Historic Texas Cemetery

Posted on February 26, 2017 by admin
Courtesy of Kathy Hall. Mass grave of five people who died of dreadful small pox east of Muddig. Thirteen people in all were quarantined in a tenant farmer’s house, including three children, for two weeks in 1901. When the quarantine was lifted, the house and all belongs were burned to keep disease from spreading.

Courtesy of Kathy Hall. Mass grave of five people who died of dreadful small pox east of Muddig. Thirteen people in all were quarantined in a tenant farmer’s house, including three children, for two weeks in 1901. When the quarantine was lifted, the house and all belongs were burned to keep disease from spreading.

The Texas Historical Commission is the Preservation Agency for the State of Texas. Not only do they approve all the roadside historical markers in the state, but also they have specialists who answer questions about house histories, who suggest ways to preserve buildings, and who are authorities in archeology. There are courthouse specialists as well as cemetery specialists. On my To Do list this spring is to apply for Historic Texas Cemetery Designation for a very small burial site in the far northeast corner of Hunt County.

It is without a doubt one of the saddest stories I ever heard. A Farm Road and a County Road corner the plot. Three tombstone bases are visible and one very small piece of limestone with the letter “A” etched on one side. These items lay under three cedar trees. The ground is far from smooth and the three bases appear as if they had been tossed asunder by an upheaval under the ground.

The cemetery has no name. A woman who lives west of Fort Worth contacted me last fall. The deceased were all related to one of her grandfathers. I met her there last Sunday. We decided to first name the cemetery, using the family name. Then the woman handed me an article from an unknown source, probably a newspaper from Bonham or Honey Grove.

The article, titled “Tragedy at Lost Prairie,” does tell a tragic story. Thomas and Matilda Evans were tenant farmers on land owned by a Mr. Jackson. The Evans family was sharecropping to buy part of the land. The couple was parents to seven children, all young adults. One of the daughters and her husband along with their little girl Grace had gone to the Oklahoma panhandle to homestead their own land. In late March 1901, the young couple rode the train back to Ladonia. Family met them and the whole family looked forward to a big reunion.

Unknowingly Grace’s mother had been exposed to smallpox and became very ill shortly after arriving at the family farm. She became ill the first week of April. Hunt County medical officer Dr. Milner was notified and took charge. Mr. Bond, a neighbor who had survived smallpox, was called to help, as he then was immune. The young mother died on April 7. Her body was wrapped in a blanket and laid out in the field behind the house where it stayed until arrangements could be made. Officials in Fannin and Delta counties refused to allow the body to be transported across county lines.

Landowner Jackson gave permission to bury the body in a far corner of yard. Bond wrapped a rope around the body, mounted his horse and drug the corpse to the site. The rest of the family, all thirteen, remained quarantined in the house for two more weeks. The next victim was the young mother’s mother, followed by her father and two young nieces. All five victims were buried in a single grave.

When the rest of the family was released from quarantine, the house was burned to the ground, destroying the deadly virus. Some years later, a nephew fenced the burial ground, and purchased three obelisks, each about four feet tall. Since then, unknown persons removed the fence and markers. Today little remains to tell their story.

This is not a typical story found in Designated Texas Historic Cemeteries, but it definitely needs notice. Once we complete the paper work, we will submit the application to Austin where staff will review and hopefully approve it. At that point, the chairman of our historical commission will receive an addendum to the property deed. That will be submitted to the county clerk who attaches it to the property deed and a copy to any adjacent property deeds. This ensures that the small cemetery cannot be destroyed any more. At that point, the descendant will determine if any improvements will be made.

If you know of any unmarked graves or cemeteries exist anywhere in Hunt County, please contact me. Thank you.

Posted in Historical tidbits, North Texas History | 1 Comment

Goin’ on a Bear Hunt

Posted on February 19, 2017 by admin
Bear hunting in Tennessee was similar to hunting in Texas. Just avoid wild hogs. (Wikipedia)

Bear hunting in Tennessee was similar to hunting in Texas. Just avoid wild hogs. (Wikipedia)

It was late fall 1845 when R. P. Merrill arrived in Hunt County. At the age of thirteen he was hired to help build a log barn for his brother-in-law James R. Horton. The barn was unusual by our 21st Century standards. Actually, it was a large corncrib with the south side open for about 200 hogs to bed down. Log walls enclosed the other three sides. After the corncrib was completed, Merrill returned to the Horton farm on the North Sulphur River bottom. He and a few others gathered the hogs and began the walk to their new home. After two days they arrived on the Sabine River bottom southeast of what would become Greenville. The Horton family moved to their farm before the New Year.

Merrill and the others managed to move the hogs with a little trickery. Hogs like to eat. So a wagon full of corn went along with them. Regularly corn would fall from the wagon but it wasn’t really necessary. The river bottoms were full of mast, the fruit of pecan, oak, chestnut, and other forest trees. Pigs and other wild animals delighted in mast. With food available, the hogs stayed together and followed the wagon.

At the new barn, the corn was loaded into cribs or storage bins, and the hogs were turned loose to forage. Merrill only had to keep an eye on them and make sure they were in the barn at night. On cold nights he slept in the barn with the hogs, but most nights he and his two dogs slept outside the pen.

About Christmas a rumor spread through the neighborhood that farther down the Sabine bears were plentiful in a big cane break. Two local hunters decided they wanted to try their hand on a bear hunt.

They arrived at Merrill’s camp and insisted that he accompany them as guide. He agreed after explaining that a huge wild boar had been seen in a thicket between his camp and the cane break. Merrill thought it would be wise to avoid that thicket and the boar. The hunters were experienced and cared little about such a thing as a wild boar. They were after bear meat and fur. After all, they were experienced hunters.

When they arrived at the thicket the hunters decided to take a short cut through the wooded area. It was only a few minutes until their twelve good bear dogs picked up the hog scent. They quickly scrambled after the wild boar in hot pursuit when it turned on them. Before the hunters could call off the dogs, two were dead and three others ripped up badly. This abruptly put an end to the bear hunt.

The men returned to Merrill’s camp where one of the hunters, Mr. Mooney, told Merrill to bring some water. It was a two hundred yard trip. After a few times, Merrill rebelled. Mooney jumped up and hit his baldhead on the low roof Merrill had over his cooking place. It was such a surprise to Mooney that the boy laughed out loud. This enraged the hunter but he did not undertake to chastise the boy.

The men tucked tails and headed home, without bear meat or bear skins as well as short some of their prized dogs.

Posted in Greenville, Historical tidbits, North Texas History | Leave a comment

Great Surprise

Posted on February 12, 2017 by admin
The Audie Murphy/American Cotton Museum was recently featured in Texas Highways Magazine.

The Audie Murphy/American Cotton Museum was recently featured in Texas Highways Magazine.

I opened the latest issue of Texas Highways and discovered a pleasant surprise. On page 18 was a photograph I quickly recognized. It was the lonely G.I. writing a letter home to his wife and daughter. The one that is so touching at the Audie Murphy/American Cotton Museum here in Greenville. No matter how many times I see the display, my eyes tear up.

When I walk through the World War I bunker, I wonder how those men survived trench warfare. My other favorite is the back porch of the tenant farmer’s home. The exhibits in the museum are so realistic, so well done.

It seems that Paul McDonnold feels the same way. His article invites travelers to stop by and have a look at Hunt County since 1880 when the first train arrived to haul bales of cotton off the markets worldwide. He carefully weaves the story of cotton with our hometown hero, Audie Murphy.

I visited with Director Susan Lanning after I read the article. Susan was ecstatic, to say the least. What was so exciting was that Mr. McDonnold found the museum on his own without the usual PR publicity. That was very positive for the museum.

Susan showed me the museum’s latest pride and joy. Between the bank vault and the back porch, they managed to fit in a gorgeous buggy recently donated after a thorough renovation. This is a big, a very big buggy. It took a tall, strong horse to pull it. However, I can see that horse trotting down the dirt trail, his head held high, taking the lady of the home to visit a neighbor or a country doctor to deliver a baby.

As an aside, one of my great-grandfathers was such a country doctor who often took my grandmother with him in his buggy when going on a call.

A second new exhibit is in the works at the Audie Murphy/American Cotton Museum. They are building a blacksmith’s shed. We tend to think of blacksmiths and farriers as those who shoe a horse or mule. That’s primarily what a farrier does in addition to specializing in equine hoof care. The blacksmith on the other hand was much more versatile.

The local blacksmith was the go to person who made and repaired anything made of iron or steel. In 19th century America, blacksmiths were almost always men. They made plows, axes, shovels, lighting devises, door hinges, logging chains, harness hardware, iron tires for wagons, and hardware to build wagons, homes and barns. Then when their product broke, they fixed it. He was one of the busiest and most important people in a community.

As automobiles replaced wagons and horses, most blacksmiths evolved into mechanics. They learned how to work on cars, bicycles, and even airplanes. In my Civil War research, I found the local blacksmith was adept at repairing old rifles, muskets, and other firearms. Here on the frontier in Texas, those weapons were vital.

The next time you are looking for something to do or to entertain visitors, go to the Audie Murphy/American Cotton Museum. The early 20th century merchants of Hunt County are still waiting for you. Now you can look at the buggy. Have you seen the actual, life-size bale of cotton? It’s very impressive. Hopefully by summer, you can visit the blacksmith’s shed. Located at 600 I-30 Frontage Road, Greenville. Hours are 10 AM to 5 PM Tuesday through Saturday, closed Sunday and Monday.

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Another Multi-generational Home Speaks Up

Posted on February 5, 2017 by admin
3945 Houston Street in Greenville, home to three generations of the same family.

3945 Houston Street in Greenville, home to three generations of the same family.
Google Maps photo

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about a home on Park Street that has been occupied by members of the same family line for three generations.

This week another family contacted me with a similar story. Something tells me there are other stories in Greenville and throughout Hunt County like these.

Former mayor Tom Oliver and his wife, Sharon, live in the home where Tom and brother Norman were raised and their mother was also raised. The large one-story English home sits on the corner of Houston and Walworth Streets. T.M. Bethell and wife Virgie Norman Bethell had the home built after moving back to Greenville around 1926.

A newspaper article of that time featured new homes in town. The Bethell home was described in glorious detail. The English roof was stained soft black with paneled gables below. Dark Range Autumn Blend bricks with white mortar covered the exterior walls. A formal entry bordered with white arched stone was connected to a sitting porch by an open terrace.

The lovely interior included a hand-painted mural in the breakfast room. Architect W.A. Cooke of Dallas designed the house built by general contractor J.T. Gloverof Greenville. Fortunately none of the residents have drastically altered the home.

Tom M. Bethell and his wife, the former Virgie Norman, were both born in Greenville in 1887. Bethell went to work in his father’s hardware store after completing business college in Waco.

A short time later, Tom became interested in cotton and took a job in Longview, but soon returned to Greenville and Miss Norman. The couple wed in December 1909 at the old Kavanaugh Methodist Church on the site of the current church. Their daughter, Mary Elizabeth, was born in 1912.

When the family moved into their new home, the newspaper reported “nothing has been spared to make this one of the loveliest homes in Greenville and a credit to any city.” Tom Bethell planted a garden in the backyard that was the envy of all the neighbors.

Mary Elizabeth was the darling of Kavanaugh Church throughout her life. She married Barney Oliver who became the Greenville postmaster. The couple raised their two sons, Tom and Norman, in that home and at Kavanaugh.

Sometime in the 1980s or 1990s, Tom and Sharon returned to Greenville as Mary and Barney were looking for a smaller place to live. The younger couple renovated the home with little or no changes. They, too, raised their family in the lovely brick English house. This time it was two girls instead of two rowdy boys who came of age at the corner of Houston and Walworth Streets.

Others areas that might have homes occupied by more than one generation are found in the Sayle Addition on West Lee Street. In fact, I think there is a house on West Lee Street whose owner is the nephew of the original owner. What about the homes on Walnut Street, or Johnson and Stonewall streets, or even down Wesley Street, both north and south?

I wouldn’t be surprised to find such homes in the communities throughout the county in small towns and farms. Speak up if you fall in this special group.

Posted in Greenville, Historical tidbits | Leave a comment

The Foreign Office Saves the Day

Posted on January 29, 2017 by admin
This telegram was sent by German Foreign Minister Arthur Zimmermann to the President of Mexico proposing a military alliance against the United States. In return for Mexican support in the war, Germany would help Mexico regain New Mexico, Texas, and Arizona from the United States. The British intercepted the secret message, deciphered it, and turned it over to the U.S. Government.

This telegram was sent by German Foreign Minister Arthur Zimmermann to the President of Mexico proposing a military alliance against the United States. In return for Mexican support in the war, Germany would help Mexico regain New Mexico, Texas, and Arizona from the United States. The British intercepted the secret message, deciphered it, and turned it over to the U.S. Government.
(U. S. National Archives and Records Administration)

Berlin, January 19, 1917
On the first of February we intend to begin submarine warfare unrestricted. In spite of this, it is our intention to endeavor to keep neutral the United States of America. If this attempt is not successful, we propose an alliance on the following basis with Mexico: That we shall make war together and together make peace. We shall give general financial support, and it is understood that Mexico is to reconquer the lost territory in New Mexico, Texas, and Arizona. The details are left to you for settlement. You are instructed to inform the President of Mexico of the above in the greatest confidence as soon as it is certain that there will be an outbreak of war with the United States and suggest that the President of Mexico, on his own initiative, should communicate with Japan suggesting adherence at once to this plan; at the same time, offer to mediate between Germany and Japan. Please call to the attention of the President of Mexico that the employment of ruthless submarine warfare now promises to compel England to make peace in a few months.
Zimmerman (Secretary of State)

Pretty scary, no? This is the decoded and translated telegram that the British Foreign Office in London intercepted in late January 1917. Sent by German Secretary of State Arthur Zimmerman to the German Minister to Mexico, Heinrich von Eckhardt with the full support of the German government, the telegram offered the Mexican government portions of the United States lost in the Mexican War of 1846-1848, almost seventy years before. Germany would finance a war between Mexico and the United States, a conflict that had been on going for some time.

Mexico could set the terms, but Zimmerman strongly suggested that a peaceful agreement between Germany and Japan could also be brokered by Mexico.

When Germany began unrestricted submarine warfare to break the British naval blockade of German ports, they felt they would quickly destroy both Great Britain and France, the strongest members of the Allied forces. At that point, the United States severed diplomatic ties with Germany. Germany’s greatest fear was the entry of the United States into the war.

Great Britain waited until February 24 to release the message to President Woodrow Wilson. Americans learned of it on March 1. Needless to say, most Americans felt threatened, angry, and demanded Congress declare war with Germany. On April 6, 1917, the United States Congress, with support of President Woodrow Wilson signed the Declaration of War.

David Kahn, author of The Codebreakers (Simon & Schuster, 1967, 1996 revised) believed “that no other cryptanalysis has had such enormous consequences; that never before or since has so much turned upon the solution of a secret message.”

How Great Britain managed to decipher the German code is fascinating and very complicated. World War I historian Barbara Tuchman wrote an easier read in The Zimmerman Triangle (Ballantine Books, 1985). Either book tells a terrific story.

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Question and Warning

Posted on January 22, 2017 by admin
Judy Russell, attorney and writer of “The Legal Genealogist” blog. www.legalgenealogist.com.

Judy Russell, attorney and writer of “The Legal Genealogist” blog. www.legalgenealogist.com.

Last week I wrote about Dr. James Ward, an ear, nose, and throat physician who practiced in Greenville and lived on Park Street with his wife and three children.  A grandson now occupies the Ward home.  One of my readers posed a very good question this week. How many other homes on Park Street or even within the city of Greenville have been in the same family for three or more generations?  If you or someone you know falls into that category, please let me know.  You can contact me at the email below.  I’d love to know. There’s got to be somebody with such a distinction.  Remember, it’s not limited just to Park Street.

Now my warning.  One of the best genealogical lecturers I have had the honor to study under is Judy Russell, who brands herself  “The Legal Genealogist.”  I heard her in Dallas a few years ago before taking a weeklong class in Salt Lake City.  While a licensed attorney who no longer practices, she shares a wealth of knowledge about U. S. laws since colonial times that directed family law.  She knows the little details or where to find them.

For example, in North Carolina just before the American Revolution anyone who was a member of the Committee for Safety was ejected from the state church, the local Anglican Church.  Not only was my ancestor sent packing from the church because he was a revolutionist, his entire family was ex-communicated.  There were no civil marriages then.  When I could not find a marriage license for the couple in the early 1770s, Judy explained the circumstances.  I later found supporting evidence in two wills, but that’s another story.

Judy Russell does a daily blog aptly called “The Legal Genealogist.”  Recently she posted what I believe is a very credible warning.  There is a new genealogy website called Family Tree Now.  It sounds almost too good to be true.  And it is.  The site claims to have one of the largest collections anywhere in the world.  Plus, it’s all free.

Well, both claims are red flags for veteran genealogists.   The most reliable sites never make that claim and do charge for the cost of providing such reputable information.  In addition, there is a solid rule that information about living persons should NEVER be released in a public arena.

The website turned out to be one of those links to arrest records, bankruptcy cases, and other personal matters.  If someone really wants to find out about you, they will pony up the money and may not receive true facts.  So my advice and Judy’s warning is to Opt Out.

Ironically, the company who set up the website is WHOIS, with all the owner information securely hidden behind a privacy wall.

That should be a lesson for all family history buffs.  Never put anything about your self, except maybe your name, and your living family members.  That means online, in a book for family members, in a local history book or anything where the information is public.  Identity theft is very real.  Don’t make it easier for crooks.

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Following the Good Deed Trail

Posted on January 15, 2017 by admin
1612 Park Street, Greenville, Texas was the home of Dr. James W. Ward and wife Rena from at least 1920 until her death in 1968. Will N. Harrison, a local builder whose homes often included Prairie style architecture such as this home, may have built it.

1612 Park Street, Greenville, Texas was the home of Dr. James W. Ward and wife Rena from at least 1920 until her death in 1968. Will N. Harrison, a local builder whose homes often included Prairie style architecture such as this home, may have built it.

Just before Christmas a friend of mine in Sulphur Springs sent me a photograph of the business center of a town somewhere in the middle of the United States.  The early 20th century photograph could have been anywhere, as many small towns were remarkably similar.  He wanted to know if it was taken in Greenville or Sulphur Springs.  I was unable to find even one identifiable landmark.

A few days later I received two names from my friend.  Did I know Grady Bruce or J. W. Ward, both medical doctors specializing in Ear, Nose, and Throat, better known as an ENT?  Since this is a good friend who has done several favors for me, I decided to see what I could find out about the two doctors.

Using City Directories, Census records, Google Maps, and John Armstrong’s wonderful index to Hunt County newspapers, I managed to put together what I think is a pretty good resume of Dr. Ward.

Dr. James W. Ward practiced medicine in Greenville as early 1920.  Before that in 1910, I found him in Detroit, Red River County, Texas where he was in general practice medicine.  He married his wife Rena five years earlier.  His practice was brisk if the fact the couple hired a twenty-year-old live-in maid was any indication.  Two children were in the household. He did not answer the call for medical personnel in World War I, though.

By 1920, Dr. Ward relocated to Greenville, purchased a home at 1612 Park Street, and practiced as an ENT.  His first office was above Pennington & Holderness Drug Store at 2502 Stonewall.  How long he kept that office is not known, but sometime after 1926 when the Greenville National Exchange Bank building was opened, he moved into an office there.  He remained in the bank building until he semi-retired and moved his office to 2213 Johnson Street about 1953.  He was no longer practicing medicine in 1956.

Dr. Ward was a dedicated member of the Greenville Lions Club, organized an oil company, and served on the Boy Scout Advisory Board as well as the Wesley College Board.  Sometime after World War II he joined the Board of Directors at Citizens National Bank as Vice-President.

His wife Rena was a member of at least two women’s clubs in town, an officer in PTA at Travis, Greenville Junior High and Greenville High School when the three children were young.  She served as an officer in the Hunt County Medical Auxiliary.   Evidently the couple enjoyed social life as they were in attendance at one of Greenville’s more elaborate events, the Opening of the Washington Hotel.

Dr. Ward passed away on December 16, 1956.  Rena lived until 1968.  They resided in the same home, raised three children, took part in many local activities, but for some reason I don’t feel like I know them.  It is possible to discover all the outstanding honors and occupations a person has held, but what was that person really like?  Was he cheerful with a great bedside manner, or was he really grumpy?  As an ENT he treated many children, did they like him or did they come in kicking and screaming?

Those are problems genealogists face.  We can rattle off accomplishments, or even disgraces, but it is very hard to zero in on the real human being.

Posted in Genealogy, Greenville, Historical tidbits | Leave a comment

Davy Crockett’s Coonskin Cap

Posted on January 10, 2017 by admin
Davy Crockett Almanack of Wild Sports in the West National Museum of American History - Smithsonian

Davy Crockett Almanack of Wild Sports in the West National Museum of American History – Smithsonian

Every year I am big on New Year’s Resolutions. Most of the time I resolve to lose weight, work out, eat healthier, etc. But this year I resolved to write a book I promised the Director of East Texas Historical Association Scott Sosebee several years ago. Several complications arose such as double knee replacement, caring for my elderly father, and negotiations concerning the content of the book. Finally last summer we agreed on the subject matter.

The book is an early history of Greenville. I mean really early, even before the county and town were created. Dr. Sosebee and I agreed that it would be very interesting to look at three of my favorite topics in Texas history: agriculture including subsistence farming and livestock ranching, Civil War, and Reconstruction. All three preceded the cotton boom and railroads. Life was simple but very interesting and exciting.

For more than twenty years I have collected articles, news clippings, and notes taken while reading about Northeast Texas. So the day after Christmas, I tackled my filing cabinets. I have three 3-drawer filing cabinets crammed full of local history, documents relating to my Masters’ Thesis on the Mercer Colony, and my personal genealogy. To be honest, much of it is a disaster.

It has taken almost a week to work my way through the fascinating story of the Mercer Colony of which the southern portion of Hunt County was included. When I finish the Greenville book, I plan to convert my thesis into a book and try to find a publisher. But right now I am on the trail of the earliest settlers in the Greenville area, be they the early Caddo Indians who hunted in the area, the displaced Native Americans fleeing from war and disease brought by Europeans, or the earliest US citizens.

My friend Skipper Steely of Paris has had a lifelong interest in Northeast Texas history. He and his brothers are descendants of Claiborn Wright who arrived at Pecan Point near Jonesborough after six month on a flatboat from Tennessee in 1819. Skipper’s book “David Crockett: A Tour Across Northeast Texas” is a wonderful source of information. Skipper has used Dr. Rex Strickland’s works as some of the best source material for earliest Northeast Texas.

Because little research has been done of the time and place, finding new material is extremely exciting. As I was going through papers I came across a bit about Davy Crockett. He may or may not set out to escape from an unpleasant marriage or looking for good hunting ranges or out for a fight on the side of the Texians. It seems that at some point writers have doubted the veracity of David Crockett’s coonskin cap. But in Skipper’s book, he verifies that Crockett had one on his head. While a coonskin cap keeps the head warm, someone recorded that he was wearing it on March 6th when the Mexicans under General Santa Ana attached the Alamo. Normally, that time of the year is pleasant weather, but in 1836 a blue norther came roaring down on San Antonio. I’m certain that his headgear was the last thing on David Crockett’s mind that fateful morning.

The book will be filled with fraudulent land speculators, brush men and vigilantes in the late 1850s, tales of horrible violence during Reconstruction as well as stories of Indian encounters and courtroom gunfights. I promise all are true events in Greenville and the surrounding area.

Posted in Greenville, Historical tidbits, North Texas History | Leave a comment

Happy New Year

Posted on January 10, 2017 by admin
If Time Magazine said the new century began on January 1, 2000, who am I to differ? (Photo: Amazon.com)

If Time Magazine said the new century began on January 1, 2000, who am I to differ?
(Photo: Amazon.com)

Today is the start of a brand-new year, a time for resolutions and promises, and intentions to mend one’s ways. For Chinese immigrants into Texas, it is Lunar New Year, the greatest holiday of the year. Why? Because the Lunar New Year is considered everybody’s birthday; it is a time when ceremonial greetings and gifts are exchanged. I don’t know if you get presents on the day you were born also or not.

Several New Years Days have been days of mourning. Without a doubt, January 1, 1942 was full of fear and trepidation, as were the next four New Years Days.

One of my favorite New Years stories occurred in early fall 1899. Everyone was so excited about the new century, plans for lavish parties were made, and new clothes were ready. It would be a grand event until someone questioned when the new century actually began? Mathematically, ten is the end of the first set of numbers; not the beginning. That is reserved for the number one.

So, would the new century be greeted with revelry on December 31, 1899 or would it be December 31, 1900? It was a most important decision to make. Everyone had an opinion. Newspapers were full of comments. And time was drawing near. Finally, most Americans came to a very practical conclusion. Why not celebrate both? In many places that’s what happened, even here in Greenville.

There were no wild parties here, though. Churches held Watch Parties, where you watched for the New Year. The wealthier held lavish dinners, but probably not too many dances. Families gathered to reminiscence and play cards. Children were often allowed to stay up late. I suspect a few anvils flew up in the sky and young boys had fireworks battles on the sidewalks across Lee Street.

Now, fast-forward 100 years. When did you celebrate the beginning of the 21st Century? Of course, we didn’t have to worry about the appropriate year. The media settled it for us. I do remember watching the New Year arrive in many parts of the world. It was very interesting. But that tells you the Taylors are not big partiers. While I wrote this more than two weeks ago, I suspect we stayed home last night and maybe stayed awake to see the ball drop in New York City. However you celebrate the arrival of 2017, be safe, and have a Wonderful New Year!

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Feliz Navidad!

Posted on December 25, 2016 by admin
Fred and Amelia Ende brought the custom of Christmas trees, music and special foods to the citizens in Greenville before the Civil War. In 1863 their daughter Louisa wanted a doll, but Union blockades made such frivolities impossible. Fred Ende carved a doll’s face from a piece of oak tree. Amelia then handmade the body and the doll dress. Toddler Louisa treasured her new doll as all little girls do. (Photo from Wikipedia)

Fred and Amelia Ende brought the custom of Christmas trees, music and special foods to the citizens in Greenville before the Civil War. In 1863 their daughter Louisa wanted a doll, but Union blockades made such frivolities impossible. Fred Ende carved a doll’s face from a piece of oak tree. Amelia then handmade the body and the doll dress. Toddler Louisa treasured her new doll as all little girls do.
(Photo from Wikipedia)

Much like the rest of our country, Texas is a gathering place for people from all over the world. The very first inhabitants were, of course, Native Americans. For more than four centuries, people of Spanish descent have called home the area we know as Texas. Two of their Christmas traditions are some of my very favorites.

Las Posadas (the inns) is one of the most beautiful traditions to make its way north into Texas. Originally it was a reenactment of the story of Mary and Joseph’s journey to Bethlehem and their search for shelter. Nine families took part in the novena or Biblical story. One family started the journey, singing carols and asking for room at the second home. The request was denied, but that family joined the journey. At every home the request was denied but the family joined the procession. At the ninth home, the request was granted, refreshments served, and prayers offered.

The journeys continued for nine nights when a feast and festivities were held at the last home. Here was lots of wonderful food and a beautiful piñata was hanging from the ceiling. Children took turns hitting at the piñata while blindfolded. When one child broke the piñata, candies and all sorts of goodies fell to the ground.

What makes this tradition special for me is that it begins on the day that Ludwig von Beethoven and I share a birthday.

Christmas on the frontier was entirely different. Many times it was cold and lonely. But families gathered for dinner at a neighbor’s house. Before dark most of the furniture was moved outside to allow room for dancing. Someone had a fiddle and maybe someone else had a harmonica. With the music playing everyone, including children, joined in the fun. About midnight the men went out to shoot the anvil. Since fireworks were not readily available, the anvil (a heavy iron block with a flat top, concave sides, and pointed end, on which metal could be hammered and shaped) was covered on top with gunpowder. Then another anvil was placed upside down on the first one. A fuse was lit, everyone ran for cover, and the gunpowder blew the second one into the air. The gunpowder created a loud noise on a quiet, dark night. Sometimes, pistols were shot into the air. Not a safe holiday but one with lots of excitement for those who lived a lonely life.

When German immigrants began to arrive in the 1840s, they brought their holiday traditions. Fred and Amelia Ende arrived in Greenville in 1857 from Germany by way of New Orleans. They had the first Christmas tree in town and invited all the residents for cookies, punch, and Christmas carols. It was an instant success, but sadly was cancelled during the Civil War and Reconstruction. In 1874, the first community Christmas tree was held in the courthouse.

There is even a short river in Texas named for the Christmas holiday. It is the ninety-mile long coastal river that runs parallel to the Lavaca River. Early Spanish explorers supposedly discovered the river on December 25 and gave it the name Navidad, Spanish for Christmas.

Be careful not to hit anyone with the piñata stick. All rivers in Texas have been located so you can’t name one Christmas. Don’t fire any pistols or anvils into the air, but do enjoy Christmas in the fashion Fred and Amelia Ende did. Merry Christmas and Feliz Navidad!

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