This Article written by Francis Fox in the Fall 1991 NBGS Quarterly. Poor House -------------------- Citizens Tribune, New Boston, Texas Fall 1991 YE OLDE ANCESTORS By Francis Poer Fox I usually tell you about some family that came to Bowie County back in the 1800's, who overcame great obstacles and had many descendents who will enjoy reading about their family. Then we will gather more information about the family and even pictures and add them to the library's collection for the pleasure of all other friends and descendents of that family. This week we have a sad story. I don't know if these people have any descendents at all, probably not many. What happens to you when you are the only one left in your family or they won't take you in and you are sick and unable to work? Well, right now, there are pensions, Social Security, Medicare, and many other social services available to those in need without any stigma. Those things have not always been here. Bowie County maintained a Poor Farm for paupers in the 1930's and possible some time before then. Pete Duffer and Zoa May Rinnert described it for me. It was located south of the old court house at Boston and had a least three houses. There was a main house where the supervisor and his family lived. This house had a very large kitchen and dining room. There was a separate house with beds and rooms for the men and another one for women. There were usually ten to fifteen people living there. There was a place to raise vegetables and those who lived there worked to grow their own food. The supervisor cooked breadfast and dinner. They were allowed to take something back to their quarters to eat for supper. Pete Duffer said his Uncle Charlie Duffer was the last supervisor. He lived in the main house with his wife, Ada, and their adopted son, Tommy White Duffer. Tommy and Pete were about the same age. Pete thinks the County Commisssioners liked his uncle because he was really tight with the money. Zoa Mae Rinnert lived just west of the Poor Farm and said that the mules that were used to work the county roads were also kept on that property. She did not remember the names of anyone who lived there except a man named Bill Riddle. If a person living at the Poor Farm died, they were buried on the north side of Read Hill Cemetery on the outside of the fence in an unmarked grave. Today I walked along the north fence and looked over into the grove of threes that grow there and could not see even the field stones marking the sites. However, Bowden Funeral Home did record five burials that they conducted there: (1) GRIFFIN, Willis, born 1896, died 1941. (2) KNIGHT, Cora, born 1904, died 1934. (3) McGan, John Robert, born, died 1937.(4) CRAWFORD, Frances Marion, died 1938,(5) READ, Robert, born 1884, died 1940. We would like to have the names of the others. Perhaps some reader will remember and contact us. If they cannot have a marker, maybe their names could a least be recorded in our cemetery records. Pete says he helped did the graves and believes there are at least 15 to 20 graves out there. Thinking of the social services that we have that were not available then, I asked Pete and Dovie Duffer when they paid their first income taxes. Pete said he paid his first income taxes in 1937 when he got a job in Atlanta, Texas painting houses. He made $1.50 a day, that's $7.50 for a 40 hour week. He had to drive to Atlanta and gas was 10 cents a gallon. If you can help us with the names we need, please write the New Boston Genealogical Society, P. O. Box 104, New Boston, Texas. 75570. Submitted by Francis P. Fox By way of Jean Old ********************************************************* Addition: FRIZZELL, James D. (died) 14 Dec 1939, age 69. (Burial) County Cemetery. Died: Bowie Co. Poor Farm. Submitted by: Doris Lindblad ******************************************************************* 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 *******************************************************************