Freestone Past & Present
By J.R. (Sonny) Sessions)
Freestone’s Proposed Colony – The P.D. C. Ball Estate

     The closest Freestone Co. came to having a Colony occurred shortly after 
the War for Southern Independence when 27,000 acres of land was conveyed to Col. 
Joseph Smolanske of Washington, D.C. and recorded Aug. 19, 1865 in Volume N-l 
Page 609 Deed Records of Freestone Co. for reasons unknown to me this was tied 
up in lawsuits well into the Twentieth Century. There are many unanswered 
questions involved in this, C Ball which would require a great deal of research; 
maybe someone will do this someday.
     I became aware of this in the early l970’s while helping District Clerk 
Nora Awalt clean up and move a large metal cabinet. l found a dusty tainted 
large envelope mailed in 1915 to then District Clerk J.M. Wood from Patent and 
Trade Mark Attorneys Robb & Robb in Washington, D.C. concerning a lawsuit 
between Joseph Smolanski and Wanda Williams vs. P.D.C. Ball, case No. 5445.
     A plat of this property shows it all in Freestone co. on the-west side of 
the Trinity River, dealing with 11 leagues of land granted to Manuel Rionda in 
a Spanish Land Grant that once conveyed to Jacob De Cordova and Phineas De 
Cordova a 1/6th. This survey one of the largest in Freestone Co. and known as 
the P.D.C. Ball Estate which had extensive holdings on the east side of the 
Trinity in Anderson Co. that l believe now the TDCJ land where all the prisons 
are.
     Never really known who P.D.C. Ball was or where they from have also never 
known anyone overseeing the property and to my knowledge subject never lived on 
or used the property. My grandfather Carter Sessions leased this property in the 
early 1900's and ran cattle on it with no success, as a stranger to the area, 
local cowboys known who worked for him still living in the early l960’s and 
gathered information from them on the operation. Local talk is the Balls were 
the glass container company that made Ball fruit jars and such *, these very 
common in our area during the whisky days, this not confirmed. There have been 
many lawsuits and such concerning this land as much of it was squatted on and 
claimed over the years. Been told it was a nightmare for abstract people working 
with it.
     l learned Mr. George Fryer, now deceased was involved in this lawsuit and 
asked him if he remembered it, he quickly advised he did, that you remembered 
those you lost better than the one’s you won. Mr. Fryer advised they should have 
won this case and told of a legal maneuver in the Anderson Co. Courts that he 
wasn’t notified about caused them to lose. Mr. Fryer and the other information 
found indicated this land to be used by General Smolanski as a “Colony” but 
never materialized
     The packet had pictures of Gen. Smolanski and his son Col. Smolanski along 
with the Generals extensive military records going back to the Polish Revolution 
from Russia in 1830-31, was awarded the bresest for service with the Emperor of 
Turkey, served as an officer in the Foreign Legion, migrated to New York in 1838 
and became a citizen, served the British in the Crimean War served in the 1863-64
Polish War against Russia, also served in the Union Army during the Civil War.
     This information was presented to the Freestone Co. Historical Comm. at its 
August meeting. The September meeting program will be presented by Marty Walker, 
who has been researching the early years of Teague, she is the granddaughter of 
Mr. Edgar Bowers, an early Teague barber.

Whiskey Days
   Whisky making not usually serious enough offense to justify an officer 
shooting a fleeing offender. This story about one of real characters of the 
times. An officer determined to catch this one came up on him at his still and 
told him to surrender, Joe barefooted as usual took off running, officer gave 
chase and the race was on, Joe running out of breath sat down on a log to rest, 
so did the officer who older and eyen more winded. Joe catching his breath said, 
"Good race wasn't it" catching his breath. “Sure was” said the officer reaching 
for his handcuffs. "OK lets do it again," said .Joe as he disappeared over the 
nearest hill.

*NOTE:  Later research revealed that he was a millionaire from St. Louis whose 
*family made ice machines and refrigerated coolers for companies such as Amour 
*meat packing.  See Your Antioch Family, page 141, article:”Who was P.D.C. Ball”.