Biography - JOHN D. BARNHILL, Dallas, Texas
http://www.usgwarchives.net/tx/dallas/dallastoc.htm
http://www.usgwarchives.net/tx/dallas/dallas/bios.html

Contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by Steve Edgerton / 
datanato@bellsouth.net

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JOHN D. BARNHILL
1806 SC - Ca 1879 TX
The following is an autobiographical account of Mr. Hector McNeill of __era,
Knox County, Texas who was born in Cumberland County, NC, and was the son of
Malcom McNeill and Mary A. McMillan McNeill. At the bottom is written what
appears to be "Aug 11" but the year is plainly readable as 1913. I found a
photocopy of the original article in my late brother's genealogical notes.
Neither the name of the newspaper nor the exact date on which the issue was
printed was written on the original. The title of the article is Pioneers
and Veterans.- S. Edgerton

PIONEERS AND VETERANS

In Col. J. Bates/ Infantry

I will write a sketch of my life. I was born in North Carolina, Cumberland
County, in 1830. My father was Malcom McNeill and married Mary A. McMillan.
My father died when I was but 6 years old, leaving mother with six children.
The oldest was just 12 years; the youngest about 2. We had hard times in
those days. My mother had to spin andw eave our clothes. When I was 8 years
old we moved to Sumter County, Alabama; lived there four years. Moved to
Rankin County, Mississippi, near Brandon, and lived there six years. In 1847
I left there for Texas with my mother. We arrived in Texas in Henderson
territory in November.It was a wild frontier country in that day. Neighbors
were scarce, the nearest was fifteen miles. We stopped at a place called
Jubberville; it was a store. They hauled their goods from Shreveport on ox
wagons. In 1848 they made two new counties-Van Zandt and Kaufman. We were
cut off in Kaufman County, I being one of the chain carriers. The surveyor's
name was Enoch Tennon. In the spring of 1849 we moved over on the west side
of the Trinity River, then miles east of where Ennis now stands. We stopped
near a camp of Caddo Indians; did not know they were there until we had
stopped. The people (what few there were) had to fight them back; had a fort
at where Waxahachie now is, and it became a town that year. It was located
for the county seat of Ellis County.

I visited Dallas in that same year, 1849. It just had two stores and one
hotel. The proprietor was Tom Crutchfield. I went on to Fort Worth and found
nothing there but the United States solders' station; detailed to fight the
Indians back so the country could settle up. It is now a fine city, a big
change since that day. I lived in Ellis County seven years. I left there and
went to Johnson County in 1855, where I thought I would better myself. My
mother settled on Nolan River. I cut my road for four miles through the
cross timber to get to the western prairies. The county seat was located in
that same year on the west side of Nolan River; it was called Wardville, and
then it was moved from that place on the east side of Nolan River on the
prairie and was called Buchanan, and remained there until after the Civil
War.

In 1861 the war broke out. I volunteered at Madisonville, Tex. In May, 1862,
I joined Col. J. Bates' Thirteenth Texas Infantry; was stationed at the
mouth of the Brazos River at Port Velasco. I joined H. C. Moss, Company E. I
was not in any battles. I did not have as hard a time as some soldiers did.
I had one brother wounded at Altanta, Ga., in the three days' battle, and he
died, but the other two brothers and I returned home when the war closed. I
had a very good time. We had plenty to eat, but some would complain for
something better. My company was made up mostly around Corsicana, in Navarro
County. I don't know of any of my company now living except Ben Green, near
Dublin, Tex., and M. L. McCall, near Rural Shades, in Navarro County. If any
are still living I would like to hear from them.

I came home from the war to my mother in Johnson County in June. I had
nothing much left. We boys had a thousand head of cattle when the war began,
but when it closed we did not have enough to give us milk. The county seat
was moved again to where it now is in 1867, now called Cleburne. I have seen
it grow from birth to what it is now. In 1866 I was married to Miss Retha
McAnear, daughter of Alec McAnear. Of our union was born eight children,
four girls and four boys, all living but one girl, who died in infancy. My
wife is still living. She will be 71 in October and I will be 83 in July. I
am the last one of my family living. I have been living in Anderson County
for fifteen years, near Palestine. We are too old to keep house. We are at
my daughter's, Mrs. Albright in Knox County, Texas, and if any one sees this
write to me at Cleburne, No. 304 Robin Street. I am getting very feeble, not
able to do anything. -Hector McNeill

March 2003 - Submitted by Linda Dolby, , CC, Dallas, TX - transcribed by 
Steve Edgerton   


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