther-William, became a I'iethodist preacher.
He married a thirteen year old girl from the girl's College at
Houston, whose home was in theLdiStant state of California, Their
sisters had married also and my great gra'ndmother,hed-passed away.
So these two brothers sold their possessions they had in and around,-
Houston and settled in the year. 1856 west of CleburnevJohns)n
county, on the Nolan flyer. Ey grandfather built a log house at the
foot of a hill and his brother built a rock house over the hill at
the foot of the same hill. They cultivated land in the vealley run-
ning along the Nolan river. My grandfather has shown me a lot ar. times
FOLKWA/8
Lary Agnes Davis, V. A.
Hill County, Texas.
District No. 8.
File No. 240
Page No. 5.
the place Philip Nolan was supposed to have hidden his gold.
ror a
few years these brothers prospered, accumulating a number of stock.
When the civil war. came, my .grardfather was called to
report at Houston. He left his wife and three babies. He.carried
an old saber with him as a weapon. When they left Houston on their
march to the Texas an Oklahoma line, they were given guns, These
sabers were thrown away. Ly grandfather picked up one and carried
it to his home where he waF3 allowed a few days furlough,
4e was away four years of th3 war, only home, once.. One
night in panp he felt things were not right at home.. When morning
came he asked for a few days off 4 as they were not in action he was
granted these few days. When ho reached home Grandmother had buried
their baby girl on the side of the hill. She had called in mme of
the neighbor women and a few men that were left, lie, my grandfather's
brother, because he was a preacher, and buried her baby.
I know that my grandmother like a number of other Texas
women, must have been wonderful. She cared for the stock, made a
little garden and planted a few acres of corn from which she ground
'meal for cornbread, cared for her babies, oftea time carrying them
all on a horse with her, going miles to some sick one..
One evening just before night she came out on her porch
and looking up to the top of the hill back of the house'she saw one
lone Indian man.. She went back and.put out her fire, thinking he might
not come any nearer if he did not see smoke, perhaps he would think
no one was at home,. he would only steal a cow or calf and leave.
This he must have done as he did not bother her.
When my grandfather returned home he wao forced to sell
Lary AGnQs Davist7. A.
Jill Gouaty„ Texas.
Jistrict1k. 8.
Vile flo: 240
?age No: 6
all his land except about 200 acres, most all or his cattle, to
start again. in a row years he had his land back in good condition,
a coodl number of milk cows, a Go>1 orchard ad largo grape vine-
yard, °I'd a part of that ttle, my grandfather wir totAly blind for
'WO years.- But still he raised a:larGe faiAlly, educated than, making
one son a doctor, and that son, my father, Jr. A. J. D:)nefee of
Uillsboro. His brother illiata also raised a farlily of twelve
children. Two of them were doctors, Jr. 7;. i.. lenefee, Cleburne,
and Jr. f2;. L. Lenefee of Granbury. Cne son became a missionary
to China.