M. R. Cheatham, Old Indian Fighter
Beatrice Grady
Gay, Santa Anna, Tex.
Account of M.
R. Cheatham, Coleman County, who
served as a Texas Ranger during
the the early 1870's, while the
Comanche and Kiowa tribes were bitterly
contesting all efforts to banish
them from their favorite buffalo
hunting grounds. Mr. Cheatham was
born in Gradyville, Adair Co., Kentucky
in 1850 and came to Texas in December,
1872, in the same covered wagon
caravan which brought his close
boyhood friend Caleb Grady, and
his people.
Further Mentions:
brother, Al Cheatham * Brownwood,
Brown county * Capt, Jim Connell
* C. M. Grady * the little town
of Whon * Captain Jeff Maltby of
Burnet county * Lieutenant B. Foster
* Clear Creek, near the western
line of Brown county * Home Creek,
about six miles southwest of Santa
Anna Mountain * Major John B. Jones
* Kerrville * Pease River * Jackboro
* East Clear Creek pond * Pecan
Bayou * Webb Arnett * Red Bank *
the old Coleman and Brady road *
Trickham * Jim Ned Creek * Bill
Williams, who lived on Sand Creek
* Tom Clark * Jake Hand and Sporty
Brown * Bangs * Comanche Chief Jape
* Jack McWhorter * John Banister
*
Bandera Settler Has Narrow Escape
Account of Indian
raid involving Rufus Click and Mr.
John A. Jones, who moved in 1863
to Bandera county and settled at
Indian Spring on Myrtle Creek, six
miles north of the town of Bandera,
and established a cattle ranch.
This place, as was all of Bandera
county at the time, was a frontier
and exposed to frequent Indian raids.
Brief mention of other raids that
occurred in this place at about
the same time.
Mentions: Dr.
Fitzgibbons * the Guadalupe valley
* the Jones ranch * the Medina river
* Bladen Mitchell * Dr. Downs *
Judge Booker Davenport * Charles
de Montel, George Hay, Ezra Chipman,
Hezekiah Griffin * L. B. C. Bucklew
* his nephew, Frank Buckelew * Seco
Pass * Jack Phillips * Chas. L.
Fagan of Rahway, N. J. * Mrs. Fred
Felthouse of San Antonio * Mrs.
Laura Wallace of Pipe Creek, Texas
* Russell Smart, of Utopia, Texas
* Charles Eckhart of Bandera * Mr.
and Mrs. Rudolph Haby, of Rio Medina
* Mr. and Mrs. Fletcher Davis, of
the Hondo Anvil-Herald, Hondo, Texas
* the D'Hanis Star * Mr. and Mrs.
Chas. C. Harris, of Kenedy, Texas
* Mr. and Mrs. Sam R. Kone, Mrs.
B. W. Smith, and Miss Florence
Kone *
Texas' Struggle For Its Freedom
Recounted
By George Tichenor,
in Georgetown Sun
The history of
Texas and Hawii are compered in
this article written when considerations
were being made regarding granting
statehood to Hawii. Texas shares
with Hawaii, and only with Hawaii,
the distinction of having been an
absolutely independent, and sovereign
nation at the time of their
admission to the Union.
Mentions: Joseph
R. Farrington * Juan Gaetano * Captain
Cook * General Mejai * Captain Dimit
* David Kalakaua * Queen Liliuokalani
* Sanford B. Dole, "Hawaii's Grand
Old Man," * John H. Soper *
Burnet County
SELLER’S NOTE: IF YOU ARE INTERESTED
IN EARLY BURNET COUNTY, TEXAS HISTORY
OR GENEALOGY, THIS ARTICLE IS EXTREMELY
IMPORTANT AND VALUABLE WITH MUCH
ORIGINAL DOCUMENTATION OF EARLY
SETTLERS, BUSINESSES, POLITICAL
DEVELOPMENT, ETC.
The long gone
days of sparsely settled country,
great distances, horseback, ox wagon
and lumbering stagecoach transportation
made those great strips of country
then designated as counties extremely
cumbersome as governmental units;
consequently, as the population
began to increase, part of two or
more of those counties were often
made into another county-hence came
our Burnet County from Bell, Williamson
and Travis counties-named for David
G. Burnet of Texas history fame.
Mentions: first
county officers were Judge, John
Scott, Clerk, A. G. Horne; Treasurer,
S. E. Holland: assessor-collector,
Wm. D. Reed; District clerk, and
Justice of Peace, Geo. Joy; Sheriff,
J. C. Bradley; commissioners, Wm.
T. Cheeser and John Jennings, Sr.
Not until 1912 did Burnet county
have its first woman to hold an
office when Miss Myra Erwin (later
Mrs. Frank Atkinson) was elected
county treasurer. * old Fort Crogan
* Rolland * the town of Hamilton
* two bitter factions. One faction
contended to put the county seat
east of the divide on Oat Heal creek;
the other faction led by Peter Kerr,
Sam Holland and Logan Vandiver,
fought to keep it at Burnet. Peter
Kerr donated 100 acres of the John
Hamilton survey, to the commissioner's
court in order to induce the majority
to vote for the present county seat.
* Logan Vandiver and Peter Kerr
* The first marriage license was
issued in 1852 to S. E. Holland
and Miss Mary Scott * S. E. Holland
was in all probability the first
permanent settler of this immediate
section * Among those old mills
were Gabriel mill situated just
across the county line from Mahomet,
old Smithwick Mill, old Cedar Mill
and the historic old Mormon Mill,
so named from the fact that in the
very early days a colony of Mormons
settled in those lower reaches of
Hamilton creek * a post office was
located at Sunny Lane, Joppa, Mahomet,
Sage, Strickling, Tamega, Naruna,
Smithwick and several other places
* With the coming of the railroad
in 1882-1883 Burnet became a terminal
for most parts of Llano, Mason and
San Saba counties and points north
and south * the road to Marble Falls
and Llano * The county courthouse
was burned in 1873 * A log cabin
situated on Cow Creek in the southeastern
portion of the county - the first
house built within the county *
Smithwick Mill, Mormon Mill, Cedar
Mill * Council Creek, Cow Creek,
Spicewood Springs, and Holland Springs
* ago a daughter of Noah Smithwick,
founder, came from California *
Gabriel Mill village * Bertram *
the founding of Marble Falls * Dr.
Neyron Cheatham * In the 50's came
the forefathers of our present day-Magills,
Frys, Corkers Stewarts, Kincheloes,
Williams, Breazeales, Jennings,
Covingtons, Bitticks, Lewis, Moores,
Smiths, Vaughns, Fields, Johnsons,
McCoys, Halls, Jacksons, Coxes,
Aters, Dorbandts, Malones, Lacys,
McCartys, Pankeys, Laforges, Bartons,
McFarlands, Rountrees and others
* Judge Woodard * Gen. Adam R. Johnson
* Our Granite Mountain * Graphite
mine * Longhorn Cavern * the building
of Buchanan Dam * the Burnet City
Line Demonstration Club * John Jennings,
County Commissioner * Mormon Mill
* Major Ray Wingren * Uncle Peter
and Johnnie Fry, M. H. Corker, B.
H. and C. C. Stewart; L. C. Kincheloe
was my grandfather * I knew Jeff,
Harrison, and Clint Breazeale, and
John, Dr Dick, and Flem Jennings,
A. J. Covington * Dr. Field, Uncle
Vaughan * Hugh McCoy, Capt. Dorbandt,
father of Chris. Dorbandt, Uncle
Alex LaForge, John Pankey, Alex
and Poinseft Barton, Dr. Jack and
King McFarland, Judge J. T. Woodard
and Gen. A. R. Johnson * grandfather
Chamberlain * first man to build
and run a cotton gin in what was
then called West Texas * highway
29, between Burnet and Bertram *
the town of South Gabriel that was
moved a distance of two or three
miles to Bertram which was built
after the railroad came *
Happenings In Texas Sixty- Years
Ago
Compiled by F.
M. McCaleb
Mentions: James
O'neil who was murdered on July
20, 1875 near Round Rock by a party
of horse thieves. * contract for
building a bridge across the Navasota,
River has been awarded to Messrs.
Mitchell and Rown * Henry Dill,
a cattleman of considerable wealth,
* August Keller * A party of German
immigrants are establishing a cotton
factory about twenty miles from
Carthage near the line of Rusk and
Panola counties * a pioneer settler
of Glenrose tells of the new county
of Somerville. Portions of Hood,
Johnson and Bosque counties were
sliced off by an act of the Legislature
and named after General Somerville
Sept. 1, 1875 * Henry Shane from
Sabinal, Uvalde county * John Weir,
William Brown and Ambrose Crane
in Sabinal Canyon * Billy Allen
* Quihi * Mat Wallace * The Pleasanton
Monitor * Miss Irene Smith * the
widow Davis * L. A. Kerr of San
Antonio * the bank in Cotulla *
E. Hertzberg and the Bell Jewelry
Company of San Antonio * Carrizo
Springs * Eagle Pass *
Life Of David G. Burnet
By Col. A. M.
Hobby, in The Texas Almanac, 1873.
This is a tribute
to the life and character of President
David G. Burnet and was published
in the Texas Almanac in 1873. Fairly
lengthy account contains excellent
historical detail of the important
early Texas statesman.
Mentions: Chief
Justice Hornblower of New Jersey,
and Judge Bradley of the Supreme
Bench of the United States * His
grandfather, Dr. Ichabod Burnet
* , Dr. Wm. Burnet * Judge Jacob
Burnet * Henry Clay and Benjamin
Watkins Leigh * In 1806 Burnet joined
the Miranda expedition * Samuel
G. Ogden * General John Cummings
* Col. Wm. Smith * La Villa de Coro
* Porto Caballo * Jerome Course
* General Filisola * Governor Henderson
* Mrs. Preston Perry * Colonel Ross
*
Bits Of Historical Information
By J. Marvin Hunter
Mentions: Oomanche
Indians * The last atrocity committed
by Indians in this state occurred
in 1883, in what is now Real county,
when a Mrs. McLauren and a little
boy were killed by either Kickapoo
or Lipan Indians who came in from
Mexico * DeLeon * Fort Clark, near
Brackettville, Texas * Colonel Riley
* Major John B. Clark * Indian tribes
which roamed over Texas in the early
days were the Caddoes and a number
of related tribes, the Nacogdoches,
Wacoes, Keechis, Ayish, Anadarkoes,
Wichitas, Adaes, and Tejas. The
Cadoo tribes dwindled rapidly, some
by pestilence, some removed northward
and settled on reservations, and
there are but few left today of
the once powerful Caddoan stock.
Other tribes which dwelt in Texas
were the Apaches, Lipan, Apaches,
Comanches, Karankawas, Coahuiltican,
Tonkawas, Pueblos, Cherokees, Alabamas,
Coushattis, Seminoles, Delawares,
Kickapoos, Arapahoes, Kiowas, and
other branches. The settlers on
the Western Texas frontier suffered
much att the hands of the Apache,
Lipan, Comanche, Kiowa and Kickapoo
Indians * Monclova, Mexico * Los
Adaes *
"Buffaloed!"
By E. A. Brininstool.
An account of
early days in the Texas Panhandle
when old cattleman Jim Kid who worked
for the XIT went for the ride of
his life.
Mentions: the
Running-W * Big Buttes * Rosebud
Creek * Andy Boyle * "Weary"
Spragle * "Latigo Bill" Brannagan
* Line Camp B * Jack Dawson *
Tells San Saba County History
To Historical Association
By Alma Ward Hamrick
SELLER’S NOTE: IF YOU ARE INTERESTED
IN EARLY SAN SABA COUNTY, TEXAS
HISTORY OR GENEALOGY, THIS ARTICLE
IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT AND VALUABLE
WITH MUCH ORIGINAL DOCUMENTATION
OF EARLY SETTLERS, BUSINESSES, POLITICAL
DEVELOPMENT, ETC.
Mentions: Lieutenant
Galvin, Father Serra and others
who had assisted in removing Mission
San Xavier on the San Gabriel river
to this location * Germans, Heinrich
Fischer and Burkart Mueller * Count
Hans Von Meusebach * the Fiselfer
and Miller grant * A Mexican named
Lorenzo * Walace Creek * white settlers
at Castell in Llano county * E.
Guy Risien * J. H. Rollins * A.
G. Delaware * T. J. Eely * beautiful
J. R. Polk ranch, nine miles west
of San Saba * Burke Trammel of San
Antonio * David Matsler came with
his family from Burnet county, and
settled on Cherokee Creek near the
present town of Chappel * George
Matsler * By the early part of 1855,
these men had settled near the Matsler
family Messrs. Poplin, Rumsey, Low
brothers, Boyetts and Caseys. In
the same month there settled on
and east of the present city of
San Saba, the Barnetts, Hamricks,
Flemings, Linns, Bolts, Harris,
Crawfords, and Watsons. At the same
time, the Harkeys, Browns, McDaniels,
Woods, Duncans and Halls settled
on Wallace Creek and on Richland
Creek. In the Rock Shoals settlement
were the Sloans, Aliens, Wadsworths,
Flemings, Baxters, Roses, Maxwells,
Ellis, Campbells, McCarty's, Crouches,
Lathams, Phaxtons, Hendersons, Hintons,
Bomars, Conways and Haldens. * Dr.
Rogan, Dr. Hudson, Williams, the
Burdens, Freestones, Cooks, Murrays,
Barnetts, Harmons, Wears and Browns
* Others settling in this county
prior to 1860 were the Houstons,
Greggs, Dawsons, Smelsers, Hannas,
Kuykendalls, Hexts, Jacksons, Grays,
Barbers, Esteps, Montgomerys, Haskells,
Capt. Williams, Harrels, Clarks,
Wiers, Browns, MeShans, Kellys Warrens,
Mussets, Kirkpatricks, Grumbles.
Capt. McMillin, Willises, Pyatts,
Marleys, Dick Kolb, Dorans, Terrys,
Beasleys, Hollands and others *
were Joab Harrell, chief justice-,
A. Sloan, district clerk; Eli Freestone,
sheriff; G. B. Cooke, County Clerk
Cal Montgomery, J. H. Brown, William
Wear and James Wood, Commissioners;
John Neil Justice of the Peace.
Chief Justice James L. Bourland
of Burnet county * Robert D. McAunelly
* G. I. Cooke * C. Roan and Thos.
E. Rowe * J. S. Williams * Mrs.
Elizabeth Houston Kolb, wife of
Dick Kolb of the Colony community
* Rev. Tunnell * Revs. Carden Muffet,
Glass, Kelly and Land * Miss Elizabeth
Houston * S. A. Houston, a cousin
of General Sam Houston * the Salt
Works in Lampasas county * Among
those who were killed by the Indians
for the ten-year period from 1856
to 1866 were "Beardy" Hall, A. Gregg,
Ben Linn, the Todd family, Capt.
Williams, Bauche Woods, and others
* W. I. Hubbert who came to San
Saba while the town was being laid
off * George J. Gray, San Saba's
oldest and one of the largest ranch
owners in the county * Baird, Moran,
Fort Griffin, Dorans Crossing *
The Gray ranch * W. H. (Billy) Gibbons
* the present Gibbons ranch of 36,000
* J. E. Sorell * A true pioneer
of San Saba county is Edmond E.
Risien, who came to San Saba in
1874 * E. Guy Risien * J. D. Estep,
who had entered business in 1875
* The late J. W. McConnell * Thomas
Ward and Wiley T.. Murray * East
Wallace Street * early San Saba
town * Ward-Murray Bank * T. A.
Murray * W. T. Melton * the City
National Bank, The San Saba News,
a weekly paper * Mrs. Ward Holman,
daughter of the late Thomas Ward,
who married a young physician here
in the days when Yale and Harvard
graduates came to the west seeking
a fortune *
Temple Houston Defends A Fallen
Woman
In the Fall term
of court in Woodward, Oklahoma,
in 1889, Temple Houston, son of
the great Sam Houston, and once
a Texas State Senator from the Panhandle,
sought acquittal of a woman of ill-fame.
He utilized incredible oratorical
skills in his defense and his words
are here recorded.
Mentions: the
Woodward News * Judge Burford *
The Westward March Of Settlement
By Hamlin Garland
Account of the
most characteristic figure in early
American life - the New World pioneer-the
man who took his axe, his rifle
and his young wife and moved out
into the wilderness to open a clearing
in the forest and to build a cabin
home. His like had never before
been seen. Europe colonized in tribes,
in communities. The individual explorer
is a development of the Western
Continent.
From the earliest
date of British settlement at Jamestown
and Plymouth, or the landing of
the Dutch in New Amsterdam, for
nearly three hundred years our colonists
have been led by this trail maker.
Walking his solitary path, this
vedette of American civilization
has led the way across the valleys
of Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania
and Virginia, and later over the
Allegheny Mountains into the forests
of Kentucky and Tennessee.
That these adventurous
pathfinders, whether Dutch, English,
Scotch or Irish must have been individually
the hardiest, the most resourceful
of their race, is self-evident,
for these qualities are demanded
by the forest and developed by the
stream. Only men of stout heart
and strong hand, those to whom toil
and hunger and solitude were accepted
incidents in a life of adventure,
responded to the, lure of primeval
vales and silent forest glades.
Only the self-reliant could confront
the forest and survive.