Jones County, Texas - Biography - N.S. Dougherty *********************************************** This file was contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by: Dorman Holub Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm *********************************************** The Western Enterprise Anson, Jones County, Texas Thursday, August 26, 1933 50th Anniversary Edition N.S. Dougherty Longest Careeer Here Save One In the early days of West Texas, two farmers sold their holdings in Denton County, which was pretty well in the west at tiem, and traded for a bunch of cattle and treked westward with the herd beyond the touch of the plow and therefore ahead of civilization, according to the old saying that it follows the plow, and established headquarters for a ranch at the head of Deadman, in the eastern part of Jones county, as known at present, 1877, four years before the county was organized. These two men, brothers, had access to a vast domain, no fences in the country at that time who is still here being Emmett Roberts of Nugent. Perhaps they wanted to get back further east where they figured the mesquite grass might be a bit better, or perhaps they had a few friends in that region, and hence they moved their herd to the Bayou in northern Callahan County in 1878, the year that county was organized. There they ranched and prospered. The younger, J.H. Cutbirth being one of the best known and most substantial ranchers in the county at his deat, a few years ago. His older brother, Sam, lived in the county until his death several years prior to the death of J.B. Before locating on the Deadman, the Cutbirths had maintain a ranch or run cattle in Lampassas. An orphan boy who needed a home and a place to stay took up with the Cutbirths and got a "kick" out of making the trips to Lampassas and working with the cattle. Naturally he took to the idea of coming west with the Cutbirths and thus he was one of the earliest comers to this region. He spent a year with these boys. During their stay in this region this youth worked for them as one of the family. J.B. Cutbirth treated him as one of the family and thought as much of him as a son, apparently. Thus establishing his residence in Jones County in 1877, N.S. (Starks) Dougherty has lived in its confines longer than any other living man save one, Emmett Roberts, referred to already, and is perhaps one of a quartet of the survivors of the original cowboys of this country, the others being: Mr. Roberts Edgar Boaz Mr. Roberts came to his present place in the eastern part of Jones county in 1873 and Mr. Boaz in the spring of 1882 after four years on a ranch in Shackelford County and Rader Thompson of Noodle. Couch & Simpson who had 14,000 head of cattle grazing over both Jones and Taylor Counties with headquarters where the A.C. College is now located, offered Mr. Dougherty his next connection with whom he worked for about 18 months. More men were taken into the organization, and the Continental Cattle Company resulted, which spread out and bought cattle establishing headquarters on the Pecos River. Most of the cattle were taken to the Pecos in 1879. Mr. Dougherty going with the herd. The remnant was gathered up with newly acquired herds and carried to Baylor County later. The trip to the Pecos required much time. The cattle were turned loose on Christmas day and in a few days Mr. Dougherty returned to his old haunts. That summer he stayed at Abilene before the advent of the Texas & Pacific. in the fall of 1880, he found employment with P.G. Hatchett and Mr. Calhoun, who had a herd of 2500 head of cattle at the mouth of Bitter Creek. This company lost out financially. 2300 head of steers bought on a credit, were sent to Honey Wells, Kansas, in charge of Mr. Dougherty, overland, of course. The stock were sacrificed on a losing market, after being kept in the Indian Territory for about a year. They had made money on two previous Kansas drives. Hatchett & Calhoun disposed of the remaining part of their herd to Stout and Abney of Denton about 1883. Probably operating two years at the same old headquarters income becoming hard to realize on cattle, Stout & Abney traded their entire brand, range delivery, to Phelps and Baldwin of Council Bluffs, Iowa, for a new $40,000 in that city. The new owners had about 1600 head gathered up and moved to New Mexico, and sold the remnant to Mr. Dougherty and F.E. Abney, in 1885, who operated under the name of Dougherty and Abney. The cattle business was good for awhile and nearly all of the original purchase price was realized in profits in 18 months, when the partnership was dissolved, Abney going back to his county of Denton, shipping his part of the cattle. He resides in Lubbock now. Mr. Dougherty operated on the open range until about 1893 or 1894. October 28, 1890, he and Miss Bettie Love, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John W. Love, pioneers of the Bitter Creek community, were married, when they moved to the Dougherty section of land he purchased in 1891, which he bought from David Bales in order to get a bunch of cattle, and then lost out on the cattle when they froze out in a blizzard in March 1892. Buidling a good home on the land, they lived there until moving to Anson in 1907, where they have since resided. Mr. Dougherty still uses the brand bought to this county by Hatchett and Calhoun in 1879. It is a "Triangle H Triangle" and is recorded in the brand records of Jones County. The first wire fence Dougherty ever saw was built by Clabe Merchant and Purcell from their homes in Abilene to Elm Creek on the old Anson road. Merchant's on west west side, Purcell's on the east side. Rev. G.W. Scarborough fenced in a good deal of land in the Truby country. He cut out the old road from Abilene to Double Mountains in the early 188s for $300, and was paid for the job by Abilene. It crossed the Clear Fork about 200 yards above where the present bridge is situated. Bearing to the west of the present dirt road, the Scarborough route went up the hill from Bitter Creek and straight to Abilene. The old route is still used from Hodges almost to Mulberry, about two miles, and is not followed anywhere else, so far as it is known. When the country was fenced for farms and section lines recognized, roads were forced to the section lines and hence the Scarborough straight route had to be abandoned.