Walter E. Taylor Memories (Part 2 of 3) - Henderson Co., TX Note: When the previous and after issues of ETFR are out of print, we will add those Memories to this file. Submitted to the USGenWeb Archives by the East Texas Genealogical Society, P. O. Box 6967, Tyler, TX 75711 20 January 2004 Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm ***************************************************************** EAST TEXAS FAMILY RECORDS, VOL. III, NO. 1, Spring 1979, page 38 WALTER E. TAYLOR MEMORIES Part two of three parts continued from last issue. When I entered The Black Jack School in Feb. of 1893 I was a stranger to the teacber and the entire student body except one boy that I was raised with. This boy is David Dickerson, a rural mail carrier out of the Athens Post Office but when I left there I left a host of very close friends. Among them are the Ards, Dewberrys, Fowlers, Mortons, Scotts, McLeods, Smiths, Cumbies, Weirs, and a host of others. Among the friends who have lent me their help in getting a correct list of the students of the Black Jack and Murchison schools are Mr. and Mrs. Frank Scott, both members of two early Pioneer families of the Black Jack Community, but are now living in Murchison and are among the highly respected families of that place. Mrs. Scott was the former Miss Mary Morton who was born and reared in the Black Jack Community and taught from 1906 to 1909. She married Mr. Scott in 1907 and they lived in the community for several years, prior to their moving to Murchison. Several of the students of these two schools taught school for several years. Among those that taught were Miss Mittie Ard, W. G. Fowler, Oran Scottf David Dickerson, John Miller, Miss May Morton, and some others. Some of these have answered to the last call and gone to that borne from whence no traveler has ever returned. I hope that their souls are basking in that Paradise where God has prepared a home for the rest of our soul. The first time I went to Murchison was in 1893. There were two empty store buildings where some one had sold goods before that year. The Post Office was in one of these empty stores and was cared for by Hugh and Frank White. They came to the office and prepared the mail and delivered it to the train about 11 oclock a.m. and about 4 p.m. They did not stay at the office between trains. There was only one or two families living in Murchison at time. The ralfroad,section foreman and his family lived in the depot. The section hands lived in some old box cars near the railroad tracks - out from the depot toward Brownsboro. There was a small house west from the depot in which some negro section hands were living. During the school days of 1893 the state did not furnish free text books to the students. Neither did they have free school bus transportation to the schools and back home. Sometimes the students rode to the school bare back or in small one horse buggies. The student took his dinner to the school in a tin bucket or small lunch basket and they had small satchels to carry the books they studied. The old slate was as prominent in the schools of that day as tablets are at this day. The slates were used to figure on and small students used them in learning to write. Among the text books used in those school days was BARNES U.S. HISTORY, MURRAH GEOGRAPHY, HARVEY AND REED AND KELLOP GRANNERS(sic), DAVIS AND ROBINSON MATHEMATICS, TOWNS CIVIL GOVERNMENT, PENNYBACKERS TEXAS HISTORY, several different PHYLOSIFIES, WENTWORTHS GEOMETRY, the old WEBSTER blue book Spelling book, MCGUFFEYS READERS. While I was in school at Black Jack, my teacher Prof. H. M. Smith closed the school one week in June to harvest a crop of oats. John Hunt and myself cradled down the oats for him, We cradled five days each before we completed the job. We worked for $1.50 per day. I used the money that I earned to buy my school books and I am proud to be able to still show these old text books that are now 53 years old and in good condition. One of these old books is a BARNES HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES and another is DAVIES ARITHMETIC. I bought them in Athens from the Stirman and Greer Drug store. They were selling drugs some where near where the Farmer's and Merchant bank is now located. During the month of July in 1899 1 went to Murchison on some business. I was not in school that year. And while I was there I and Arch Huddle got a wagon and team and engaged the company of two young ladies, Miss Nettie Prather and Miss Bonnie Martin and we went to a county singing at Walnut Creek between Athens and Malakoff. Mart Smittle and Robert Prather, Jr. also went with us. We boys were sent to a Mr. Williams to spend the night and I have forgotten whose house the two young ladies were sent to spend the night. There was a debate at the school house that night. I can remember that Elam Henderson was one of the speakers. I can't recall the other speaker, and I was asked to act as Chairman during the debate. There were lots of people there that night and the next day plenty of dinner for all. I remember that Tom Billie Jones of Athens was there selling ice cream and cold lemonade. Sometime early in May 1900 Professor Smittle and 0. V. Roberts began publishing a small newspaper at Murchison, and the paper was named the Murchison X-Ray when they decided on the name of the paper they could not find the kind of type they wanted to use as lots of the type was lost in shipping. So, 0. V. Roberts (or better known by all as Riss Roberts) made a trip to Athens and made some arrangements with J. H. Walford the editor of the Athens Review at that time.fbr the type to spell out the words Murchison X-Ray. The paper didn't have a very long life, about 3 or 4 months, and it was discontinued. The town was very small. Tom Taylor had a mercantile business there in the Wess Germany old store. There was a Mr. Harrison who had a small stock of goods and C. T. Williams kept the Post office and a small stock of goods. Dr. Hudder did the medical practice for the country. John Curry and someone owned a gin and qrist mill near the school building. The town of Poyner is in the southeast portion of Henderson County on the Texas and New Orleans Railroad about midway between Athens and Jacksonville. The right of way was made from Cedar Station in Kaufman County in 1899. The road was built from Athens toward Jacksonville in 1901. B. C. Thrashe, R. A. Dickerson and D. H. Dickerson were keeping a small stock of merchandise. There was also a saloon there for several years. B. H. Dickerson was the first Postmaster for the town. J. L. Dickerson, Miss Quinton Morse, William Pickle, J. P. Thrasher, W. E. Taylor, R. S. Lee the present incument all served as postmaster for the town. When the little town started it was first called "David" in honor of the father of David M. Dickerson Rural Carrier from the Athens Post Office. For some reason the town was named Ida Valley in honor of my sister, Mrs. Ida Virginia Dickerson now deceased and the wife of J. L. Dickerson the owner of the land where the town now is. The name Ida Valley was changed for reasons unknown to me and the town was named for Mr. Poyner who was living in Athens at that time. Mr. Poyner made the first survey for a railroad company out of Dallas through this section of the country to the Pine belt of South East Texas in the early eighties. I can remember well that the surveying crew had a camp near the Dickerson gin and mill on a small branch west of Poyner call the "Mill Branch". The town at one time had a small bank, two cotton gins and some 7 or 8 mercantile establishments, druq store, two doctors, telephone office, blacksmith shop which was owned and kept by R. M. Pagitt and at different times there has been saw mills here. About the year of 1915 Jno. S. Jones, Jr. of Athens put in a small newspaper at Poyner and named it the Poyner Tribune. It was discontinued after 3 months. I have in my possession one of the early copies of this paper dated 1915. The following merchants sold goods in Poyner during the first twenty years after the Railroad came: W. H. Foster, Roberts & Pruitt, Durden & Carlton, B. J. Grier, J. W. Wylie & Co., Milner and Pruit, A. L. Kirby, T. C. Owens, Rose Drug Store, Kirby Drug Co., C. R. Scarborough's Hardware, J. J. Hogue Groceries, Buford Murphy, Burt's Drug Store and S. H. Roberts. There have been other men that sold goods but they came after the first twenty five years of the towns life. Those in business here now are M. B. Burgamy, Ferrell Clayton, E. B. Pagitt, C. F. Thrasher, J. W. Wylie, and W. E. Taylor. In 1987 my father traded in Athens on time with Wofford and Son. He made a trip to Athens of that year to buy supplies. J. W. Baldwin also went alonq with my father. My father took me with him on this trip. This was my first time to see Athens. They bought their supplies and came out of town as far as the old Troublefield home where they stopped for the night. We spent the night in a small log cabin just off of the road on a little sandy ridge. We unloaded the wagons and tied the teams. It began to rain shortly after dark. It was a very hard rain. The next morning was Sunday. After we had eaten our breakfast and had made ready to start for home J. H. (Babe) Richardson came out to where we were. He was living in the Troublefield home that year. After we had passed the Troublefteld place we met Jonathan Swift and Jim Heldleburg near the old Brown Spring. They were on their way to Athens to get a coffin casket. Mrs. Mary Boles, the wife of Axom Boles who was a near neighbor of my father died that rainy night. Swift and Heidleburg bought this burial outfit from a man in Athens by the name of Julius Williamson. Athens in 1887 was quite a small town. There were lots of Wodden buildings that were being used for stores. There was a vacant lot on the North side of the square about where the Stirman Drug Store is now. Dr. Collins had a general mercantile business on the corner where the Spencer hardware store is now. Murchison and Wofford had another large store on the corner near the Market Sqare. Wofford and Son were located somewhere near the First National Bank is-doing business. I The County Jail was located on a lot in the rear of the Wofford and Son store near a Livery stable that faced the Cotton Belt Railroad. The public cotton yards were somewhere close to the place where the W. T. Eustace hotel stood afterwards. Some of the cotton weighers of the day were Henry Doughty, Jim Brewer and B. G. Hall and others at different times. There were wagon yards for the accommidation of the farmers. There was an old two story frame building on the corner where the two story brick building stands that was the tempory Courthouse was being built. This old frame house was known as wagon yard house. The yard was in the rear of the building. I recall that my father and I staid there one night Tn October 1887 and Jan. 1893. 1 remember that my father met with Mr. Pete Brewer and his sons. They had with them a man that was deaf and dumb. I remembering hearing my father asking them how they could make him understand what they wanted him to do. They showed my father how they talked to him with their hands. They lived near ountry. This was in Oct. 1887 and was the night before the negro was hung publicly out in the Everett field. There was a man named L. E. Brown who had a saddle and harness shop near where the A&P store is. The Gauntt Bros. were selling groceries in a wooden building near the two story brick building that stands near the Cotton Belt Depot. On the East side of the square there were only two brick buildings. They were on the corner where the two story Landman building now stands. These two buildings were built by B. P. and J. C. Adams of Fincastle. The balance of that side of the square was a string of wooden buildings. The Southside of the Courthouse square where the present Deen Hotel stands were all wooden buildings where several blacksmith shops were being run and there was an old two story frame building on the corner west from the Deen Hotel that was used as a wagon yard house. The square around the Court house was a bed of sand. There was a well by the Collins store for the people. I feel confident that there are still tiving some of the old timers who remember when there was an arbor built for camp meetings on the East bank of New York Creek. It was West of the Present New York Store on the old Athens Public road and near it good spring water on the same side of the creek. East of the old arbor there were several small camp houses for rent to the people coming there from other places to attend the camp meeting in the summer. I remember my father and mother attending the camp meeting there about 1880, They rented one of those small camp houses to cook Tn. He made arranqemants to use the arbor for the family to sleep under at night. I can also remember very well that I met Walter and Peal Reynolds for the first time. We were all very small boys at the time. Can't recall seeing any other boys but them that I can still remember Several years after this my parents attended a public speakinq under the same old arbor. Dinner was served picnic style. I can remember that a young lady read a paper that day. This lady was a Miss Kate Denton and later married Dr. Huddle of Murchison. The public gathering was sponsered by the Farmers Alliance and Grange of that day. There was a man there that day named J. B. Long from Jacksonville, Texas and at that time he was our Congressman. I was a small boy then. Mr. Long handed me a nichol and told me to go and buy a glass of lemonade. I can remember that this was the first time that I ever saw my old friend, Howard Regester now of La Rue. He was with a very beautiful young lady that day, a Miss Lizzie Meadow, a nelce to Ben Curtis another one of my old friends of La Rue. Dr. Hall, Dr. Rogers and Dr. Clark Richardson were the practicing physicians of the country. Uncle George Keys weighed the cotton and kept the books for Mr. Otts. The early day farmers of the surrounding country were J. H. Reynolds, Rufus Richardson, Joe Richardson, R. M. Atwood, J. B. Tindle, Sebe Tindle, Bob Stewart, Mr. Alender, George Keys, Tom Crossley, Sam Liston, John Gauntt, Jim Gauntt, J. B. Gauntt, Robert Gauntt, Jim Gauntt, Wood Foreter, Johnnie Foster, and many others that I fall to call to memory at this time. I heard my father say that he was at this old campmeeting arbor and saw W. R. (Rube) Dickerson and his wife, and George M. Wofford and his wife. All married under the same ceremony. I fall to recall the year of the marriages and the preacher that officiated in the ceremony. I was there as a mere child but can't remerr!ber seeing these couples married. The little village of La Rue is located on the Texas and New Orleans Railroad about 12 miles East of Athens and on an old public road known as the Athens and Kickapoo road. Highway No. 40 passes the town to the South about 1/4 of a mile. The town is in the old Morisson Chapel School District. The town came into existance in the early part of the year of 1901. The merchants of the town at the time of its beginning and later in years were C. F. Regester Dry Goods and groceries, W. A. Palmer Drugs, J. W. Denman Dry Goods and groceries, John Cook groceries, W. j. Barfield groceries, R. A. McLenden groceries, W. T. Langham dry goods and groceries, Miller and Thomas groceries, Young Bros. dry goods and groceries. The early doctors of the town and country were Dr. B. C. Wallace, Dr. Will Campbell, Dr. Houston, and later on Dr. S. 0. Hays, Dr. Shaw and Dr. Lyles. J. B. Walker built his first cotton gin and some years ginned as much as 2000 bales. Later on the Miller Bros. and W. J. Gentry built a gin. There have been several different men to operate gins there since the beginning of the place. The Citizens State Bank was organized in 1912 or 1913. D. R. Murchison of Athens was president, Dr. B. C. Wallace, vice-president and Howard Regester, cashier. The Post Office was established about 1902 or 1903. C. F. Regester was the first Post Master and Howard Regester was assistant Post Master. The farmers of the country at the time were Cotus Dunklin, M. E. Anderson, Uncle Shade Nettles, John Nettles, E. B. Dean, J. B. Walker,John Foster, J. N. Wood, C. D. Crews and E. M. (Bob) Petry. In a South Easterly direction from La Rue about three miles on Highway #40 (note: this is Hwy. #175, not state #40) is the La Poyner consolidated High School composed of the old school districts of La Rue, Poyner, New York, Myrtle Springs, Fincastle, Centerview of Henderson Co. and the Pine Hill and Miller districts of Anderson County. Those living near the La Poyner School Building are Mr. Simmons, Tom Hamilton, C. R. Scarborough, C. L. Hanna, W. 0. Stringfield, Ozie Richardson and George Tipton. Zeb Kelton of Frankston has a nursery on the highway near the school building and C. L. Hanna has a grocery store and cafe near the school building. As I let my mind wander back to the eariy days of life, I can recall the earlv days of life. I can recall the days when our mothers did all the cooking for their families on the old open fire place in a large rock chimney, with the pot rack swinging from the chimney where the old dinner pots could be hung in whch to boil meat and vegetables. They used the old skillet with a lid to bake bread in and a frying pan to fry meat in. The coffee was boiled in an old iron kettle. In order to have red hot coals of fire in the fire place each morning the fire was covered up in the fire place each night. But sometimes the fire would go out during the night. Then some member of the family would have to go to their nearby neighbor and get live coals of fire before a fire could be started. Matches were scarce and could not always be bought from the little country stores as easy as we can do now. They saved all of the tallow when beef was killed and would render it out and then make it into candles to be used in place of lamps. The molds were threaded, or in other words, a cotton thread put in to the molds for the wick. My Mother and Father had a set of candle molds that would hold twelve candles when filled. The tallow was poured in to the molds hot and when it was cool the candles were taken out of the molds and then they were ready for use when they were placed into a candle holder. Such a thing as a Kerosine lamp was hard to find until the merchants began to put in the stores a small brass lamp. They held about one half pint of Kerosine oil. The wick was a small cotton wick about the size of a common cedar pencil. They were in use in lots of the country homes until about thirty years ago when they disappeared from the stores. When the winter months were here the young people would gather at some neighbors home and spend a part or all of the night in the old time square dance. Bill Stewart, John Boles, Sebe Boles, Henry McRae, Bill Harden and Fanny Farmer would furnish the fiddle music. There were others on some occasions who were there and helped to furnish the fiddle music. There was one man that was raised in the Myrtle Springs Country that was a favorite caller of this old time square dancing. This man was John Sullivan. He died several years ago near La Rue. There are not very many now living who took part in these old square country dances. Sometimes a farmer would give a cotton picking and the wife of the farmer would have a quilting on the seme day with a big dinner for all and a square dance that night. The young people seemed to enjoy these dances and quilting. Such things as picture shows were not known of at that day. Some times a small show would come into the small country village to show. The people would attend these shows to pass away the dull hours. To be concluded in next issue.