Tracing Our Bosque County Roots
From the Bosque County News
By LaDawn GARLAND
28 February 2001
Another great week of research, I learned that the query submitted in last week’s column regarding the Nilson family allowed the gentleman in Sweden to find the information on his ancestors. A special thank you to Judge Derwood Johnson, of Waco, who provided this information to him. I just love the success stories.
I would like to recommend to all who are doing Bosque County research, to visit the Bosque County Collections, they have a wonderful collection of history on our county. I recently learned they are beginning to pack up in anticipation of their move to the Lumpkin Building, looks like it will be happening soon. Also, the Bosque Memorial Museum in Clifton now has an exhibit on the early towns of Bosque County. Everyone should make time to visit and explore this exciting glimpse of the past.
Once again I encourage our readers to take time and send in a story or query on your families of Bosque County. Keep those stories and queries coming, they bring the past to life for so many of our readers and you just never know where you may find a distant cousin or someone who has the information you have been seeking for so long.
Time is running out so don’t forget the Bosque County Historical Commission Annual Preservation Luncheon, Saturday, March 3, 2001. You can get all of the details at their website http://www.htcomp.net/bcc.
A Letter From The Past
Adella Amber Martin was born 9 December 1861 in Centralia, Trinity County, Texas, of William T. and Mary Ann Ainsworth Martin. She died 22 October 1861 in Kimball Bend, Bosque County, Texas. Amber first married John R. Tullos of Trinity County and they had three children, all of which died young and shortly after her husband died. She met and started corresponding with Bruce Atwood Bateman of Bosque County who had lost his wife, Winnie Cleveland.
The following letter was written by Bruce to Amber at the start of their courtship.
A letter from Bruce Bateman to his future bride, Kimball, Bosque Co. May 5th 1892.
Mrs. Adeller Tullis
Centralia, Texas
Esteemed friend Your letter of April 27th just received and I assure you it gave me pleasure to receive it. Although we have never met I hear of you through your friends here so much that I feel acquainted with you. I have no very special news to write. Prospects for crops here are good, and the health of
our place and country is good. Mrs. Smith has a married sister (Mrs. Fletcher) from Weatherford visiting her home. She brought her son some 16 or 18 years of age, and a little daughter with her. They seem to be enjoying themselves and so does Mrs. Smith seem to take great pleasure in their visit. I have just finished planting my cotton. My corn and other products are doing well. I have a nice garden for western Texas. I have an aged old man and his wife hired to keep house for but that is a very unsatisfactory way of living. But it seems that cruel fate has compelled me to that way until I can do better, which I hope not to be always. I am a great man for home, and look to make a home, a happy and pleasant place. But one can not do that and have hired strangers to keep house. I hear that you are making a crop yourself. How much I wish I were near you. That I might assist you as I think it is a man’s duty to assist to keep the woman from working in the field. Mrs. Tullis I shall insist on your answering this letter and in fact keep up correspondence with each other. And if you will not be offended, I will ask if you will exchange pictures with me. I would like so much to have your picture and I will send you mine if you will consent to the exchange. You need not be uneasy about me showing your letter to anyone. I would not treat a lady in that way. Hoping that you are well and will favor me with an answer. Now I will close. Thanking you very kindly for writing to me and hope you will continue to answer my letters.
I am Very Truly Your Friend
Bruce Bateman
Bruce and Amber married and Bruce brought with him two sons, Eugene Guss Bateman and Joe Atwood Bateman from his marriage to Winnie. Both Eugene and Joe were born in Kimball Bend and died in Bosque County. Bruce and Amber had four children of thier own. Bruce Carlos Bateman 25 May 1895- 9 June 1897 Flora Tennessee Bateman 5 June 1898-11 March 1960 Mary Margaret Bateman 5 July 1901- July 1931 Leon Thomas Bateman 5 May 1904-5 July 1985
Lucian LaNoy Collins
golffer4@cfl.rr.com
THE GEORGE W. POWELL FAMILY
George and Sarah “Turner” Powell were married May 31, 1885 in Wolf Bayou, Arkansas and lived there and at Batesville, Arkansas for some time. There were five children born here. There were two boys named Ophas and Eugene, and three girls named Bertha, Grace, and Minnie. During that time there were many cases of malaria fever and chills in Arkansas. The children would get sick and many families lost several of their children, so the Powells decided to move to Texas. It isn’t clear what year they moved or just where they first settled, but later they bought a good farm in the Brazos Point community. It had a nice two story white house on the bank of the Brazos River near the ferry crossing. It was a pretty place to live. As the years passed, there were more children born: Beulah, Annie, William “Bill”, Arlie and Ocie, Ophas, Bertha, Grace, Minnie, Ernest E (Gene). All lived to reach adult age. The children married and continued to live in Brazos Point for a long time.
Eugene “Gene” Powell seemed to always be on the move doing one thing or another to either get lost or get into trouble. There was an ever flowing spring, later called the Powell Springs that furnished the family plenty of water, but it had to be carried by buckets up the bank and into the house. Gene got to running away from the family to the spring or somewhere else on the farm. It took so much time looking after him, they finally put a bell around his neck. This way they could hear the bell as he would walk off. It saved them many a step hunting for Gene until he learned to hold the clapper in his hand so it wouldn’t make a noise.
This fine couple, George and Sarah Powell were called “Uncle George and Aunt Sally” by all their friends and neighbors. They reared a fine respectable family, and they helped to make this community of Brazos Point a better place to live. They continued to live here until death came. Uncle George was born in 1863 and died in 1936. Aunt Sally was born in 1865 and died in 1950. Both are resting in the Brazos Point Cemetery. Ophas Powell married Leathie Eddings. Their children were named Leo, Robert, Beatrice, Fonte, Fay and Florence. Leo Powell married Luella Lockett. Their children were named as follows: Narvel Ray who married my sister Glenda Glenn. They have three children: Roger, Ronnie and Melanie.
This information was given to me by N. R. (Rosie) Powell
Glen Glenn
gglenn@itexas.net
Queries
I am hoping that someone out there might possibly know something about my g-g-grandfather, William W. Vinson, who came to Bosque County in the 1870’s and had a blacksmith shop at Fowler, Texas. I appreciate greatly any help finding out more about him and his wife Jane “Clemmie”, or his daughter Lorena. Thank you!
Jim Ables
kiamichi@aol.com
My Bosque County connections are from 1886 – 1888. My great grandmother was Margaret Ellen Cupps (born November 29, 1869, Iowa – died February 25, 1904, Coleman County, Texas). She was married to W.
N. (Doc) King in 1891 in Coleman County. W. N. King (born abt 1865) paid a poll tax in Bosque County in 1886, then in Coleman county thereafter until his death in about 1893. Now the interesting thing is that he did not die in Coleman County. One Cupps descendant said that it was the practice of the Cupps/ King families to go to Bosque and Johnson County to pick cotton. The family traditions vary about W. N.’s death. One says that he was hung for stealing horses, perhaps from the Army. The other says that he came home
and finding that supper was not ready, kicked over the kettle and scalded himself, dying from complications I suppose. My grandfather was very young, and he never talked about it. He did however, tell my father that his father was buried near Alvarado. I just wonder though, if W. N. King had relatives in Bosque County perhaps someone has information on him?
Donna Irby
irbys@txol.net
News From Around Bosque County, From The Peoples Tribune,June 8, 1898
(All of the old Bosque County Newspaper Items have been found at the Bosque County Collections, a wonderful assortment of history and research available on our county.)
Walnut Springs News – Tom and Charley Massey returned home last week after an extended visit to Arkansas. R. S. Meyers and wife made a flying trip to Glen Rose last week.
Iredell News – Ab Appleby and wife visited in Walnut Springs Saturday and Sunday. Mrs. Dr. Hatten while standing near a window in her home in Clifton, Wednesday morning, was struck by lightning which killed her instantly. Married at the residence of the brides parents, at Iredell last Sunday at 2 o’clock P.M. Mr. Elbert Williamson to Miss Willie Tidwell, Reverend Randall officiating.
Meridian News – George Anderson a prominent farmer of Spring Creek was in town Monday on business. Mrs. A. P. Dean of Meridian is visiting her daughter Mrs. J. J. Collins in Hillsboro. George Loader of Iredell was in the city last Monday. Frank Cooper of Valley Mills was in the city last Saturday. William Alexander and Arthur Duncan visited in Hico Sunday. Miss Mattie Hines left Sunday for an extended visit to friends and relatives in Georgia.Sterling Price of Morgan, was in the City Wednesday on business.
If you are researching your Bosque County families online be sure to visit Bosque Co. TXGenWeb site at http://www.txgenweb5.org/txbosque/ you’ll find a wonderful collection of information provided by other researchers. This column will also be available weekly at this site.
If you would like to submit a story or query about your Bosque County family to this column please mail them to: LaDawn Garland c/o The Bosque County News, P.O. Box 343, Meridian, TX 76665, fax to (254) 435-6335 or email me at garland@htcomp.net.