Freestone County, Texas
Reflections


Freestone Past/Present
J.R. “Sonny” Sessions

C. C. Jeffries-Winkler/St.Elmo

  Not many today remember Mr. C. C. Jeffries who lived in the St. Elmo 
area in northeastern Freestone Co., which is separated from Winkler by the 
Navarro Co. line. Mr. Jeffries a noted area historian and writer who p         
published numerous articles, books on the Civil War and a monthly 
historical article “The Aclavache” (I have a copy published in March l929). 
Little of Mr. Jeffries works exist today, as after his death many years ago 
there was no one to preserve it. I was able to salvage some from an elderly 
family member years ago.
  One of his historical works on Winkler-St. Elmo was published in the 
Navarro Co. Historical Society newsletter “The Scroll” in l956. The 
following is parts of it.
                Early Winkler History by C.C. Jeffries
  The early history of the Winkler community is wrapped in obscurity: as to 
whom and by whom the first settlement was made nothing whatever is 
known. The first inkling of white people living here came from the diary of a 
Mississippi man traveling through in l846. The first certain date of 
settlement was on the work of a man named Tisdale who here in l849 and 
told of a man living at Walker Lake (a natural lake on Richland Creek now 
under the Tarrant Co. lake dam) Tisdale said the lake a common meeting 
place for hunters going on a bear hunt.
  Several places were settled before the Civil War, one of the most notable 
was the Blackmon field with nearly 300 cultivated acres, the main dwelling 
house stood on a high hill overlooking the bottom. The Blackmon water well 
though rather deep was as fine water as ever drawn out of the ground. This 
the largest of the early day places.
  After the Civil war the country bean to fill rapidly, it took courage for a 
man to go into the woods and cut out 40 or 50 acres, and build a house, 
many did. These were hard times, women made peach pies without sugar, 
kept fires outside burning to save matches, rawhide was used for everything, 
dishwater skimmings were saved and used for axle grease.
  By l880 7 or 8 dwellings existed at Winkler near the good seep spring 
water. One store, two gins, a blacksmith shop and a doctor. Given a Post 
Office it was named after Navarro Co. Judge Winkler a Col. In Hoods Texas 
Brigade.
  There was legend of an awful Indian battle in the river bottom near the old 
White’s Ferry Road. The tribes involved are not known. There was also a 
buried treasure legend very similar to the one in southern Freestone Co. 
There was a terrible rise on the river without any warning where the people 
had to climb to the roof tops to survive, a hunting horn blown day and night 
finally brought them help, heard three miles away.
  This some of Mr. Jeffries works. Any one with more information or his 
works please advise.

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