Hunt Co., TX - Obits: Celeste Country 1900, Part 1 ***************************************************** This file was contributed for use in the USGenWeb by: Sarah Swindell USGenWeb Archives. Copyright. All rights reserved http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm ***************************************************** Celeste Country 1900, Part 1 Mr. Cheatham must have taken the road west out of Celeste when he began his enumeration of rural country folks in 1900. Many names I did not recognize, but I had to stop and visit the home of Lawrence Sparks--as he intrigued me as a young girl. Here he was with his wife Hazel and seven children. Was there smoke coming from the chimney? Were the children laughing and playing? Lawrence was born in August of 1846 in Alabama. His parents were Georgia peaches. He was fifty-three and had been married thirty years to Hazel who was born in September of 1849. They had ten children of which eight survived. Hazel was a native Texan. Her father was from Georgia; her mother, Texas. The Sparks children with birth information were Mary E., 1872; Lawrence E., October of 1877; Norton, January of 1880; Effa, 1882; John W., December of 1884; Alfred, January of 1883; and Thomas, July of 1889. Not too far from the Sparks' residence was John Harbert from Missouri. His father came from Illinois and his mother was Missouri born. John was fifty- three and had been married for thirty-one years. His wife, Mary, was born in February of 1841. She was older than her husband by six years. They lost one child, but had six surviving children. Those still at home were Ida, Flora, and Rosa. Another neighbor was John W. Short who was born in February of 1875. He and his parents were Kentucky natives. His wife, Beatrice McDonald, was born the same month and year as her husband. They had been married six years. To this union, three children arrived, two were surviving. Beatrice was born in Arkansas. Her father and mother were born in Alabama. Flossie M. was born in July of 1897 in Texas. Horace was born in October of 1899 and was seven months old when the census was taken. John and Beatrice were residents of the Prosperity community. If they were living on property that we worked when I was a child, this was land on CR 1093, which adjoined the Roach farm. This property is now owned by Roger Claxton. Fritzhugh Brazil, from Arkansas, was born in July of 1877. He had been married for twenty-two years to Sarah E., born in August of 1873. He was twenty-two and she was twenty-six. They had been married for four years. Three children arrived; two survived. They were Leroy R., born in August of 1897 in Texas and Calvin E., born in July of 1899. Joseph W. Glasscock was born in July of 1866 in Georgia as were his parents. His wife, Addie M., was born in 1874 in Texas. Her parents were born in Illinois. Their children were Homer, September of 1891; Claud, March of 1895; Lilly, August of 1897; and Vera, November of 1899. Another Prosperity area neighbor was Robert Marshall, born in Texas. Names in his family were Minnie Marshall, Lyday Marshall, Mary Marshall, and William Marshall. Robert's people were from Mississippi. William R. Marshall was head of the next household. He was born in May of 1831 in Tennessee. His mother and father were from Virginia. His wife Mary Roach Marshall was born in November 1840. She was fifty-nine and had been married for forty years. They had had eight children. Six were surviving. Mary and her mother were born in Mississippi. Her father was from South Carolina. A granddaughter, Cordie Reagan, was living with them. Cordie was born in April of 1885 in Texas. Her father was born in Texas and her mother in Arkansas. William Luna and Susan were from Tennessee. Their children were Alfred, John, James, Walter, and a daughter Maudie. It seems that Mr. Cheatham has progressed tot he Lane community area. William Frazier was born in November of 1856. He was forty-eight and had been married for twenty-six years. He and his family were born in Tennessee. His wife was Melissa J. who was born the same month and year as her husband. Melissa and her folks were "Show-Me" Missourians. The Fraziers had four children; three survived. Two were still at home. John C. Frazier was born in September of 1881 in Texas. Hetty M. was born March of 1887. Also in the home was Flora B. Taylor, a niece, who was born in October of 1886 in Texas. Her father was from Texas and her mother was born in Tennessee. Lucille Nix, was an adopted daughter. She was born in October of 1898 in Texas. The birthplace of both her parents was listed as Tennessee. There were two Henderson families nearby. In Household 265 of District 124, Precinct 2, of Hunt County Texas in 1900 was James Taylor. He was born in December of 1861. At the time of the census, he was thirty-eight and had been married for seventeen years. He was born in Mississippi; however, his father was born in Alabama and his mother in South Carolina. His wife was named Ella. She was born in April of 1865. They were blessed with eight children, but only five survived. Ella and her parents were born in Mississippi. The children were twins Rufus and Reuben, born October of 1872 in Texas. Others enumerated were Mary, September of 1894; Thomas, March of 1896; and Annie, July of 1899, only ten months of age. The twins were born in Mississippi; the others, Texas. Also in this household was James' mother, Fannie Pitts Taylor. She was born in October of 1835. A widowed sixty-four year old, she had eight children of which six were surviving. She and her parents were from South Carolina. Fannie is buried in Lane Cemetery. James' also had a single brother, William Bibby Taylor living in the household. He was born in October of 1879 in Mississippi. William "Bill" Taylor was single and only twenty at this time. Later he would become a Celeste businessman, served on the Celeste School Board, and become the father of Frances Taylor and John Taylor. Richard Crump Roach was at Household 323. He was born in Tennessee, but did not list the birth place of his parents. His wife Mary was forty-two, having been born in 1858. She and Richard had been married for twenty-four years. They had six children and remarkably all six were surviving. Mary and her parents were natives of Tennessee. Julia, born in 1880 in Tennessee; Lucy born in 1883 in Texas, Stella, Alfonzo M., and Iva were the children. There was a hired man, Mr. Alonza McMinsane (sp) from Texas living with this family. Alonza's father was from Kentucky and his mother was from Tennessee. James Lewis Rambo family was noted. John Pierce was born in 1856. His wife had died. Walter was born in 1885, John in 1889, and Laura in 1892. Isaac G. Pierce, the brother of John, was also in the household. Most everyone in the country were farmers, farm day laborers, and hiredmen. John Pierce was a ginner. He ran the Lane Gin. John W. Pinkson was a blacksmith. Willie Pinkston was born July of 1858. James Davenport was a carpenter. In this household were Annie Martin Davenport, Alma born in 1891 and Raymond born in January of 1893. It is interesting to study this William Manning who was a boarder with the Townsend family at Household 334. Another boarder with Manning was a Taylor. William Manning was born in March of 1876. At the time of the census, he was twenty-four and single. He came from Kentucky and did his parents. The reason he is of interest, a William T. Manning married Eva McGuire who was born on April 30, 1881. She died in December of 1905. According to the McGuire history, Eva and William T. Manning were married in December of 1900. This William Manning boarder could be Eva's husband. The events of their marriage and Eva's death were chronicled in an unauthorized (by both McGuire and Manning families) popular detective story in the late 1940's or early 1950's. Felton Sparks was born April 1897 in Texas. His father was from Arkansas and his mother from Texas. Other families of the area were John Ray, Robert Byers, and J. McMillan. Baylus Masters was born in 1843 in South Carolina as were his parents. Mary E., his wife, was born in Alabama, as were her parents. Baylus and Mary had been married for thirty years. Their union was bless with eight healthy children. Still at home were Eva, 1878; Earl, 1884; Nathan, 1886; Pearl, 1888; Horace, 1893; and Letice, 1895. Is it Earl Masters who was an early leader in education? Was it Earl who was Kilgore College president? In any event, it was one of the sons of Lane community. Other names--Mattie King and Nimrod Roach. Then Nany Manning was head of the household. He was born in July of 1861. A thirty-eight year old, he had been married for eighteen years. He came from Arkansas, his father from Mississippi, and his mother from Alabama. His wife Flora was born in 1864. She was born in Texas but her father came from Pennsylvania. Her mother was born in Tennessee. Flora was thirty-six. Nany and Flora had been married for eighteen years. They had six of eight children surviving. They were Charles, Lila, Ada, Mabel, Lucy, and Roy. Circling back toward Celeste were the J. F. Roach household. Besides his wife Alice and his children, Joe Garland, Louis Thadius, and Ernest Hubert, William W. Roach was living with his brother. William was born in March of 1866. He was thirty-four and single. Next door was the large W. J. McGuire family. Besides his wife and children, Mary F. Roach, an aunt, was living with the McGuires. She was born May of 1843, was fifty-seven, and single. Back in the Prosperity area were Perkins, Gibbs, Byers, and McDonald families. Mabelynn Byers was born in August of 1896, Harbert Byers was born in September of 1897, and Vestula Byers was born in September of 1899. Those of us skipping around the streets of Celeste will remember Mabelynn sitting on the front porch of her sister's house on South Fourth Street. Miss Allegra Byers made her home Maybelynn's until Mabelynn died. A Byers relative, Joseph McDonald and his wife Mary were parents of John F., Charles A., and Ruby G. Another "cousin" Joseph Sparks and his wife Ida were another household. John Stallings with Mississippi roots and Bulah who was born in Texas were the parents of Ross V. Stalling who was born in Texas in November of 1898. Luster was born in April of 1900. Was Bulah a Dennis? It seemed this household was a blended family and maybe John and Bulah had only been married two years. The census record showed six children. Besides Ross and Luster, there were Ollie A. Dennis, born May of 1892; Otis Dennis, July of 1893; Jasper Dennis, November of 1894; and Lillian, September of 1896. The Dennis children were born in Texas with their father born in Tennessee and their mother in Texas. Toward the Pike area, it is believed, Thomas Norman and his wife Sarah reared Olie B, Rosie M., Nora E., and Tom Norman who was born in December of 1894. The children were born in Texas. Father Thomas was born in Missouri and mother Sarah was born in Louisiana. Thomas and Sarah were forty-five and thirty- eight, respectively, and had been married for four years. They did not have children of their own. William Roach and Hattie had been married for four years. He was twenty- four and Hattie was twenty one. They had one child, Johnnie J. Roach who was born in November of 1897. At Household 287, Hines Cole was head of the family. He was born in January of 1845 in Mississippi as was his mother. His father was from Alabama. Sallie J. Cole was born in October of 1861. She had been married nineteen years and had five children, all living. Sallie was born in Texas but both her parents were born in Georgia. Sylestor Clauson (?), a stepson, was living in the household. He was born in August of 1879 in Texas, was twenty years old. Both his parents were born in Texas. The children of Hines and Sallie were Sallie, November of 1884; Katie, October of 1885; and Fannie, April of 1889. I know where were are again. This would be CR 1093. The land is now owned by David LaFavers. Where the Hines Cole lovely farm house stood would be south and west of where David's new lovely ranch house is today. I have a Mary E. Cole daughter, born November 1882, and a William R., son-in-law, born October of 1881, living with J. and Mary Barger, her parents at Household 286. There was also a John H. Pitts family nearby. There were A. Lacy and Robert Coonrod households. John Stone, twenty- eight, was born in February of 1877 in Texas to a Mississippi father and a Texas-born mother. He was a school teacher (at Lane). Banton N. Graham, born May of 1878, was only twenty-two. He was born in Texas. His father was from Alabama and his mother, Arkansas. Mr. Graham was also a school teacher. John Dial was a physician. James Clymer was listed as a landowner. It is reported that he had a safe at his residence and acted as a banker. Thomas Carter, living in the rural area, worked for the railroad. Wonder how long it took the census taker to travel around the countryside-- all roads were unpaved--trying to catch everyone at home. People didn't travel around that much in those days, but they worked out in the fields from early to late. For me, my head was spinning just clicking back and forth on the documents from page to page. My last note as enumerator of this summary: "District 124 to page thirty-seven. Begin on image thirty-eight." I had to quit because my eyes, seat, legs, and feet were numb. Mr. Cheatham would know where he stopped and where to begin again. I hope that I will remember where I have been and what to do next. It is hard to imagine. But I do. I smell the sweat from the fields. I hear the sick babies' cries. The laughter of those who are playing along the fence rows. I smell the bread baking. I notice the open Bible with worn pages. You certainly have plenty of living between the hard times.