Freestone County, Texas Communities Yeldell General Location: A mile west of the community of Shanks about a mile from the Freestone/Limestone county line. About 6 miles southeast of Wortham. Note: Do not confuse the Yeldell community with the parcel with Yeldell's gin that was located in the northwestern part of the county. Location: In western Freestone County, west of Big Techuana Creek. Located 1/2 mile south of the old Rocky Branch community on FCR #971. Yeldell appears on a 1920 map by the Corp of Engineers (that shows the area east of Mexia) shown at an intersection of roads west of Shanks. The area drained by the Elm Fork. Shown located north of Cotton Gin along a interior line that follows the same angle as the county line. History: Yeldell was hit by a cyclone in April 1904. The former school house (according to the 1920 map) was in the NE corner of the four way intersection of roads. Now only an old house remains on the old Ross plantation. Church: Post Office: Opened: 02 Aug 1901. Closed: 15 Aug 1905 moved to Wortham. School: Businesses: Yeldell general store cotton gin school blacksmith farmers and sharecroppers Known Past Residents: Batchelor, Dr. Claude (1899-1900 medical practice) Ross family Shanks, A. C. Yeldell, George A'Clark Yeldell, Jack Yeldell, Jonathan Paul ======================================================== SOURCES: *1* = Dallas Morning News (of Dallas, Texas) - April 26, 1904 - Page: 3 WRECKED BY WIND -------- Several Residences and Negro Cabins Demolished by the Wind on Sunday -------- CALL FOR PHYSICIAN -------- Family of A.C. Shanks at Yeldell Injured in the Falling House -------- NIP AND TUCK SETTLEMENT -------- Havoc Wrought in that Community, Second Cyclone Within a Few Weeks in the Same Locality -------- Mexia, Tex., April 25 - About a dozen residences and negro cabins were demolished by a cyclone in Freestone County Sunday afternoon at 6 o'clock. The cloud was seen forming about 5:30 and moving in a north-easterly direction. About one hour later a boy rode into town in the rain after a physician to attend the family of A. C. Shanks, whose house was demolished at Yeldell, six miles northeast of Mexia. This was the first place the cyclone struck. It moved on down through the same community to Nip and Tuck settlement, and there wrought havoc with the residences of Dr. Batchler, George Wolf, R. M. Baker and several others whose names have not yet been learned. It was in this settlement so many negro cabins were destroyed. W. E. Bonner of Mexia and his daughter, Miss Lillian, were driving to Mr. Bonner's farm in Freestone County, saw the storm coming and drove to an old barn for safety. The barn was blown away and Mr. Bonner's buggy was blown through a wire fence, but neither Mr. Bonner nor his daughter was hurt. The cyclone was accompanied by a heavy rain. This is the second cyclone in Limestone and Freestone Counties within a few weeks' time, both of which did considerable damage to growing crops, as well as destroying lives and property, and will be much harder on the people on account of last year's crop failure and the rigid economy being practiced by those whose property is a clear loss.