Native Americans and Settlers in Wise County

Posted on January 30, 2019 by admin
Circa 1885 Courthouse at Decatur, Wise County, Texas. It was near here where the Vanmeter family lived when they arrived in Texas in 1872.

One time I bought a fairly large collection of “Frontier Times” published by J. Marvin Hunter (1880-1957). They were printed on cheap paper, have few illustrations or advertisements. Mostly, they contained stories old-timers remembered experiencing or remembered hearing. Like all oral histories, many contain real whoppers! So, the reader must look for clues of embellishment.

I have used articles from “Frontier Time” with caution on several occasions. I recently found a story from Wise County that intrigued me. Its title was simply “Tells of Early Days,” by C. J. Vanmeter of Rhome, Texas.

During the Civil War many settlers who tried their luck west of the 98th meridian found Native American depredations more than they wanted, especially for women whose husbands were drafted into the Confederate Army. They moved due east and hoped for safety. Counties were abandoned, farms were left untended, and Native Americans began to reclaim their prairies.

After the Civil War settlers from both the north and south came to Texas to start a new life by acquiring cheap land Texas was so bountifully blessed with. Native Americans crossed the Red River into Texas to steal horses and mules, and to intimidate white settlers. Mr. Vanmeter told a unique tale in his article.

Mr. Vanmeter arrived in Wise County in December 1871 and promptly purchased 130 acres for $3.85 per acre. On the first day of January 1872 he moved into his new premises with his mother, his wife, and four children. He did well in the new home. In 1873 he was appointed to serve on the school board, a position he served until February 1876 when he was elected to the county court. He served in that position for two terms before purchasing another farm of 120 acres one mile from his old farm.

On the night of May 14th, 1872, he had an experience he never forgot. A group of Native Americans from Indian Territory crossed the Red River to raid and capture as many horses and mules as they could. At that time, Vanmeter had one span of mares, one span of mules and a yearling colt that were taken. (A span of horses or mules were a pair that pulled a wagon, coach, or other means of transportation.) Neighbors lost ten horses.

Later in the year, the same Native Americans came into the vicinity, gathered over fifty horses, drove them twenty-five or thirty miles before turning them loose. In 1873 they made another raid into Wise County and carried away a large herd, leaving their trail well-marked with dead horses.

The last raid occurred in 1874 when about thirty Native Americans camped on Oliver Creek two nights and one day. They stole sixty young mules from one man. On the second night about nine o’clock, they rounded up those sixty mules on a hill not far from the owner’s home and in clear moonlight.
About 11 o’clock three of the warriors rode down to within twelve or fifteen feet of the door, sat on their mounts talking pleasantly. Then they soon rode away and joined the crowd of mules and horses. The route went northwesterly coming close to the community of Decatur.

Here was the site of the only violence. Three women of the Huff family killed. With a posse in close pursuit, the Native Americans took shelter in a thick growth of timber on Sandy Creek. While the pursuers were waiting for re-enforcements, the Native Americans abandoned all of the stolen horses except those they could ride and made good their escape, never to be seen or heard again.

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Pompey Industrial Club

Posted on January 27, 2019 by admin
Looking at the route of the Fancher Family Trail West, it would seem if part of the train left or was lost and went to Texas, it had to be early in the journey. It is a page-turning book written by numerous authors.

Looking through old Greenville newspapers from 1906 I found a couple of articles that caught my attention. They came from the community of Pompey, a local spelling of Pompeii, the town in Italy destroyed in 79 A.D. when buried by ashes as Mount Vesuvius erupted.

A quick glance of the 1900 census shows that the population of Pompey were primarily farmers, some land owners while others were tenants. Also, in the community were carpenters, painters, railroad workers, and even an attorney. Every home with children reported that the youngsters went to school on a regular basis. Much more sophisticated than many families in Northeast Texas.

That land was legally owned by James R. Horton, Charles A. Warfield and A. McDonald shortly after the county was created in 1846. An 1859 map shows the same three men still owned the land. The exact location of Pompey has not been found. Using multiple maps and list of public schools in Hunt County, only one school lists Pompey (spelled Pompay) School. No map shows the local of a school with that name, no matter how it was spelled. Yet many old-timers in the area tell stories about the school, its founding, and the early group who settled there.

According to those stories, a large wagon train left Carroll County, Arkansas in 1857, heading west to California and all its riches. It was the Baker-Fancher group who were later that year violently murdered in the 1857 Mountain Meadow Murder in Utah.

Supposedly a few of those wagons somehow found themselves away from the main wagon train and made a wrong turn. Anyhow, the story continues by saying that the lost wagons ended up in what is now Hunt County. They settled along the east bank of Cow Leech Creek, near where the creek crosses Interstate 30 today.

The families built the Pompey School at some point. It appears that by 1900 the community was inhabited with Democratic Progressives. Around 1890 large groups of farmers and residents of small communities became concerned about economic and social problems attributed to the rapid industrialization introduced in America. Such people began quiet social activism and political reform. They focused on female suffrage, education for all, better working conditions, unionization, and child labor. Greenville’s own Kyle G. Wilkison wrote Yeomen, Sharecroppers, and Socialists: Plain Folk Protest in Texas, 1870-1914. Yep, there were socialists in Hunt County, especially in the east and south part of the county. I highly recommend Dr. Wilkinson’s book.

Pompey school developed a lecture series in 1906. The very first speaker was Judge V. W. Grubbs. His topic was “Progress of the Movement.” Grubbs was a zealot about temperance and vocational education. So, whether he addressed those two issues, or Democratic Progressivism is unknown; but any of the three would be a subject Grubbs was competent to speak on. Incidentally the title Judge was like Colonel, strictly honorary.
The next speaker was Prof. J. A. Thomas who advocated “School Training as a Business.”
Several colleges existed in Hunt County at that time. Perhaps Thomas taught at one. President W. I. Gibson of Burleson College spoke on “Onion Culture.” Audiences heard “Cabbage Growing” from S. L. Dial, “Fertilizers” from Ike Holbrook, “Up and Down of a Merchant” by Joe Dial, “Strawberries” from W. G. Perkins, and “Different Breeds of Cattle.” Notice there was no specific lecture on cotton. At that time newspapers, agriculturists, and the government were stressing diversification in farming.

At another lecture series, N. A. Kimbrough spoke of “How to Make Good Brick.” The Kimbrough family along with Horton relatives operated a brick yard on the banks of the Sabine River. The Brick Yard began operation as early as 1873. No date was on the article found.

Let me know if you have any information about Pompay (Pompey). I find it a very interesting topic.

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Why So Many Names

Posted on January 23, 2019 by admin
William Leonidas Mayo, founder of East Texas State University
“Ceaseless Industry, Fearless Investigation, Unfettered Thought”
Photo and motto compliments of Archives in Gee Library, Texas A&M University – Commerce

Recently a gentleman who follows my daily Facebook page asked a very good question. Why does the college located in Commerce, Texas, have so many different names in its past? And the answer is fairly simple unless you are a real traditionalist.

In September 1889 William Leonidas Mayo opened a school up the road from Commerce in the little town of Cooper. Not only were elementary and secondary students admitted, Mayo, who owned to college and its building, created a “first-class private college” based on Normal principles. This was a new way to educate teachers, not by rote, but by practice.

Cooper seemed to be the perfect place for Professor Mayo. He met the lovely, talented and outspoken advocate of women’s rights. He married Henrietta “Etta” Booth while she was visiting family in Cooper. However, there was a slight deficiency in locating in Cooper. No railroad came through the small town; railroads were vital to the success of such a school.

A fire destroyed Mayo’s school and offered a reason to relocate. The community of Commerce was very enthusiastic in getting a Normal College. The townspeople gave a plot of land and $5,000 to start East Texas Normal College. By 1895 the new college was in place.

For many years Texas school teachers were required to attend “Normal Schools” each summer to obtain and retain their teaching certificates. East Texas became the best attended Summer Normal for many, many years in the entire state.

Fire again destroyed College Hall with its science lab and 5,000 book library in 1907. Four years later three dorms were destroyed; no once was injured or killed. Commerce citizens opened their homes to students while 650 alumni raised more than $30,00 to rebuild.

In 1917 the most important event in the school’s history occurred when State Senator Edwin Westbrook of nearby Wolfe City pushed a bill through the Texas Legislature to add East Texas Normal College to the list of state supported schools. Again, the name changed to East Texas State Normal College. Unfortunately, Professor Mayo died before learning the great news.

Randolph B. Binnion was chosen to lead the college to greater heights. Students competed in four sports, football, basketball, track and women’s basketball. When the state refused to fund housing for students, Dr. Binnion successfully found the funds and convinced the state that housing was vital to rural students.

Another name change came in 1923 when it became East Texas State Teachers College. In 1925 Dr. Samuel Whitley took charge of the college. He and his family were the first to reside in the President’s Home. He deftly dealt with the Great Depression, by using New Deal programs, such as NYA or National Youth Administration. He led the college through World War II but died suddenly from a heart attack in 1946.

Very good history of the early years of ETSU.

Arthur Clinton Ferguson, as interim president, handled the GI bill, and need for housing. In 1947 Dr. James Gilliam Gee became the next president. During his term the word “teachers” was dropped from the name and “college” became University as in East Texas State University (ETSU) when the first doctoral program appeared on the scene.

In 1964 ETSU quietly integrated before many of the local public schools did. Finally, in 1996, after much discussion, the words “East” and “Texas” were removed from the 110-year-old institution. Today it is Texas A&M University-Commerce. Under the A&M System, the university continues to grow. For more information go to www.tamuc.edu/aboutus/. In 1993 Dr. Donald Reynolds and Dr. James Conrad published an excellent history of the university, Professor Mayo’s College: A History of East Texas State University.

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Remembering Hal C. Horton, Jr.

Posted on January 20, 2019 by admin
Hal Horton, Jr. hardly looked his 102 years!

I visited with Pud Kearns last week. As we talked she reminisced about her uncle, Hal Horton, Jr., who died recently at the age of 102. Hal was a descendant of James R. and Mary Merrill Horton. The couple arrived in Hunt County during the final days of the Republic of Texas. They claimed land on Cowleech Creek where it crosses I-30 today. It’s where Mary Horton Lauderdale and her husband Sam built the Mary of Puddin Hill Store. Sam and Mary were Pud’s parents. The Hortons have been some of the most outstanding citizens throughout the county since the early 1840s.

Hal Horton, Sr., and his wife Gertrude Briscoe Horton were pretty amazing themselves. Mr. Horton served as Sam Rayburn’s personal secretary before World War I. He left Washington to lead the men of Hunt County in battle in France. He was raised from captain to major before the war was over.

When Hal, Sr., returned home from the war to his wife and two children, his son, Hal, Jr., was not excited to see this strange man who moved into their house and took over. How dare he! It was a while before the two became buddies.

Hal, Jr. attended public school here in Greenville and while in high school became an avid rider of motorcycles. That was the beginning of his love of mechanical things. He joined the Army Air Corps in June 1941 and went to Mather Field in Sacramento where he served as a flight trainer.

Horton in his flight uniform.

He told me one time about standing in line for his pay with Dean Hallmark, also from Greenville. Hallmark was one of the pilots on the Green Hornet under Col. Jimmy Doolittle. Doolittle led his men on the first bombing mission over Japan in 1943. Hallmark flew the sixth plane off the Green Hornet, dropped his bomb, but ran low on fuel, ditched the plane just off the coast of China. He was captured and executed by the Japanese. Hal was the last person from Greenville to see Dean Hallmark.

On August 30, 1941 Hal married Lelloine Ragland of Daingerfield. Hal’s mother, brother Jack and sister Mary drove Lelloine from Greenville to Sacramento for the wedding. That’s how highly Gertrude thought of Lelloine.

Hal was stationed on Guam with the 315th Bomb Wing until the end of the war. But he did tell me about two pilots’ tricks here in Greenville. At that time, pilots heading to the Pacific flew their planes from the East Coast to the Sacramento area where they were assigned to carriers, with a stopover at Majors Field in Greenville. The first pilot flew his plane low enough to get under the traffic light at the corner of Lee and Stonewall before leaving the area. The second guy tried the same thing, but someone got the number of his plane. He was decommissioned and discharged when he landed.

After the war, Hal commanded the Air Force Reserve Recovery Squadron at Majors Field (which was involved in the Cuban Missile Crisis), and later worked at his father’s feed mill, before moving to Bonham where he owned and operated a transfer company. When his son moved to Anchorage, Alaska, he found Hal a job working to build the Alaska Pipeline – at the age when all of his friends were retired!

Hal Horton and Lelloine Ragland on their wedding day in 1941. They were married for 78 years.

When he finally retired, Hal enjoyed tinkering, making stained glass windows and wooden jigsaw puzzles. But his most amazing interest was using a computer for the family pastime of genealogy. All the Hortons love to know about their ancestors, cousins, and even the bad guys. That’s how I got to know him, and I was always astonished at how much he was able to uncover by visiting cemeteries, searching old records, and contacting distant family members. About 20 years ago, a new technology of DNA appeared on the scene. Hal was one of the first I know to try it, and it opened up a whole new batch of cousins for him.

In fact, in all my communications with Hal, there was only one problem. He never learned that all caps were not acceptable in emails. So, when you received an email in ALL CAPS, you could be certain it was from Hal.

When asked about his longevity Hal said it was due to Bourbon, Chocolate, and Pecans. Lelloine is still living. She attributes prayer to her longevity. Anyone who knew Hal says she is so right!

Posted in Genealogy, Historical tidbits | 2 Comments

How Texas Got Durham Stock

Posted on January 16, 2019 by admin
The Texas Historical Marker at the site of Colonel Thomas Jefferson Shannon’s grave in Sherman. All agrees with the story in Frontier Times except the name of the daughter. Maybe she was named Julia Victoria or Victoria Julia. (Portal to Texas History, UNT)

Several years ago, I purchased a small collection of Frontier Times, a monthly magazine of “Frontier History, Border Tragedy, Pioneer Achievement”. J. Marvin Hunter published the issues from his office in Bandera, Texas. While some of the tales are just that, others contain good information if scrutinized carefully.

From the June 1926 issue I came across an interesting item, if it is true. If not, it’s a great story of the Texas Frontier in the 1840s. The storyteller was the last descendent of Colonel Thomas Jefferson Shannon, a “bluff, hard riding, sharp-shooting plainsman.” He is best remembered for bringing the Red Durham strain of Durham cattle to Texas. You may have heard of Bull Durham tobacco. The image of Bull Durham was taken from a Red Durham, first brought to Texas, by Colonel Shannon.

Colonel Shannon wanted to improve his herd of long-horned cattle, “a thin-flanked, long-legged critter with a tremendous sweep of horn but not always impressive poundage.” In other words, the longhorn easily adapted to the brushlands of South Texas, but true Texas cattlemen wanted steers with more weight. Somehow, Colonel Shannon managed to get his hands on an English magazine with an article about the Queen’s Durham herd.

It seems that Colonel Shannon believed that he could strengthen his longhorn herd with the introduction of Durham stock. The best source of Durham cattle was the Queen of England and Empress of India. Colonel Shannon set down and promptly wrote a letter to Her Majesty inquiring about the cost of one bull and two female cows. Now remember this was the 1840s, no railroads in Texas, extremely slow mail service, and no easy way to transport the cattle, even if the Queen assented.

Several months later he received a letter from Buckingham Palace. Prince Albert wrote that the Queen was away but as soon as she returned he would bring the matter to her attention. Prince Albert felt sure the Queen would be willing to sell or even give Colonel Shannon the small herd of Red Durham.

Two months later, Queen Victoria replied. She would be glad to give the colonel the cattle he requested if he could send proof of secure transportation once the livestock reached New Orleans. Colonel Shannon forwarded full proof of more than adequate transportation to his ranch from New Orleans. Queen Victoria handpicked the three animals and supervised preparations for the first part of the journey.

Colonel Shannon’s method of transporting the livestock to North Texas was unique, to say the least. He placed them in wagons, no descriptions given. At frequent intervals he unloaded them, fed and watered them, and allowed them to graze for a day or two. They arrived safely to his ranch. He was able to introduce the new breed that quickly spread across the region.

Periodically, Shannon sent reports of the stock to the Queen. He even named his first daughter Victoria and one of his sons Albert. According to Texas History Online (tshaonline.org) the story is true. He settled near the new town of Sherman with his Red Durham herd. Shannon died there in 1864.

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The Last of the Doughboys

Posted on January 13, 2019 by admin
Cover of The Last of the Doughboys, a superb read!

This title is both symbolic and a promise, maybe. After five years of trying to write a history of very early Greenville and satisfy my obsession with the “whys” of World War I, I am ready to settle down enough to renew another interest. I hope to have the Greenville book to the publisher by summer. I have told myself enough is enough about WWI.

But I must share a wonderful book I just completed reading. The Last of the Doughboys was written by Richard Rubin, who shared a similar interest with me. We both knew someone who served in that war years ago. While I sat and listened to my grandfather, Rubin chased down every veteran to be found . . . beginning in 2003. His was an incredible feat. The Veteran’s Administration had no lists of WWI vets at that time, the only lists he found were several years old when France honored the Americans who helped save their country.

Gradually Rubin began to hear of others, still living, that he might interview. There is a trick to oral history interviews, and Richard Rubin was super. He had a knack for storytelling. Plus, his lifelong interest in the Great War gave him an adequate background for a great book.

Rubin admits interviewing older people can be a challenge. But he persevered. And with each interviewee, he became more adept. Rubin was inspired at an Armistice Day Parade in Orleans, Massachusetts in 2003. Riding in a parade car was Corporal Jesse Laurence Moffitt, a bona fide World War I veteran. After the parade, Rubin spoke with Moffitt and was quickly got hooked on his new project.

Rubin criss-crossed the United States interviewing dozens of men and women who had played a role in the war. For many it was the first time away from home, first time on a train or ship, first time in a foreign country with numerous languages spoken. Many left school in fifth or sixth grade to help support their family. Several were fatherless by age three or four. Life was tough even before the war. Rubin noted how all but one of the veterans were “stoic” after the horrors of war. That one never saw battle on the Front Line.

One man told of sitting on a rock with a buddy when the Germans began shelling them. The buddy was killed, and the man was unscathed. A frequent tale was the rain and mud. They slept in muddy marshes, walked along trails full of water, and always needed more blankets. But they survived the German guns, the miserable conditions, the monotony of food, and even Influenza that spread around the world.

None of the women went abroad, they went to Washington, D. C. where they took the jobs of men on their way to the Front Line. As soon as news of the Armistice reached Americans, the women were out of jobs. But all vigorously celebrated the Armistice at 11:00 A.M. on November 11, 1918.

Rubin interviewed members of 92nd and 93rd Regiments, a segregated group of African Americans who were treated as manual laborers. Few reached the Front Lines, but those who did performed outstanding feats.

Richard Rubin was not only a World War I Buff, but a connoisseur of old phonographs and records. By this time, he had developed a deep interest in music created in Tin Pan Alley until the 1920s. His lengthy bibliography and experience at The New Yorker added to a most unique piece of work. It presents a great, short appraisal of the U. S. involvement in World War I. I highly recommend The Last of the Doughboys.

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Gunpowder Justice

Posted on January 9, 2019 by admin
Samuel Burk Burnett, wealthy cattleman and oilman. By Unknown – Makers of Fort Worth (1914)

Former Regents Professor of History at my alma mater Midwestern State University collected some cool tales for an anthology he published in 2005. Tales of Texoma: Episodes in the History of the Red River Border is full of great stories from one of the oldest areas in the state of Texas. Few people are aware that much of the land adjacent to the Red River was home to nomadic Native Americans, early pioneers, and cattlemen before the Texas Revolution.

One of the most well known cattlemen was Samuel Burk Burnett. He began ranching in 1870 when he bought a herd of cattle with brand of 6666, the Four Sixes. Over the years he acquired vast amounts of land and a large cattle herd. Like all successful ranchers, Burnett managed to deal with fluctuating cattle prices, droughts, fence wars, and land disputes. He was known as a quick draw when cattle rustlers were around.

Burnett frequently dealt with those individuals who thought if they saw good cows, they were theirs for the taking, especially a man named Farley Sayers. Sayers was what in that part of Texas is known as “squirrely.” One fall he stole ten or twelve young calves, drove them to a box canyon, and tried to feed them grass when that was definitely not what the calves wanted. The calves were bawling at the top of their lungs, the mama cows were putting on a ruckus, too. One of Burnett’s cowhands came up on the calves, rounded them up and took them to their mothers. Sayers was not at all happy.

In fact Sayers was seldom happy, especially holding a grudge against Burk Burnett. Sayers threatened to shoot an innocent cowhand who infuriated Sayers when he helped put out a grass fire on Burnett property. Sayers was quite vocal of his hatred of Mr. Burnett, probably out of jealously. He often expressed his intent to shoot Burnett and kill his whole outfit.

On May 23, 1912 Burk Burnett along with Tom Picket his friend and bodyguard were in Paducah, Texas about lunchtime. They decided to eat at the Goodwin Hotel. Before sitting down they went to the men’s room to wash up. Supposedly they didn’t know that Sayers was also washing up, but when Burnett and his friend walked in they saw Sayers pull his gun. Instantly Burnett fired and killed Sayers. Burnett then walked across the street to the sheriff’s office and turned himself in.

Numerous witnesses testified that Burnett was innocent. They had their say when the case came to court in July of 1913. The venue was changed to Seymour in Baylor County. The small town was full of spectators, 150 witnesses, newspaper reporters, and Burnett family members. Of course, Burk Burnett could afford the top defense attorneys in Texas.

After all the testimony, the all male jury adjourned. Deliberations lasted twenty-three minutes. The foreman read the verdict of “Not Guilty.” In gratitude, Burk Burnett donated $5,000 for a state-of-the-art operating room for All Saints Hospital in Fort Worth.

Not long after the trial, people all over that part of North Texas began to speculate that it wasn’t Burnett who killed Sayers. His vision was getting dimmer and his draw wasn’t as quick as it had been. Then they realized that it was the former sheriff and bodyguard Tom Pickett who pulled the trigger. No one mentioned it publically but Tom became a hero.

Even I was surprised at the ending when I read the story. Tales of Texoma is a great collection of Texas short stories.

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New Year’s Resolutions

Posted on January 2, 2019 by admin
Maybe my black-eyed peas will sprout into words to finish that book.

This year I am not going to make any New Years’ Resolution. I don’t need to, I didn’t accomplish the ones from last year. Or even the year before that. You see, they are always the same.

For most of my life I promised to lose five pounds. They are still with me, though. I have promised myself I would finish the book I have a contract for, but just can’t seem to do it. Although there are many other things I have no difficulty writing about. I lie awake at night thinking about the wording I will use, but I just can’t get it on paper. What is so ironic, there is a limited number of pages, and that number is 100.

I have been asked to write a biography, my first attempt. I can hardly wait to start researching but I won’t let myself even google the name until the other book is finished. So that is where my resolutions are focused.

I did read something the other day that said only 8% of people follow through with their New Year’s resolutions. I hope to be part of that statistic next year. In fact, I fixed black-eyed peas, cabbage and cornbread for dinner last night. That should do it if anything does!

The same article said to tidy up the house and work space. Heaven knows I need to do that. All those papers scattered about my office on various topics, mostly about that book, need find a way to my book or to files.

The article also said the empty drawers and donate. Well, my desk is an old kitchen table with no drawers. But does that help? No! I have fourteen metal filing cabinets that hold a whole lot more stuff than a desk drawer. And finally, the article said to write down small goals.

Those small goals should be something the person can accomplish in 90 days. Well, my book has basically three parts. The second and third I have written about on several occasions. Maybe I should start at the end and work to the beginning. You know, I think I will try that this month.

And by the way, I’m hoping each of you have a wonderful New Year even if you didn’t eat your black-eyed peas and cabbage.

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Boxing Day

Posted on December 26, 2018 by admin
Boxing Day Sale in Toronto in 2007. (Commons.wikimedia.org)

Today is Boxing Day. What in the world is that you ask! Is it time to clean out all the empty Christmas gifts and add them to recyclable trash bins? What about breaking the boxes apart and sliding down a snowy hill if you happen to have in snow in your neighborhood? Better yet, young children love to play with and in boxes. That will entertain them for a few days.

However, none of these ideas pertain to Boxing Day as it is celebrated in the UK, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia. The custom was started about 800 years ago in what is now Great Britain and spread to all the colonies in the British Empire.

Churches had Alms Boxes where coins and money were left to aid the poor. The day after Christmas, each church emptied their Alms Boxes and gave the contents to the poor and needy. The custom still is followed in parts of the United Kingdom today.

Also, since it is the day after Christmas, it is still a holiday. Men spend time hunting, racing horses, and playing football. Of course, that is not our variety of football, but the one played all over the world. Women go shopping.

If you remember correctly, what is the United States today was once a British Colony. So, if all the other former colonies celebrate Boxing Day, why don’t we? Again, remember we decided we didn’t want the King of England telling us what do. After all, he didn’t speak English, only German. We had wise men who concocted a new form of government, of certain rights and privileges for all people. The government was to be for the people, by the people.

After some quirks in the system, it became workable. Through two hundred forty-two years it has worked quite well with a few tweaks as needed.

But some of the American Colonists were members of the Church of England, the church that supports Boxing Day. Remember again the American Colonies chose Freedom of Religion; where each of us can worship in a place of our choice, or none at all. When the Revolutionary War began, those men who volunteered to fight for American freedom were ousted from the Church of England.

No one since then has chosen to initiate Boxing Day here. However, women over here go shopping and men watch our type of football relentlessly in late December. But it is a great idea to help those who have less, who are hungry and cold. Keep them in mind this week.

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Quirky Phrases from the Past

Posted on December 23, 2018 by admin

Has an older person ever told you something and you had no idea what it the world that person was talking about? It happened to me more than once. Let me share a few that you might have heard.

Minnie and Greenie Coley in front of their home in Jacksboro. His first greeting to anyone on Christmas Eve was “Christmas Eve Gifts,” along with a piece of peppermint candy. (Author’s photo)

One of my grandfathers was born in Jackson County, Alabama. That’s in northern Alabama, not far from eastern Tennessee and northwestern Georgia. In other words, he was born in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. For many years it was an isolated region. When they were invited somewhere, the usual reply was “I’ll be there if the creeks don’t rise.”

The first thing that comes to mind is floods, or small waterways scattered across super saturated grounds. Something like we have seen repeatedly this fall. You see that when there is no place for the standing water to go.

But no, that’s not what the statement meant. Insert Creeks in place of creeks and you have a Native American group who inhabited the regions before the American Revolution. The Creeks were peaceful farmers until Anglos crossed the Appalachians looking for farm land and finding the first Gold Rush in the United States. Not as big as the California Gold Rush of 1849, but still a substantial find in northwest Georgia.

Immediately, white settlers came looking for gold and good farm lands. While the Creeks were known as peaceful farmers, they quickly turned into vicious warriors. When they chose to protect their own land and homes, the settlers considered the Creeks were on an up rise, hence “If the Creeks don’t rise.” It was definitely dangerous to be out and about at such a time.

We all know that an obligation is like a debt, but not necessarily involving money. You might owe a friend a favor. We have an obligation to stand when the flag is raised at a football game. We have an obligation to send our young children to school. But years ago, men would say “Much obliged,” instead of saying thank you. I frequently asked my mother why one man owed another money. Very confusing for me since I had only recently learned the meaning of an obligation.

My third example is the phrase, “Christmas Eve Gifts.” On Christmas Eve the same grandfather always greeted everyone with that saying, as did many other people in my hometown. It is a pure Southern expression. It seems if originated on plantations. Young slave children greeted the master or the overseer with “Christmas Eve Gifts” in hopes of receiving coins, nuts, fruit, candy, etc. That was the only time they were allowed to beg. White children were not allowed to participate. Of course, this happened before the Civil War ended.

While in graduate school, I read about the custom and was surprised to hear the origin. Obviously poor white children and some not so poor picked up the custom. By the 1950s the custom was abandoned, except for grandfathers who brought small gifts to their grandchildren on Christmas Eve.

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