JOHN C. TARBUTTON and FAMILY, Smith County, TX ********************************************************************** Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm Submitted by Peggy Brannon - peggybrannon@hotmail.com 8 June 2001 ********************************************************************** JOHN C. TARBUTTON and FAMILY "Some Biographies of Old Settlers." Historical, Personal and Reminiscent. Volume I By Sid S. Johnson, 1900: Sid S. Johnson, Publisher, Tyler, Texas Chapter XXI - Pages 124 - 128 In writing up a part of the history of Smith county and her citizenship from 1846 to 1860, I have selected my own plan and have made it up on the line of reminisences of facts pertaining to history and families as they existed before the war, between the states. For this I have no apologies to make or stop to listen to the charge of its being stale history to a few who think they are wise according to their own self conceit. But Smith county's early citizenship is a matter of just pride to our people whether this generation approves it or not. The object of this book will be to cover most of the ground of Smith county's early history, and the one object of the writer is to do the settler of ante-bellum times justice along these lines, bringing the ancestral line up to the present time. In looking over the men who came to Smith county along early in the fifties, it is the writer's pleasure to mention the name of John C. Tarbutton, a citizen of good standing in Smith county, who is respected for his rigid honesty and his excellent morals. John C. Tarbutton is a native Tennessean and the son of James H. and Mary D. Tarbutton, and was born in Henderson county, Tennessee, December 22nd, 1833, the year noted for the great fall of meteors. His father died when John C. was only seven years old and he was raised under the Christian care of his widowed mother. These early impressions made on the young mind of John C. left a deep impression, as he has been a consistent member of the Baptist church for thirty- two years. John C. Tarbutton moved to Smith county in November, 1854, and settled on a farm near the prosperous town of Troupe. He has devoted most of his life to that of farmer, and not, until he had the misfortune of losing an arm did he aspire to office. He has held the office of county treasurer of Smith county with the same honest devotion to its duties as that of his good citizenship in private life. John C. Tarbutton is a bright Mason, a member of the K. of H. and an honorary member of the Mystic Circle. He is a Christian gentleman, full of the milk of human kindness that go to make up the pleasant part of this life. When the war between the states broke out he enlisted as a private in Company C, Roberts' Texas regiment. As a private and as a compliment to his good services as a soldier he came out of the war the First Lieutenant of his company. No man stands better in Smith county than John C. Tarbutton, with an honorable record of over 45 years with not a single stain upon his character as a man, an official or Christian. His life has been one of smoothness, with an intelligent view of the best side of life. A helper to his church, his neighborhood and her best educational advancement. As an evidence of what his neighbors think of him, in the primary election he did not lose a single vote at his home box. This is a part of the honest history he has made among his home people, and their unanimous endorsement of it. In 1860, John C. Tarbutton was united in marriage to the accomplished Miss Mary Rucker who has shared his joys and sorrows in the meandering path of his life. They had born to them nine children--four boys and five girls--three of whom died in infancy. Lemuel H. married Miss Elizabeth Solomon; Theopolis S. married Miss Paralee Solomon; Sophia E. married J. J. Mock, (Mrs. Mock died Sept. 1899). She was a noble christian woman. John F. married Miss Emer Shaw; Mary F. married Peter Schue; Edward Oren is single. As to the personal of the family of John C. Tarbutton, they are among the leading people of the Smith county, and especially in the community in which they reside. Lemuel H. and Theopolis S. Tarbutton have good positions with the I. & G. N. railway company, and hold positions of trust. J. J. Mock--son-in-law--is a good progressive business man of Troupe and has a host of friends who admire him for his sterling worth as a good citizen. John F. Tarbutton is a leading fruit and truck farmer, moving along in a quiet way to the front in this line of industry. Peter Schue--son-in-law--holds a good position as a telegraph liner, with the I. & G. N. railway. Edward Oren Tarbutton is a merchant in Troupe and stands well as a young business man with an inviting field of usefulness in front of him. The Tarbutton family is noted for honesty, intelligence and with a truthful method of dealing with their neighbors--and with an open- handed charity. Mr. and Mrs. John C. Tarbutton are worthy parents of an intelligent offspring. In penning these lines of the early settler and the many virtues that cluster around the life and character of a hardy pioneer, I will offer no excuse at the hands of a critical people, but a stern rebuke to any of the younger generation who think they could have built wiser and better than their fathers did. If I write of the men and women who laid the foundation for planting religious liberty in the wilds of the frontier, let us trace up the younger families and see the results of honest and careful training. The reputation of John C. Tarbutton stands the test for a consistent religious life, and honesty as a citizen and official. No man has passed a more quiet and peaceful life than John C. Tarbutton. His life shows up the sunny side, as we make it.