Coryell Co. TX - David Gray - Nancy Elms - Terrissa Elms

Submitted by Bobbie Ross  <bwross@htcomp.net>

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                  DAVID GRAY - NANCY ELMS - TERRISSA ELMS
                                      
    David Gray was born in Alabama in November 1817. His first child Armelia
    was born in Mississippi July 29, 1842. He then moved to Independence
    County, Arkansas where in October 1846 he married Nancy Elms. David and
    Nancy had two children born in Arkansas, James born in 1847 and David M.
    born in 1849. The family moved to Sugar Loaf in Coryell County, TX where
    Matilda was born in 1852 and Mary Ann in 1854. Nancy died in 1854 and was
    buried at Sugar Loaf. In 1856 David Gray married Nancy's sister Terrissa
    after her husband Harvey O'Neal died. Terrissa had 6 children by Harvey -
    William 1845, Seth 1847. In 1851 Harvey and Terrissa moved from Arkansas to
    Washington County Texas where her father John O'Neal had moved earlier. The
    twins Hadden and Sibley were born here in 1851. Sarah was born in 1853 and
    Moses in 1855 about the same time Harvey died. Terrissa then moved to Sugar
    Loaf. This new household of David and Terrissa had eleven children. Armelia
    age 15 was the oldest. Harvey, Nancy and Terrissa were children of John
    O'Neal who moved to Sugar Loaf 1855. The 1850's were exciting times for
    frontier settlers, community growth and government building. David Gray was
    active in precinct and county work. He was elected to the second county
    commission in 1856. He served two more terms in 1862 and 1865. He was
    appointed numerous times as road Overseer in the Sugar Loaf precinct to
    supervise the creation and maintenance of roadways and served on juries. He
    raised three families, two of his own and the children of Harvy and Nancy
    O'Neal. He was a leader in Sugar Loaf during the civil war when many of the
    men left young families behind that required help with home and stock. He
    lived to see his grandson Young Pierce Jr. form his own family and prosper
    from the land and was there when his four Pierce great grandchildren were
    born. David Gray died October 8, 1900 and Terrissa died August 23, 1906.
    They are buried in the Sugar Loaf Cemetery that the Army moved to Killeen
    in 1942. Walking through the Sugar Loaf area of Killeen Cemetery today one
    can see the tombstones of these early settlers. John O'Neal, Thomas Elms,
    Ambrose Lee, John Riggs, Young and Sabina Pierce and Isaac Scoggin to
    mention a few. By Eldon Pierce great-great gandson of David Gray. 

                                      
           copyrighted by Eldon Pierce and Bobbie Ross Sept 2000