TX BIOS:  Mrs. Ella Cox
   Selected and converted.American Memory, Library of Congress.
   
   Washington, 1994.
   
   Preceding element provides place and date of transcription only.
   
   This transcription intended to be 99.95% accurate.
   
   For more information about this text and this American Memory
   collection, refer to accompanying matter.
   
   U.S. Work Projects Administration, Federal Writers' Project (Folklore
   Project, Life Histories, 1936-39); Manuscript Division, Library of
   Congress.Copyright status not determined.
   
   00011
   
   Range-lore
   
   Nellie B. Cox
   
   San Angelo, Texas.
   
   Page one
   
   RANGE-LORE
   
   "All the hardships of pioneer days did not consist of fighting
   Indians", says Mrs. Ella Cox who is now 81 years old. "When I was a
   young girl, I lived in Washington County near Brenham and was married
   there to James Monroe Cox when I was 17 years old. We bought and paid
   for a small farm there but after a few years we sold it and moved to
   Kerrville, Texas. This long, long trip was made in wagons, one drawn
   by oxen and the others by horses. A boy drove our milk cows. We passed
   through San Antonio which was then very small and dirty, I thought.
   
     NOTE: C.12 - 2/11/41 - Texas
     
   00022All I saw were soldiers and Mexicans and I was more afraid of the
   Mexicans than I would have been of Indians.
   
   "When we got to Kervville, Mr. Cox unloaded our stuff in the house and
   started the next day to San Antonio to take the men who had helped us
   move back that far as he had promised to do when we had left
   Washington County. My husband left with me $1500, as he did not want
   to take it with him. I didn't know what to do with that money. I put
   it first one place, then another and finally at night put it into my
   shoe. Then in the night I thought that rats or mice might get it so I
   held it in my hands all night and was thankful I didn't have any more.
   
   "When Mr. Cox came back, he went to work for Captain Schreiner who at
   that time owned nearly everything in that country. Captain Schreiner
   was a fine man, always helped everybody in anyway he could.
   
   "Our place at Kerrville was on the Guadalupe River. One side of the
   cow pen was the bank of the river. We had a windlass to let a bucket
   down into the river and drew up our water that way. I used to milk the
   cows in that pen and in those days when I was young and silly, I used
   to wish that all the cows would fall over that bluff into the river. I
   was afraid to leave the children in the house, so would bring them out
   and let them stay on the fenced side of the pen.
   
   "My husband decided that we would come to this 00033country and we
   moved here in 1886. The soldiers were here in the fort and there was
   very little town. We lived in a tent on our place north of town until
   we could get lumber hauled from Abilene to build a house.
   
   "Mr. Cox took contracts for building fences and would be gone for
   weeks at a time. I could work in the day but at night I would be
   scared almost to death. I remember one night a drunk man rode up to
   the gate and started to get down. I was watching out the window. Our
   watch dog "Bull" would stand in the yard until the man would get
   nearly off then old Bull would run under the fence and the man would
   climb back on his horse. After several attempts, the man went on. The
   two oldest boys would have to go across from home to Red Bluffs on Red
   Creek to drive the milk cows home. The wolves used to get after them.
   I remember one time the boys were coming along home with old Bull
   walking with them. When the wolves would get too close, Bull would
   chase them away. The boys thought it funny but it wasn't to me.
   
   "I was glad when things were more settled. I have never objected to
   taxes for we have so much better roads and other comforts. I have
   always enjoyed train trips. I liked the long one when I went to
   California several years ago. I like to ride fast in an automobile and
   may ride some day in an [DEL: airplane :DEL] aeroplane".
   0004Range-lore
   
   BIBLIOGRAPHY
   
   Mrs. Ella Cox, San Angelo, Texas, interviewed January 5, 1936.

************************************************************************
USGENWEB ARCHIVES NOTICE:  These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced 
in any format for profit or presentation by any other organization or
persons.  Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must
obtain the written consent of the contributor, or the legal representative
of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of
this consent. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives
to store the file permanently for free access.

http://www.usgwarchives.net/

Thanks to the Library of Congress
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/wpaintro/txcat.html
***********************************************************************