MADISON CO, AR - William E. Kimbrell - WPA Life History

by Edith L. Crawford 

Carrizozo, N. Mex.

AUG 9 - 1938 2nd PIONEER STORY 

I was born at Picacho, Lincoln County, New Mexico, on July 16, 1877,
and have lived all of my life ln Lincoln County. I attended the public
schools near home and for one term of nine months I went to the New
Mexico Military Institute, at Roswell New Mexico. I was the youngest
son of George and Paulita (Romero) Kimbrell. My father was born in
Huntsville Arkansas, March 31, 1842. He went to Colorado with the
Pike's Peak Crowd in 1859, with two of his friends. They traveled by
freight wagons, and paid for their board and transportation by doing
odd jobs for the freighters. He got sick while working in Colorado and
in 1860 he left there to come to New Mexico. He came on an ox train and
landed in Las Vegas New Mexico. He did any kind of work he was able to
do there until he regained his health. He left there in 1863 and came
to Fort Stanton, New Mexico, and worked there for awhile as a
government scout. In 1864 he squatted on a place on the Chaves Flats,
about twelve miles east of Lincoln, New Mexico, where he farmed and
raised cattle. He raised lots of corn and freighted it to Fort Stanton
by ox team and sold it for ten dollars a fanega, (which was one hundred
and fifty pounds). The Indians stole all his cattle but his oxen and he
had to do all of his farm work and plowing with his oxen. He married my
mother in 1864. My mother's people came from Manzano New Mexico to
Lincoln, but I do not remember the date. My father and mother lived on
the Chaves Flats until 1877 when they moved to Picacho, New Mexico, and
homesteaded on one hundred and sixty acres. He lived on this place
until he died on March 25, 1924. He had lived in Lincoln County sixty-
one years, at the time of his death. He served as Justice of the Peace
in his precinct for a great many years. He was elected sheriff of
Lincoln county and took oath of office on January 1, 1879 and served
until December 31, 1880. He succeeded George W. Peppin, who was
appointed by the County Commissioners in 1878 to fill out the unexpired
term of William Brady, who was killed by Billy the Kid. The Lincoln
County War was just about over when Father went in office, but it was
during his term that Billy the Kid came in and surrendered. Father
never took sides with either faction during the war. He ran against Pat
Garrett for sheriff in November 1880 and Pat Garrett defeated him by
one hundred and forty votes. There were only five hundred votes cast in
this election. I was married to Virginia Romero on January 1, 1904. We
have nine children, six girls and three boys, all living in Lincoln
County at this time. I have been County Clerk of Lincoln County,
serving for two terms, (eight years), from January 1, 1905 to December
31, 1908. I was Probate Judge for two terms, from January 1, 1915 to
December 31, 1919, and was County Assessor for two terms, from January
1, 1931 to December 31, 1934. I have served as Deputy County Assessor
for the past four years. I still own the old homestead at Picacho that
my father filed on in 1877, and call it home, as I live there when I am
not working in the county seat of Lincoln County.

NARRATOR: William E. Kimbrell, Carrizozo, N.M. Aged 61 years. 


Credit: Library of Congress, Manuscript Division, WPA Federal Writers' Project 
Collection.

Madison

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