1951 Certificate of Distinguished Service awarded to Guy Powell by National Association of County Agricultural AgentsBrothers, Guy Moreland born 6 Jul 1902 and Cecil Clyde Powell born 18 Jun 1905, Red Oak, Ellis county, TexasGuy and Agnes Milroy Powell with their family at Aggieland, College Station, Milroy on left, John and sister, Emily1958 Nov 14 Powell, Guy and Agnes with Bill Rector County Agent receiving Boys and Girls Club Award at 4H banquet Kerrville Texas1931c Guy and Agnes with Milroy and baby Emily Powell
Powell Guy M and Agnes M Headstone at Red Oak Cemetery, Red Oak, Ellis County, Texas
My grandfather, Guy Moreland Powell was County Agent for Kerr County from 1947 to 1959 when he had a stroke and retired with total disability. We lost this wonderful man too early, when he died October 19, 1960 at the age of 58. He suffered from “tuberculosis of the hip” at the age of 7, which removed a portion of his leg and crippled him and he wore a built up shoe, but this did not slow him down.
In 1927, Guy and his wife, Agnes lived in Wichita Falls when my father was born in July. He was the city milk and dairy inspector. He became county agent in Coryell County, McCulloch County and Kerr County. During his career he received The Distinguished Service Award in 1951 from the National Association of County Agricultural Agents at 36th Annual Convention. He graduated from Texas A&M College in 1924 and had been an agent for 28 years at the time of the award.
Guy was one of the organizers of the Hill Country District Livestock Show in Kerrville, honorary superintendent of the Houston Livestock Show and the Texas Angora Goat Raisers Association. He served on the management board and helped to organize the USO at Fort Hood, for which he received a Presidential citation. He helped to supervise the Austin Livestock Shows as well as those in San Antonio.
Guy Powell served as the foreman for the boat which took the load of Texas livestock to Germany in the CROP dairy project and made the presentation of the animals to the people of Germany.
Newspaper c1940-1950 with Kerr County agent, Guy Powell
Four generations with Great Grandmother Myrtle Blanche Powell with her son, Guy Powell holding Milann Powell and her father Milroy Powell holding Mac at family reunion in Red Oak
He had been a member of the Lions Club for 34 years and had served as the president and the deputy district governor of the organization, and had been one of the members to work for the establishment of the Lions Crippled Children’s camp in Kerrville, Texas. He had served as a member of the Southwestern Sheep Dog Trials group and has exhibited sheep dogs all over the Southwestern part of the country. What a career!
I remember him with such joy and loved him very much!!
1925 Long Horn yearbook at Texas A&M
1925 Long Horn yearbook at Texas A&M
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November 12th, 1906 — William Stallings becomes the first county agricultural agent in Texas
On this day in 1906, the Commercial Club of Tyler, with the cooperation of Seaman A. Knapp of the United States Department of Agriculture, appointed William Stallings agricultural agent of Smith County. He was the first county agricultural agent in Texas and the first in the nation to serve a single county. After serving Smith County for a year, during which he earned $150 a month, Stallings was appointed district agent; the district comprised Smith, Cherokee, and Angelina counties. Through his efforts the cotton and corn yields of the district increased by over 50 percent. In November 1971 the Texas Historical Commission placed a historical marker on the courthouse square in Tyler to commemorate Stallings’s services.
Here is a compilation of the history of Menard County Texas courthouses. Menard County Texas was created January 22, 1858, which is 163 years ago.
Michel Branamour Menard (1805-1856)
Due to problems, Menard’s citizens didn’t elect its officials until 1871. The first meetings were held in a picket house at the corner of San Saba Street and Ellis Street. A gas station later occupied the site. (Menard County Historical Society, 1982)
The second building used as a courthouse was a limestone commercial building in downtown Menard. It was designed by Patrick Henry “Paddy” Mires and built by B. Strom in 1880. This building housed the Menard County courthouse and jail from 1880-86. The first floor had Paddy’s store in front with the jail at the back. The second floor, accessed only by an outside stairway on the west wall, was the courtroom. The jail was reportedly a dungeon, in the building’s northwest corner, into which prisoners were lowered and from which they could not escape without a ladder. Some members of the Commissioners Court felt that both the building itself and its location were insufficient for the county’s needs. In February 1884, they discussed building a new courthouse and jail and, later that year, sold the second courthouse building to Fritz Luckenbach for $100. Mr. Luckenbach used the building to start his hardware store, and substantial additions were made in the 1930s. The original Mires building was converted and sold as a private residence. (Texas Courthouse Alliance; Menard County Historical Society, 1982)
P. H. “Paddy” Mires building
Recent photo of Mires building
The Commissioners Court ordered on May 13, 1884, that bonds be issued for the construction of a new courthouse and jail, and county residents responded by passing a $20,000 bond issue. The courthouse and jail were designed by architect T. P. Minor. The construction firm, Vickery and Haynes of Kimble County submitted the lowest bid, $12,500, and was awarded the courthouse contract on May 12, 1885. A separate builder Walker Mowath & Co., was used for the jail. A public privy was also erected for $209 by Scruggs & Schuchard.
1886 Menard County Courthouse designed by Oscar Ruffini
The two-story stone courthouse, which featured a prominent central tower, was built on the current courthouse square near the canal. The similarly styled stone jail was at the southern end of the square, near the site of the current courthouse. The second jail, completed in June 1886, was freestanding, two-story limestone cube. It had castled turrets on each corner and crenelations on all four sides. It was designed by Oscar Ruffini.
At that time, the north and south halves of the square were still separate blocks, divided by Canal Street. As shown on the 1921 Sanborn map, the 1885 courthouse and jail both occupied the south block, with the north block reserved as open public space.
Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from Menard, Menard County, Texas, Aug 1921
In the 1920s, Canal Street was closed between Tipton and Gay Streets, and the blocks were combined to form one lot, creating the long narrow square seen today. As shown on the 1930 Sanborn map, Mission Street was also closed between Tipton and Gay Streets, along the southern boundary of the square.
1917 Menard County Home Guard in front of Menard County courthouse
1930 Poplar Menard High School yearbook
1898 Menardville photo by N. H. Rose. Looking East with the irrigation ditch on the left side of the road in the middle of the photo and the Courthouse is the first two story building on the right and further South is the Jail.
Menardville looking West with Courthouse and Jail noted on the photo, shared on Facebook
The facilities were used for forty-five years until 1931, when a new courthouse with a jail on the top floor was completed. Both the 1885 courthouse and jail were razed when the new courthouse was built in 1931. The stones from the old courthouse and jail were used to build the fence around the Pioneer Rest Cemetery in Menard. The Works Progress Administration (WPA) provided the labor in 1933-34 to lay the stones for the fence, but the arch was added later. (Menard County Historical Society, 1982)
1931 New Menard Courthouse photo by F. L. WilkinsonMenard County Courthouse Marker
The historical courthouse was build by Withers and Thompson; Porter, E.D. The 1931 courthouse building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is designated a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark and a State Antiquities Landmark.
We are very thankful to County Judge Richard Cordes for working tirelessly and receiving two Texas Historic Courthouse Preservation Program grants from the Texas Historical Commission and seeing the completed renovations of the courthouse.
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Menard: Menard County Courthouse
Menard County, organized 1871, conducted its first county business in a house built of pickets before financing the construction of a more permanent, two-story limestone building designed by architect P. H. Mires. From 1880 to 1884, the limestone structure’s first floor housed a general store while the second functioned as the county’s courtroom. The building also included a dungeon, located in the northwest corner, which served as the county jail where prisoners were dropped and retrieved via a ladder.
In 1884, the Menard County commissioners court ordered bonds issued to finance a new courthouse and jail, designed by architect T. P. Minor and completed in 1886. This stone, two-story courthouse served the county for over thirty years. By the late 1920s, however, its conditions were deteriorating. According to the local Menard Messenger, the vault space had become inadequate to hold all the county records, bats were prevalent, wind penetrated the courthouse through the windows and cupola, and there were holes in the district courtroom floor.
Despite a citizen-led campaign to preserve the historic courthouse, the structure and a nearby jail were demolished to make room for a more modern courthouse. Many of the buildings’ stones were recycled, however, and used to build the fence around the Pioneer Rest Cemetery with help from labor courtesy of the Works Progress Administration.
The new courthouse, completed in 1932, was designed by Elmer George Withers, principle architect of the Fort Worth-based firm Withers & Thompson. Withers was born in Caddo Peak, Texas, developing a career as architect through apprenticeships and correspondence courses. He was responsible for several other Texas county courthouse designs as well as the Art Deco courthouse he created for Menard County.
Withers’ Menard County courthouse is located along the south end of a long, narrow square in Menard, the county seat established along the San Saba River. The building’s one-story front section steps back to a central, four-story design flanked by two-story wings. The structural clay tile walls are sheathed in multiple shades of brick and decorated with cast stone detailing. A jail was originally located on the top floor and the building includes a basement featuring an individual jail cell used for prisoners too drunk or combative to get up all four flights of stairs. Long after the jail was relocated to another building, a python escaped from a traveling animal handler who was set up on the courthouse square during the Jim Bowie Days Festival. The snake made its home in the basement holding cell for several years before it was removed by several deputies prior to the restoration work in 2000.
Although the general design of the courthouse functions as planned, the architect or builder apparently miscalculated the placement of the judge’s bench, witness stand, and jury box in the District courtroom, an issue addressed both soon after completion and once again when a complete restoration of the courthouse began in 2000. Apparently, the judge’s bench and witness box were placed in an awkward position, preventing the judge and a portion of the jury to see the face of the witness during questioning. Instead, they could only see the back of the witness’s head, creating grounds for “reversible error”, a term used to define circumstances resulting in an unfair trial. Soon after the courthouse was completed, the courtroom layout was modified to correct this oversight. During the restoration process, financed by the Texas Historic Courthouse Preservation Program, the decision was made not to return the courtroom layout to its original design, thereby avoiding the possibility of creating a “reversible error”, grounds for a mistrial still on the books today.
Today, May 27, 2021, I had a nice slow drive in my Ranger behind a Dozer and skid-steer Bobcat headed to the back of our ranch to start work replacing a fence. I was the ride home, but could take my time getting there, so took some photos of what we see driving down the roads. We have flint and fossils everywhere and the lichen is different on each rock. Enjoy!
Looking West and headed to the top on the far left side, two pastures away.
Thrilled when I find Wavy Scaly Cloakfern
PTERIDACEAE Maidenhair Fern Family Astrolepis sinuata Wavy Scaly Cloakfern
PTERIDACEAE Maidenhair Fern Family Astrolepis sinuata Wavy Scaly Cloakfern
We are blessed to live in Real County, Texas on the original ranch first owned by my great grandfather, Alexander Kennedy Auld in the 1870’s. The headquarters are on the top of the Divide on the West side of US Highway 83 where the water shed flows to the West Prong of the Frio River. Here are a few photos from our pasture taken today. Hope you enjoy! Click to enlarge any photo.
We live next to a Buffalo wallow and there are many flint quarries in various places in the pastures of the ranch. Click to enlarge and you can see the flint and fossil rocks.We live next to a Buffalo wallow and there are many flint quarries in various places in the pastures of the ranch. Click to enlarge and you can see the flint and fossil rocks.
There is a famous oil on canvas painting that is 6 feet 11 inches X 9 feet 7 inches, “The Franciscan Mission of San Saba in the Province of Texas” (circa 1758). It is known as one of the earliest Texas historical scene paintings still in existence, it is also called “The Destruction of the Mission San Saba.” The mural painted in 1765 details the destruction of Mission Santa Cruz de San Saba (which occurred in 1758). The mural was commissioned by Pedro Romero de Terreros, who had sponsored the mission and whose cousin died in the attack. The unsigned mural is attributed to José de Páez. It was titled “The Destruction of Mission San Sabá in the Province of Texas and the Martyrdom of the Fathers Alonso de Terreros, Joseph Santiesteban” and now hangs in the Instituto Nacional de Antropología y Historia in Mexico City. Menard County owns a copy of this painting and can be seen at the Menard County Library and the Menard County Courthouse, today, May 23, 2021.
Using numbered references, it illustrates the story of the area and mission destruction. The painting was on display in 2018 during the San Antonio 300 year celebration and had the attached documentation. The painting was also in Texas in the late 1980’s and offered for sale when it was removed back to Mexico by customs where it resides today, May 2021. Come to see the historic Presidio de San Saba in Menard, Texas.
April 10, 2018, San Antonio 300 art event with original oil painting of the Destruction of the Mission San Saba, photo by Buddy Wilkinson
San Saba Mission Painting.The Destruction of Mission San Sabá in the Province of Texas and the Martyrdom of the Fathers Alonso Giraldo de Terreros, Joseph Santiesteban, a huge (83″ by 115″) painting, was commissioned around 1762 by mining magnate Pedro Romero de Terreros, cousin of Father Alonso de Terreros and principal benefactor of Santa Cruz de San Sabá Mission. Its intent was to express both the horror and significance of the massacre as well as to honor the priests’ martyrdom. Speculations about the identity of the painter have ranged from indefiniteness to dogmatic certainty. Whoever he was, the artist likely worked in the studio of Miguel Cabrera, the dominant painter of mid-eighteenth-century Mexico. A great deal of evidence suggests but does not prove conclusively that one of Cabrera’s artists, José de Páez, executed the painting.
In The Destruction of Mission San Sabá, the placement of the figures of the two slain priests makes their deaths the window through which the viewer interprets the painting on both the actual and figurative level, since these deaths were what invested the massacre with the element of heroic sacrifice. At the foot of each of these large figures is a shield bearing a biographical sketch of the priest, who is depicted in the manner in which he died, complete with weapons and blood in appropriate places. In addition to biographical information, the shields commend the priests’ character and sacrifice. The shields bracket a scroll that briefly summarizes the purpose of the mission and praises its major financial supporter, “the illustrious Knight don Pedro Therreros of the order of Calatrava.” In the fashion of painters of other historical tableaus, the artist has placed an alphabetized key to the eighteen events depicted in the painting in the lower half of the scroll. These vignettes are illustrated by 300 separate figures, each incident marked by a large red letter.
The painting was the only such work executed in Mexico in the mid-1700s that attempted to document a contemporary historical event; the few other visual depictions of scenes from this period in the nation’s history are in the category of “historical views.” Just as most American painters of the time took their artistic cues from Great Britain and, to a lesser extent, continental Europe, so colonial Mexican painters followed European artistic precedents, which dictated that “history painting” refer to classical or biblical themes. If an artist wished to portray contemporary historical figures, he dressed them in classical garb and allegorized the incident in which they were involved. Traditionally, American art historians have pointed to Benjamin West’s Death of General Wolfe as the painting that started a “revolution” in historical painting toward realism in the portrayal of contemporary historical events (1770). Although The Destruction of Mission San Sabá did not have a similar influence, it was painted at approximately the same time and was one of the first historical paintings to portray its subjects in contemporary dress.
The painting is important primarily as an artifact, as the earliest known painting of a Texas historical scene by a professional artist. Its contents, however, are not intended as a historically reliable account of the attack. Comparison with the deposition of one of the survivors, Father Miguel Molina, indicates that the painter included many of the events mentioned by the priest, although the wording of the alphabetized key is not a literal transcription of his account. But the artist also omitted some events while embellishing others. Certainly, the painting has much to commend it as a piece of visual, documentary evidence of the battle, especially since it was executed shortly after the massacre and a survivor may have advised the artist. Nevertheless, The Destruction was intended primarily as hagiography, with history as a secondary consideration. The canvas was soon famous in Spain as well as Mexico and served beautifully as a piece of “contemporary propaganda and…current morality,” celebrated primarily for its ideological overtones rather than for its aesthetic or documentary qualities. In the 1990s it was located at the Instituto Nacional de Antropología y Historia in Mexico City.
Sam D. Ratcliffe, “Escenas de Martirio: Notes on the Destruction of Mission San Sabá,” Southwestern Historical Quarterly 94 (April 1991).
The following, adapted from the Chicago Manual of Style, 15th edition, is the preferred citation for this entry.
Sam D. Ratcliffe, “San Saba Mission Painting,” Handbook of Texas Online, accessed May 22, 2021, https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/san-saba-mission-painting.
Published by the Texas State Historical Association. Original Publication Date: January 1, 1996 Most Recent Revision Date: February 16, 2019
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2018 San Antonio Museum display of Painting2018 San Antonio Museum display of PaintingSale brochure before painting returned to MexicoSale brochure before painting returned to MexicoSale brochure before painting returned to Mexico
Photo close-up to original ca. 1765, New Spain, “Martyrdom of Franciscans at Mission San Saba”, Oil on Canvas by Jose de Paez, Museo Nacional de Arte, Secretaria de Cultura, INBA, MX, Mexico CityPhoto close-up to original ca. 1765, New Spain, “Martyrdom of Franciscans at Mission San Saba”, Oil on Canvas by Jose de Paez, Museo Nacional de Arte, Secretaria de Cultura, INBA, MX, Mexico CityPhoto close-up to original ca. 1765, New Spain, “Martyrdom of Franciscans at Mission San Saba”, Oil on Canvas by Jose de Paez, Museo Nacional de Arte, Secretaria de Cultura, INBA, MX, Mexico CityPhoto close-up to original ca. 1765, New Spain, “Martyrdom of Franciscans at Mission San Saba”, Oil on Canvas by Jose de Paez, Museo Nacional de Arte, Secretaria de Cultura, INBA, MX, Mexico CityPhoto close-up to original ca. 1765, New Spain, “Martyrdom of Franciscans at Mission San Saba”, Oil on Canvas by Jose de Paez, Museo Nacional de Arte, Secretaria de Cultura, INBA, MX, Mexico CityPhoto close-up to original ca. 1765, New Spain, “Martyrdom of Franciscans at Mission San Saba”, Oil on Canvas by Jose de Paez, Museo Nacional de Arte, Secretaria de Cultura, INBA, MX, Mexico CityPhoto close-up to original ca. 1765, New Spain, “Martyrdom of Franciscans at Mission San Saba”, Oil on Canvas by Jose de Paez, Museo Nacional de Arte, Secretaria de Cultura, INBA, MX, Mexico City
I scanned a 28 page little black photo album that belonged to Laura Forrest Harryman Bradford. The photos are not labeled but are such a wonderful look at a time during the early years of circa 1915-1925 in Menard County, Texas. I am hoping someone will be able to help identify some of these folks.
My husband’s maternal grandmother was Laura Forrest Harryman who married George H. Bradford on January 29, 1921 in Menard County, Texas. Mamo, as she was called, was born in Weesatche, Goliad County, Texas on October 2, 1895. She moved to Menard with her family between 1900 and 1910. When she married George, Dado, as he was called, Mamo was 25 years old. She was 31 in 1926 when she had Laverne Bradford, who marries Francis Lamar Wilkinson in 1946, and then Laverne got polio and with three years of daily therapy Mamo kept her from being crippled. When Mamo turned 40, she had Georgia in 1935. Mamo and Dado were married for 59 years and had a long and wonderful life until Dado died at the age of 82 in 1980. Mamo lived many years at the Menard Manor after a debilitating stroke and died March 8, 1988 at the age of 92. You can read more about her family at the post: https://blog.wilkinsonranch.com/2017/07/08/pate-and-martindale-family-photos/
Laura Forrest and her younger sister, Ruby Bernice Harryman, unknown date but circa 1917 when Ruby married from photo collection of Penny Wade, Ruby’s granddaughter.
Forrest Harryman with George Bradford and friend on the bank of the San Saba River, unknown date
1920 Laura Forrest Harryman at Charlie Graham Store Menard from family collection
1920 Laura Forrest Harryman at Charlie Graham Store Menard from family collection
1921 Forrest and George Bradford on the Bradford Ranch, Menard County, Texas from family collection
George H. “Dado” Bradford from family collection
Laura Forrest “Mamo” Harryman Bradford from family collection
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Young man with cap and cigarette with girl in plaid hat and scarf with Mamo with her six button sleeve dress and cap with white trim at the San Saba River
Unknown group of young people with “Mamo” Forrest Harryman on right side with hat Page 15 from Mamo’s album
Unknown group of young people with Forrest Harryman on bottom left side with hat Page 15 from Mamo’s album
Two young girls same group on side of hill Page 16 from Mamo’s album
Unidentified girl with hat and fox fur collar and boy with three piece suit Page 15 from Mamo’s album
Two young ladies dressed in black one with fur collar black hose and hats unknown Page 3 from Mamo’s album
Dado and Mamo with hound dogs and big tent on Bradford place west of town Page 7 from Mamo’s album
Believe to be Mamo along with another girl telephone operators in Menard
Wagon with two boys with cocked hats and two girls one with reins unknown Page 17 from Mamo’s album
Girl driving wagon with man with hat and others
Two ladies in white with bonnets and one drinking stem glass with two boys beside water well Page 16 from Mamo’s album
San Saba River baptism with wagons and cars and lots of folks in river Page 10 from Mamo’s album
Man with rope and girl in white with cap looking at sheep Page 8 from Mamo’s album
George “Dado” Bradford riding wagon horse with Mamo in round hat and gentleman and lady in bonnet with girl Page 8 from Mamo’s album
Two girls hugging boy with overalls happy faces unknown Page 10 from Mamo’s album
Blonde girl sitting side saddle on horse possibly Mamo Page 1 from Mamo’s album
Unknown family with three children Page 21 of Mamo’s album
Girl standing with her horse wearing pants and round tight hat Page 27 from Mamo’s album
Car with little blonde girl two young ladies and dog and Mamo with hat Page 17 from Mamo’s album
Family group on low water crossing bridge with George and Forrest and unknown couple and little girl
Family group on low water crossing bridge on San Saba River
Man sitting with little girl hand on shoulder with lady in plaid dress holding bonnet unknown Page 3 from Mamo’s album
Possibly Mamo and Dado with girl standing on the San Saba River bridge Page 17 from Mamo’s album
Two ladies with Mamo beside San Saba River all in other photos Page 14 from Mamo’s album
Young lady with lace collar sitting on San Saba riverbed by high bank and large tree Page 15 from Mamo’s album
Young lady with long satin dress with trimmed cuff and pin wearing tight hat with round balls sitting on San Saba riverbed Page 5 from Mamo’s album
Young couple on San Saba River bridge she has lace collar and ball fruit hanging off hat Page 18 from Mamo’s album
Two ladies sitting on San Saba riverbed same as other photo Page 17 from Mamo’s album
Girl and lady with lace collar sitting on train bridge Page 18 from Mamo’s album
Two young ladies dressed in black one with fur collar black hose and hats unknown Page 3 from Mamo’s album
Girl sitting on San Saba River bridge with stripes and emblem on sleeve round brim hat Page 14 from Mamo’s album
Mamo such a pretty girl with purse and short sleeves sitting on the San Saba River bank Page 9 from Mamo’s album
Mamo sitting on bank of river with black tight cap and white dress with short sleeves
Laughing girl sitting on San Saba River bank with fur tail in lap black dress with white stripes on sleeves and round brim hat Page 12 from Mamo’s album
Lady beside low water crossing with shed in back wearing black clothes and cap Page 14 from Mamo’s album
Lady standing beside low water crossing dressed in black with round straw hat Page 22 from Mamo’s album
Lady dressed in black with hat in hand two little girls on low water crossing of San Saba River Page 3 from Mamo’s album
Mamo dressed in black with lace collar in front of rose bushes and picket fence Page 10 from Mamo’s album
Unknown lady with black dress with satin trim and white lace collar by rose bushes Page 4 from Mamo’s album
Mamo with two ladies at Frisco Depot all wearing lace collars and hats Page 19 from Mamo’s album
Mamo sitting on ground with white lace collar Page 21 of Mamo’s album
Lady with black dress with satin trim and lace collar sitting on ground with little girl white dress Page 4 from Mamo’s album
Same little girl that was with lady with black dress with satin trim and lace collar sitting on ground Page 4 from Mamo’s album
Mamo with short dress holding round brim hat with lady in gingham dress and round hat by rose bush
Margaret Isabelle “Maggie Belle” Pate “Ma” Harryman dressed in black sitting on log with vehicle in back ground Page 8 from Mamo’s album
Flowers at graveside in Mamo’s album unsure grave
Ma Harryman with car and standing next to tree in black with fur collar Page 24 from Mamo’s album
Mamo standing next to car with Nora with short bangs in drivers seat and lady with bun long black dress sitting on running board unsure Page 25 from Mamo’s album
Believe to be Mamo with big button coat and black gloves by tree and car Page 17 from Mamo’s album
Mamo driving car same day as Ma Harryman in all in black Page 24 from Mamo’s album
Ruby with short bangs driving Page 24 from Mamo’s album
Mamo wearing big button jacket and tight cap with bow beside car and large dog Page 25 from Mamo’s album
Mamo with fur collar coat and hat with bow on side with black dog beside car unknown Page 3 from Mamo’s album
Possibly Mamo with fur collar and cap taken in yard Page 29 from Mamo’s album
Lady with fur collar coat and hat with bow on side with black dog was in photo beside car unknown Page 3 from Mamo’s albumUnknown married lady wedding ring dressed in black with fur collar and head wrap Page 1 from Mamo’s album
Unknown brown haired little girl in back yard with black leggings and dress Page 23 from Mamo’s album
Ruby Harryman Crowell sitting under tree with short bangs and curls Page 13 from Mamo’s album
Ruby Harryman Crowell with short bangs white dog beside fence with sticks Page 17 from Mamo’s album
Ruby with short bangs fur collar jacket with large buttons and two dogs Page 25 from Mamo’s album
Ma Harryman with girl Page 28 from Mamo’s album
Margaret Belle “Ma” Harryman unknown location
Two ladies and young man with lace collars beside train engine Page 18 from Mamo’s album
Mamo with two ladies looking out back of train with two lights all wearing white lace collars Page 19 from Mamo’s album
Frisco Engine with Mamo on the right with gentleman standing Page 6 from Mamo’s album
Unknown couple standing back of train Page 2 from Mamo’s album
Unknown man with hat holding hand of girl on train car with another girl oval window on car Page 18 from Mamo’s album
Unknown four on back of train two men and two women Leaving Menard for Panama-Pacific Exposition Page 6 from Mamo’s album (Held in San Francisco February 20 to December 4, 1915)
Unknown couple guy with wooly chaps and pistol and scarf and cigar, lady with cap on back of train Leaving Menard for Panama-Pacific Exposition Page 15 from Mamo’s album
Unknown girl beside car with rag top Page 11 from Mamo’s album
Believe to be Wade Crowell with Ruby on running board Mamo’s album 1
Unknown man standing on running board of truck
Man and girl holding turkeys on tree limb Page 7 from Mamo’s album
Young blonde boy with pipe sitting on water well with bucket maybe Harryman’s San Saba Avenue, Menard Page 2 from Mamo’s album
Young lady standing next to water well holding round hat in gingham dress Page 13 from Mamo’s album
Unknown lady in yard next to rose bush with round black hat with fur collar Page 23 from Mamo’s album
Girl in front of house with curved neck short sleeve dress unknown
Young girl holding hand of boy with cap and little girl Page 1 from Mamo’s album
Very small photo of lady with fur collar and large brim hat Page 8 from Mamo’s album
Unknown lady with fur collar and cap by wooden gate Page 29 from Mamo’s album
Unknown side view of girl standing by courthouse cross wooden fence Page 22 from Mamo’s album
Two unknown girls standing by courthouse cross wooden fence Page 22 from Mamo’s album
Two ladies sitting on bridge wearing round hats and short sleeved white dresses unknown Page 11 from Mamo’s albumUnknown man and lady beside house wearing hats and white lace collar Page 9 from Mamo’s album
Man driving old car with fringe on windows wearing bow tie unknown Page 11 from Mamo’s albumUnknown man wearing hat in front of picket fence Page 21 from Mamo’s album
Two ladies in front yard with hats unknown Page 9 from Mamo’s album
Unknown two young girls sitting with white dog and horse by shed in background Page 28 from Mamo’s album
Unknown very small photo of young man Page 27 from Mamo’s album
Unknown WWI soldier with mess kit and standing beside cot Page 20 from Mamo’s album
Page 1 from Mamo’s albumPage 2 from Mamo’s albumPage 3 from Mamo’s albumPage 4 from Mamo’s albumPage 5 from Mamo’s albumPage 6 from Mamo’s albumPage 7 from Mamo’s albumPage 8 from Mamo’s albumPage 9 from Mamo’s albumPage10 from Mamo’s albumPage 11 from Mamo’s album
Page 12 from Mamo’s albumPage 13 from Mamo’s album
Page 14 from Mamo’s albumPage 15 from Mamo’s albumPage 15 back from Mamo’s albumPage 16 from Mamo’s albumPage 17 from Mamo’s albumPage 17 from Mamo’s albumPage 18 from Mamo’s albumPage 18 back from Mamo’s albumPage 19 from Mamo’s album
Page 20 from Mamo’s albumPage 21 from Mamo’s albumPage 23 from Mamo’s albumPage 22 from Mamo’s albumPage 24 from Mamo’s albumPage 25 from Mamo’s albumPage 26 from Mamo’s album
1874c Fort McKavett photo shared by Cody Mobley on Facebook.
1875c Ragsdale ambrotype into CDV 10th Infantry Regiment hauling water to Fort McKavett from Government Springs West Texas Collection San Angelo THC
1875 c ambrotype to CDV stereo viewer Ragsdale photo of Mexican homes depicting earthen dugout in the San Saba River near Fort McKavett Texas Historic Commission
1878 M C Ragsdale photo of Company D and Captain D W Roberts Ranger Camp below Fort McKavett from UTSA website
1880 May 15 Texas Rangers at Fort McKavett, Menard County, Texas UTSA website
1870 c Annie Splittgerber Ellis photo from findagrave
1800’s Benchoff D G Saddlery and General Merchandise Menardville, Texas by N. H. Rose
1881 Schuchard Home, Menardville, Texas
1800’s Iron Clad Saloon Menardville, Texas from Alicia Brown from Menardville Museum
1884s construction of Old Rock Saloon owned by William Johnston
1885c Wallick’s Store with Sam Wallick and family when army was there. This was in front of Episcopal church parking lot shared on Ft McKavett Facebook
1885 Aug 27 Frontier Times photo of Early Day Cowmen taken at San Angelo Texas
1886 Menard County courthouse by Ruffini, Menardville, Texas.
1887 May 17 Felix Mann’s herd watering on the San Saba river, trailing to Clayton, New Mexico Andy H Murchison the trail boss on the gray horse in the foreground from Free State of Menard
1889 Las Moras Ranch House, Menard County, Texas.
1890 Menardville School
1890’s Murchison and Brothers Dry Good and Groceries, Menardville, Texas
1892 May 15 A H Murchison Grocery Store Menardville
1894 Menardville Jail
1894 c downtown Menardville on San Saba Avenue; left to right, Dr. Dorr, Mrs. Jake Appleman’s grandfather; Henry Luckenbach, little boy; Fritz Luckenbach, Sr., next two men are Vic Crump and Dave Maddox. Background photography shop belonging to Emil Toepperwein.
1895 entire Menardville school
1898 Dec 24 N. H. Rose Menardville five months before flood
1899 Jun 6, Menardville flood by Rose, N. H.
1890s c Nauwald, Sophie, Mrs. Emil Toepperwein (left) and Ella Nauwald (right) sisters from dsloan website.
1890 J. W. Hunter’s last school, taught at Menardville, Texas.
1890s photo of Australian Hotel and downtown Menardville Jones Collection shared on Facebook by Cody Mobley
1890s photo of courthouse, jail and school Jones Collection shared on Facebook by Cody Mobley.
1890s View of Menardville from east looking west shared on Facebook by Cody Mobley.
1891 Menardville Sheen family on the San Saba River near Menard
1894 Wilhelm ranch house folks identified shared on Facebook in Menard County History and Genealogy group.
1894 Fort McKavett school from Facebook shared by Fort McKavett State Historic Site
1895 last ox team to pass through Menardville. Mr and Mrs Alvin Halling and family moving from Fredericksburg to Sonora by E Toepperwein Menard News
1895 Road Workers near Menardville Texas from Free State of Menard
1895 Menardville Cornet Band from Free State of Menard
1895 Luckenbach family original home photo with dormers shared on Facebook Hannah Beall
1897 Jan 29 Wedding picture of Mr. and Mrs. Emil Toepperwein from Alicia Brown’s website.
1898 Menardville looking East shared on Facebook Menard County Texas History and Genealogy
1899 dedication of Catholic Church in Menardville from Alicia Brown’s website.
1899 dedication of Catholic Church in Menardville from Alicia Brown’s website.
1899 dedication of Catholic Church in Menardville from Alicia Brown’s website.
1899 c Sacred Heart Church built in Menardville photo from San Angelo Standard Times 2007
1899 Toepperwein Emil photo by photographer Asa Brack for Barr Studio San Antonio cabinet card from dsloan website.
1800’s Iron Clad Saloon Menardville, Texas from Alicia Brown from Menardville Museum1800’s Benchoff D G Saddlery and General Merchandise Menardville, Texas by N. H. Rose1889 Las Moras Ranch House, Menard County, Texas.1884s construction of Old Rock Saloon owned by William Johnston1899 Jun 6, Menardville flood by Rose, N. H.1898 Dec 24 N. H. Rose Menardville five months before flood1890 Menardville School1890’s Murchison and Brothers Dry Good and Groceries, Menardville, Texas1894 c Dr. Dorr, Luckenbachs and two unidentified at Emil Toepperwein Photographer building, Menardville, Texas1892 May 15 A H Murchison Grocery Store Menardville1894 Menardville Jail1895 entire Menardville school1870 c Annie Splittgerber Ellis photo from findagrave1874c Fort McKavett photo shared by Cody Mobley on Facebook.1875 c ambrotype to CDV stereo viewer Ragsdale photo of Mexican homes depicting earthen dugout in the San Saba River near Fort McKavett Texas Historic Commission1875c Ragsdale ambrotype into CDV 10th Infantry Regiment hauling water to Fort McKavett from Government Springs West Texas Collection San Angelo THC1878 M C Ragsdale photo of Company D and Captain D W Roberts Ranger Camp below Fort McKavett from UTSA website1880 May 15 Texas Rangers at Fort McKavett, Menard County, Texas UTSA website1881 Schuchard Home, Menardville, Texas1885 Aug 27 Frontier Times photo of Early Day Cowmen taken at San Angelo Texas1885c Wallick’s Store with Sam Wallick and family when army was there. This was in front of Episcopal church parking lot shared on Ft McKavett Facebook1886 Menard County courthouse by Ruffini, Menardville, Texas.1887 May 17 Felix Mann’s herd watering on the San Saba river, trailing to Clayton, New Mexico Andy H Murchison the trail boss on the gray horse in the foreground from Free State of Menard1890 J. W. Hunter’s last school, taught at Menardville, Texas.1890s c Nauwald, Sophie, Mrs. Emil Toepperwein (left) and Ella Nauwald (right) sisters from dsloan website.1890s photo of Australian Hotel and downtown Menardville Jones Collection shared on Facebook by Cody Mobley1890s photo of courthouse, jail and school Jones Collection shared on Facebook by Cody Mobley.1890s View of Menardville from east looking west shared on Facebook by Cody Mobley.1891 Menardville Sheen family on the San Saba River near Menard1894 Fort McKavett school from Facebook shared by Fort McKavett State Historic Site1894 Wilhelm ranch house folks identified shared on Facebook in Menard County History and Genealogy group.1895 last ox team to pass through Menardville. Mr and Mrs Alvin Halling and family moving from Fredericksburg to Sonora by E Toepperwein Menard News1895 Luckenbach family original home photo with dormers shared on Facebook Hannah Beall1895 Menardville Cornet Band from Free State of Menard1895 Road Workers near Menardville Texas from Free State of Menard1897 Jan 29 Wedding picture of Mr. and Mrs. Emil Toepperwein from Alicia Brown’s website.1898 Menardville looking East shared on Facebook Menard County Texas History and Genealogy1899 c Sacred Heart Church built in Menardville photo from San Angelo Standard Times 20071899 dedication of Catholic Church in Menardville from Alicia Brown’s website.1899 dedication of Catholic Church in Menardville from Alicia Brown’s website.1899 dedication of Catholic Church in Menardville from Alicia Brown’s website.1899 Toepperwein Emil photo by photographer Asa Brack for Barr Studio San Antonio cabinet card from dsloan website.
Even today, October 7, 2019 the complete history of the Presidio de San Sabá in Menard, Menard County, Texas is still not completely told. This is what is shown on the Texas State Historical Association. I’m going to share more published sites here on my blog and share the centuries of history in Menard County, Texas.
FYI; the name San Luis de las Amarillas was only used as long as it was a wooden structure as originally built and when the fort became rock the name changed to Presidio de San Sabá.
SAN LUIS DE LAS AMARILLAS PRESIDIO
Kathleen Kirk Gilmore
SAN LUIS DE LAS AMARILLAS PRESIDIO. Presidio San Luis de las Amarillas (popularly known as San Sabá Presidio), one mile from Menard on the north bank of the San Saba River, was established in April 1757 as a support for the Santa Cruz de San Sabá Mission to the eastern (Lipan) Apaches. The presidio and its accompanying mission were the first place that Europeans in Texas came into conflict with the Comanche Indians and found that Plains Indians, mounted on Spanish horses and armed with French guns, constituted a fighting force superior to that of the Spanish colonials. The Indian menace eventually led to the Spanish withdrawal from Texas and the establishment of the new line of defense along the Rio Grande.
Raids on San Antonio and other Spanish settlements by eastern Indian tribes, including the Apaches and their allies, convinced Spanish authorities of the need to establish a mission and presidio for the Indians. Pedro de Rábago y Terán, commander of the San Xavier Presidio, was sent to explore the San Saba River country in 1754 to look for suitable locations for a presidio-mission complex. After his return to San Xavier he urged removal of the San Xavier complex to the San Saba River. The mission was moved temporarily to the San Marcos River near San Antonio and Rábago died soon afterward. Diego Ortiz Parrilla, named to succeed Rábago y Terán, received instructions on September 1, 1756, to transfer the San Xavier garrison to the San Saba River and to recruit an additional fifty men in San Antonio and the Mexican provinces. The San Sabá presidio thus became the largest in Texas. While a jurisdictional question was being debated over whether the mission lay within the boundaries of Texas or Coahuila, the new post remained under the viceroy. The matter was finally settled in favor of Texas.
The mission to the Apaches on the San Saba River was personally funded and supported by Pedro Romero de Terreros, whose cousin, Father Alonso Giraldo de Terreros, was put in charge. The presidio, which was to protect the mission, was government funded. In April 1757 the missionaries destined for the mission under Giraldo de Terreros, mission president, arrived on the San Sabá site. Arguments occurred between Giraldo de Terreros and Ortiz Parrilla, with the commandant arguing for abandonment of the projected mission. The mission fathers prevailed, and building began on timber structures for the presidio and the mission, to be called Santa Cruz de San Sabá, in May 1757. The presidio, located on the north side of the river, was about four miles from the mission, which was on the south side. In January and February of the following year small raids and theft of the presidial horse herd by northern Indians, enemies of the mission Apaches, gave warnings of an impending attack. Shelter at the presidio was offered to the missionaries and their staff, but it was refused. The attack by 2,000 Comanches and their allies came on March 16, 1758. Two priests and six other persons were killed, although about twenty-seven managed to escape to the presidio when Ortiz Parrilla sent a detail of men to the mission after dark. Ortiz Parrilla, with the garrison of the presidio, reduced from 100 men to approximately thirty, gathered the almost 300 civilians into the fort, but the Indians did not attack the presidio.
In the fall of 1759 Ortiz Parrilla led a large force into northern Texas to punish the northern tribes for the massacre. At the fortified Taovaya village on the Red River, near the site of present-day Spanish Fort, he was defeated. He maintained that the French were providing assistance to the Indians. He was forced to return to Mexico City, where he was relieved of his command; Capt. Manuel Rodríguez of San Juan Bautista took charge on the San Saba for almost a year. By 1760 Rodríguez was replaced by the nephew of Pedro de Rábago y Terán, Felipe de Rábago y Terán, who had been absolved of charges made against him eight years earlier when he was commander at San Xavier. Rábago y Terán replaced the timber buildings with stone; a quadrangle fort with four corner bastions was built and a moat was dug. In 1761 he called the fort Real Presidio de San Sabá. He also explored west as far as the Pecos River, hoping to find a trail to New Mexico, and founded two new missions for the Apaches on the upper Nueces River.
During the years that followed, Comanches continually harassed the presidio and mission. Supply trains were cut off and livestock taken. The Marqués de Rubí‘s inspection of the presidio on July 27, 1767, found conditions deplorable, the worst in the provinces. Nevertheless, Rábago y Terán was refused permission to remove the presidio to the upper Nueces River near Mission San Lorenzo. Nicolás de Lafora, Rubí’s engineer, drew a plan of the presidio. Rubí recommended that the presidio either be abolished or moved to the Rio Grande, which he considered to be the actual frontier as part of a new defense line. Conditions became worse during 1768, with increasing Indian raids, food shortages, and a severe epidemic. Rábago y Terán, without permission, ordered the presidio abandoned early in June, and the entire garrison and their families moved to Mission San Lorenzo on the Nueces, where they arrived on June 22, 1768. Rábago y Terán was severely reprimanded for the abandonment and for his failure to burn or raze the buildings, and he eventually was removed from command. Rábago y Terán, who was replaced by Capt. Manuel Antonio de Oca y Alemán on April 1, 1769, is believed to have died en route to Mexico City. Oca withdrew from the Nueces in June 1771, transferring the soldiers to various presidios in San Antonio and Coahuila to fill manpower shortages. It was not until 1772 that a royal decree officially abandoned the fort on the San Sabá River.
In the ensuing years there were visitors at the abandoned presidio, including Governor Juan de Ugalde of Coahuila in 1789 and Francisco Amangual in 1808. Some left their names scratched in the gate: Padilla 1810, Cos 1829, Bowie 1831, Moore 1840. Ferdinand von Roemer visited the site in 1847, and his description served as a guide for rebuilding part of the structure in 1936. The modern road to the ruins of the presidio leaves Highway 29 west of Menard. Limited archeological reconnaissance and testing have been done at the site of the presidio. A. T. Jackson and A. M. Woolsey made a surface survey in 1934 and collected artifacts which are at the Texas Archeological Research Laboratory in Austin. In 1967 the State Building Commission with Dessamae Lorrain and Kathleen Gilmore performed limited testing. The artifacts are at Southern Methodist University. Jack Ivey in 1981 and Daniel Fox in 1983 did limited testing. Artifacts consist of aboriginal flint scrapers and projectile points, aboriginal pottery, Spanish colonial ceramics, gun flints, and metal.
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Carlos E. Castañeda, Our Catholic Heritage in Texas (7 vols., Austin: Von Boeckmann–Jones, 1936–58; rpt., New York: Arno, 1976). William E. Dunn, “The Apache Mission on the San Saba River: Its Founding and Failure,” Southwestern Historical Quarterly 17 (April 1914). Kathleen Gilmore, A Documentary and Archaeological Investigation of Presidio de San Luis de las Amarillas and Mission Santa Cruz de San Sabá (Austin: State Building Commission, 1967). Paul D. Nathan, trans., and Lesley Byrd Simpson, ed., The San Sabá Papers (San Francisco: Howell, 1959). Ernest Wallace and David M. Vigness, eds., Documents of Texas History (Austin: Steck, 1963). Robert S. Weddle, The San Sabá Mission (Austin: University of Texas Press, 1964).
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Who was Martha Carolyn Spiller and what is her family genealogy, has been asked by many family members. This is the research I have been able to put together from many sources.
Martha Carolyn Spiller was born 22 Dec 1852 in Milam County, Texas. Her parents were Jeremiah M. Spiller, Jr. (also shown spelled as Spillers on some records) was born 28 Nov 1822 in St. Helena Parish, Louisiana and he married Tennessee Jane Frazer on 13 Feb 1848 in Jefferson County, Texas. They had 10 children.
1850 Census Milam and Williamson District in County of Milam, Texas1850 Jeremiah Spiller and family in Milam County, Texas from ancestry
The 1860 census for the Post Office San Gabriel, Milam County, Texas and shows his brother Meredith and wife Martha Ann Courtney and their 6 children were living with him and his family. Meredith Spiller is the younger brother of Jeremiah and was born 20 May 1825 in Livingston Parish, Louisiana.
1860 Census in Milam County Texas, Post Office San Gabriel enumerated on 6th day of July 1860 shows the father, Meredith Spillers, age 38 born in Louisiana with his wife Martha Spillers age 30 with their 6 children living with his brother J Spillers age 38 with his wife Tennessee J Spillers age 31 and their 6 children including Martha C Spillers. This census includes both brothers living in same house in San Gabriel, Milam County, Texas)
Post Office: San Gabriel
Family Number: 257
Name: Tennessee J Spillers
Age: 31
Birth Year: abt 1829
Gender: Female
Birth Place: Tennessee
Home in 1860: Western District, Milam, Texas
Post Office: San Gabriel
Family Number: 257
Household Members:
Name Age
J Spillers 38
Tennessee J Spillers 31
George F Spillers 11
Martha C Spillers 8
James Spillers 6
John B Spillers 4
Perry Spillers 2
Paddy Spillers 2/12
M Spillers 38
Martha Spillers 30
Jacob Spillers 12
Thomas Spillers 9
Mary Spillers 8
Melina Spillers 5
Jerry Spillers 2
Wade Spillers 1
J. M. Spiller, age 43 was a private in Texas State Troop, TST, under Captain W. R. Wood during the Civil War enlisting and mustering February 6, 1864 at San Saba, Texas and serving through July 1, 1864.
Muster card for J. M. Spiller
Unsure the date when the family moved to Coleman County, Texas but Jeremiah and Tennessee Jane were successful at cattle raising. Here are three photos shared on ancestry showing 1870, just before Jeremiah dies.
1870 Jeremiah Spiller photo in Fort Worth, Texas shared on ancestry
1870 Tennessee Jane Frazer Spiller photo in Fort Worth, Texas shared on ancestry
1870 Martha Caroline Spiller future wife of W. J. Wilkinson taken in Fort Worth, Texas shared on ancestry
Jeremiah Spiller Jr. was a father of ten children and a successful cattle raiser in Coleman County, Texas but unfortunately died at age 47, April 1870. His wife, Tennessee Jane moves with her family to McCulloch County and was appointed postmaster 19 September 1884. Also the 1870 census show his younger brother Meredith Spiller and family are living in McCulloch County, Texas.
1870 United States Federal Census Year: 1870; Census Place: Coleman, Texas; Roll: M593_1579; Page: 307A; Image: 211440; Family History Library Film: 553078
(Husband, Jeremiah M. Spiller died from measles at the age of 47 shown as age 50)
Name: Tenn J Spiller
[Tennessee Jane Frazer Spiller]
Age in 1870: 40
Birth Year: abt 1830
Birthplace: Tennessee
Dwelling Number: 40
Home in 1870: Coleman, Texas
Race: White
Gender: Female
Occupation: Keeping House
Personal Estate Value: 40000
Real Estate Value: 1000
Household Members:
Name Age
Tenn J Spiler 40
George F Spiler 22
James H Spiler 16
Perry C Spiler 14
Charles W Spiler 11
Ida M Spiler 6
Emma A Spiler 5
Francis Spiler 3
Lester Spiler 1
John Birks 26
Sarah Funderberg 17
Tennessee Jane moves with her family to McCulloch County after the death of her husband in 1870. She is appointed postmaster 19 Sep 1884 in Voca, McCulloch County, Texas.
William Jackson Montgomery Wilkinson married Martha Caroline Spiller in Coleman County, Texas, when she was 17 in 1869. Their first child, William Neille Buie Wilkinson was born 1 Sep 1869. There are many spelling differences in their son’s name including Neal or Nealie and also Bowie.
The Wilkinson’s moved to Menard when Neille was four years old in 1873 and lived at the old Max Menzies ranch at 5 Mile Crossing. Martha Carolyn was expecting their second child. W. J. continued raising cattle, as well as in Coleman County, and took a herd of cattle to New Orleans. While he is gone she gives birth to their daughter, Martha Caroline “Carrie” Wilkinson on 2 December 1873, but Martha Caroline dies on 11 December 1873 when she was 21 years old. There are stories written about the time before she died and it is said she hid $10,000 in gold under a fence post to protect it but didn’t tell anyone. J. Frank Dobie wrote about this incident in his book, Coronado’s Children: Tales of Lost Mines and Buried Treasures of the Southwest.
George Bihl Wilkinson did many years of research on the Wilkinson family genealogy and tells of the headstone for Martha Caroline. Inscription reads;
Martha C.
Wife of
W. J. Wilkinson
Born Dec. 22, 1852
Died Dec. 11, 1873
She was a kind and affectionate wife
a good Mother and a friend to all
As stated by George Bihl’s research papers, “The grave is marked with a stone that is a large, tall one, and it seems unusual for the time and place that is resting. Altogether it is probably seven feet tall and is surrounded by a cut rock fence with very large, cut limestone rocks”, and above inscription. I am trying to get access to her grave site on private property at the old Max Menzies Ranch in Menard County, Texas. This is located about fifty yards from the old headquarters on this ranch about a mile south of the Old River Road east of Menard. There are other stones and burials at this location, too. I hope to get permission to document this cemetery with the new owners soon.
The other question is how is Carolyn Spiller kin to the other Spiller’s who married into the Wilkinson family?
Meredith Spiller, younger brother of Jeremiah Spiller, Jr. married Martha Ann Courtney and their 10th child, Robert Harvey Spiller marries Mary Frances Carter and they raised 5 children, one child, Robert Roy Spiller (1900-1979) marries Nancy Ethel Mears (1905-2004), and they have 4 children.
W. J. Wilkinson (1828-1919) marries a second time to Nancy Rosary Mires (1860-1955) on 22 Dec 1875 in Menard, Menard County, Texas. They have 9 children. Their oldest was Emma Permelia Wilkinson (1877-1970) marries Edward L. Mears (1878-1933). Their second daughter, Nancy Ethel Mears (1905-2004) marries Robert Roy Spiller (1900-1979). Their son, Rob Roy Spiller is a cousin to Martha Carolyn Spiller.
I have scanned a box of glass-plate negatives loaned to me from Menard. They are 3-1/4″ X 4″ in size. I believe all are families and locations in Menard by an unknown photographer or date. The school classroom photos have the Bank of Menard calendar for January 1917 and February 1917 on the wall. Some of these have been shared and published in the Menard News in the past and shown as courtesy of Bill Murchison.
I welcome anyone and especially some of the great history sleuths out there to help identify these folks and/or locations.
Enjoy!
I believe the square building on the top right side is the Menard Jail. Still hoping to find out the identification of these folks.
Girls basketball has been played for many years in Menard. Here are several girls ready to play standing in front of the school building. Scanned from a glass-plate negative, unknown photographer or date or identity. Happy girls wearing bloomers and stockings and long sleeved white shirts with big collars.
February 1917 calendar of the Bank of Menard in the classroom of students with their teacher. Scanned from glass-plate negative. Previously shared in the Menard News courtesy Bill Murchison. Using the Menard News article of teachers, this teacher is Elizabeth Peterson Thurman. Notice the flags on the walls above the calendar and above the blackboard.
January 1917 calendar of the Bank of Menard in the classroom of students with their teacher. Identified: Bill Murchison is the one on the far right row, seated, second from the back.
Geometry????
This glass-negative photo was published in the Menard News. Said to be 1916’s downtown Menard, Johnny Frazier was a busy man with his harness repair shop, making boots and repairing shoes. His place of business was where the Napa Store (old Western Auto) is now located. Photo courtesy Bill Murchison.
Man in front of “Blacksmith and Horse Shoers” building holding a brace and bit drilling a hole in the box on the cart. The horse is wearing a britchen harness which would allow the horse to back up. Scanned from glass-plate negative, unsure if Menard.
This photo was published in the Menard News courtesy by Bill Murchison. Taken at Shaefer’s and Grandstaff’s Drug Store. Men in the picture are, left to right, Dr. J. A. Leggett, Bob Westbrook, Schaefer, and George Grandstaff. Scanned from glass-plate negative.
Sweet baby boy sitting on the counter, possibly at a store downtown Menard. Looks like his Mom is on the left with her hat beside him. Scanned from a glass-plate negative.
Photo shared in Menard News in early 1900’s and was likely taken in the William Bros. Gro. Store downtown Menard. The man standing in front of the counter has been identified as Leo Callan. Photo courtesy Bill Murchison.
