Grayson Co. TX - obituary- Josh Messenger

Submitted by William Messenger  wham@flash.net

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Archives by:  William Messenger  wham@flash.net

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                          JOSH MESSENGER

     Josh Messenger was born January 25, 1860 in Putnam County, Tennessee.
After he was grown, he moved to Sherman, Texas, where he served as a
deputy sherriff for six years. An unusual thing about this sheriff was
that he rode a bicycle to bring in his prisoners. His Hawthrone bicycle
had a stand specially made fot the prisoners to stand on. He would
handcuff them and have them put their hands on his shoulders. In 1894
while he was deputy, two men were to be hanged. One of them was named
Carlyle and the other was Lutrell. They had killed a blacksmith in
Sherman. One of them owned some solid gold cuff-links. Because Josh had
been kind to him while he was on death row, he gave him the cuff-links.

     In the year of 1930, Lacy Bell, a dentist, pulled all Josh's teeth and
made him a set of dentures in exchange for the gold cuff-links.

     Viola Endora Hughes was born February 2, 1877. She and Josh Messenger
were married in Sherman In January 1898. In April of 1900 they moved to
what was called Old Greer County, by way of covered wagon. With them
they brought their first-born, William Hughes Messenger. The other nine
children were born on the old home place which was four miles north, 2
miles east and one-half mile north of Gould, Oklahoma. The nine children
born here were Earla, Mary Elizabeth, Rex Lee, Lawrence, Vestel, Alford
Ex, Sam, Virginia, Carl Henry. Of the nine children only four survived.
They are Vestel, who lives in Dimmit, Texas, Earla Wade lives in
Dunsmere, California, Virginia lives in Amarillo, Texas, and Sam in
Hollis.

     Viola Endora Messenger passed away Mary 11, 1940 and Josh, August 8,
1942.