'W' Ward County Pioneers

My great grandfather traveled from Georgia to Texas in the late 1890's arriving in Ward County, Texas, by way of a more Eastern route not show on map.  

A survivor and Veteran of the Civil War, he lost all family farming land to Georgia's Reconstruction and taxes after the Civil War.  Without the hope of owning land, he settled his family in the Southwestern part of Ward county know as Grandfalls.

A widower with 6 of his 10 children, my great grandfather's farming skills were in great demand among the Emigrant land owners. He and his children lived many years in Ward county, and became land owners of plats shown on the map. 

His last years were spent in the Confederate Soldiers Home in Austin, Texas.  His final resting place is in the Texas State Cemetery's Confederate Field.

Only one son, my grandfather stayed on in Grandfalls for the remainder of his life.  My two pioneer grandfathers' spirit flows through the veins of now eight generations of Ward County residents whose lives have been impacted by the 1902 General Land Office Map.

'V' Victory Medal & Valor Award

World War II Pilot

As a pilot and navigator, he was assigned to the 315th Bomb Wing in Guam.  He flew the first airlift into Japan after their surrender during World War II.  

In 1955, this Command Pilot flying B47's for the Strategic Air Command Crash Landed.  His B-47 exploded in mid-air over the eastern Canadian wilderness.  

One of the objectives of the flight was to test a new type of flight suit.  When he was miraculously found alive four days later, he had bravely used his parachute to fashion a tourniquet for his badly mangled leg and built a shelter.  A pack of wolves surrounded the crash site and the badly wounded pilot.  He later said the wolves had saved his life by protecting him from an aggressive moose.

  The test suit having been designed to endure the cold of high altitude flight played a major role in surviving the Canadian wilderness extreme conditions.  After being rescued he lost his leg to amputation.  He was the first Air Force pilot to be reinstated to fly with a prosthetic.  He was a Missle Man (Silo Launch) and Four-Headed Monster pilot, navigator, bombardier and radar man for B-47 Stratojet Bombers.

During his distinguished career he received many awards most notably the World War II Victory Medal, Air Force Commendation Medal and the coveted Aviator's Valor Award.  He commanded the AF Recruiting and Language Schools at Lackland AFB, San Antonio, Texas, before retiring as Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Leland Pittman.

Willard C. Pittman and Thomas L. Pittman 

Sons of brothers Chappo and Cobb Pittman and sisters Estella and Mary Ella Carroll Pittman

Making my Dad Willard and Tom...Double First Cousins

Willard Carroll Pittman 1927-1988

Thomas L. Pittman 1920-2006

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All photos by Sue McPeak ©reserved

'U' Uncle Mert

 

 October 1908

Dear Mama,
I'm fine.  Don't worry.  I am workin' at the Cotton Mill in Post City.  Stayin' with Aunt Annie and Uncle Oscar.  Don't know when I'll be home.
Your son,
Mert
PS...Tell Grandpa, I'm sorry bout taken' Delsey.  I knew she'd find her way home.

Mert was but a boy of ten years old when he hung the cardboard sign around Delsey's neck with the note to his Mama.
'Don't pick up this Old Mare.  She is goin home'.

The year before he got all the way to Snyder, Texas before he was picked up by the Sheriff.  The story goes...Mert was pickin' cotton in Grandpa's cotton field when he dumped out his half full sack, threw it over Delsey's bare back and took off.  

He made his way as far as Scurry County by pickin' cotton along the way for 50 cents per hundred pounds.  When his Uncle, the Sheriff picked him up he had $2 in his pocket.  When asked why he took off with his Grandpa's horse and cotton pickin' sack, hes said, "We need the money."

Uncle Mert was a man of few words with a work ethic that went back to his days as a cotton picker on his Grandpa's farm.  After his work at the Cotton Mill in Post he worked his way to California and then on to Canada.  

His Mama didn't see him again until around 1915 when he returned home to help her move to West Texas.  He spent most of his life in West Texas.  

He lived his last ten years or so with his nephew, my Dad, on a farm in Ward County where he and his  Mama...my Great Grandmother...homesteaded a farm not far from where he spent his last days with my parents.

Mert was my Great Uncle...brother of my Grandmother and Uncle of my Dad.  He was stricken with Glaucoma in his fifties and by his seventies was only able to see light and dark shadows.  His blindness slowed him down, but didn't keep him from working every day of his life.  He spent many hours in the fields grubbing mesquite with a pick axe. 

He rests In Peace in Tamarisk Cemetery, Grandfalls, Ward County, Texas.

He was true to his Epitaph to the end of his life.

My Great Uncle was a great story teller and I was a good listener.

Photo Credits

Mert and brother Othella about 1918...Mert (standing)

Headstone...by Sue McPeak

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'T' Tracks of Two Boys and A Donkey...

...Down the Dusty Road

The dusty path between town and home was covered with tracks.  One set belonged to a barefoot boy and one set to a donkey.  Every hundred yards or so, the barefoot tracks would switch to shoe tracks that ran along side the donkey.  

Racing was a measure of the boy on the donkey against the boy on foot.  From school to the 'old man's house' was one leg of the race.  At the end of that leg, an apple awaited all three, both boys and the donkey. 

 Eating the apple and resting up for the next leg home, gave the boys a chance to visit with the old man and tell him about their day at school.  He in turn shared the stories they liked to hear about when the old man was young, and how he knew their Dad and Granddad in the old days when they were early settlers in Ward County, Texas.

"I knew your folks when they got here in a covered wagon.  Uncle George, your Granddaddy, had a way with horses and he passed that on to your Daddy, and now you boys show a real promising talent with horses, too."  He pointed out to them that the donkey wasn't quite the caliber horses he knew they were destined to own, but was a right good start.  "I jest imagine you two will be right good with cattle, too." he added as he began the yarn about how their Mama had stayed behind in a snow storm to help birth a calf. 

 "It was a sleetin and a snowin, and that wagon jest kept getting farther and farther away, and yore Ma stayed til that calf was born.  Then she wrapped it up in her slicker and carried it across her saddle while the mama cow followed.  That musta been somewhere between Odessa and Grandfalls," he told the boys as they finished their apples.  The old man spit apple seeds into the dust, and continued with his tale.  "Now, your Grandma Carroll was mighty proud of her daughter for gettin that old cow and her new calf home.  Yes siree, that Stella was quite a gal."

 

Both boys riding the donkey, rode across what passed for a bridge going across the ditch.  They would ride a ways down the ditch line looking for their Dad.  Looking into the sunset with squinting eyes, they spotted him nearly a half mile down the ditch. 

Reaching the big horse that had to be lots of hands high, the boys jumped down to help drag the clump of weeds and sticks from the ditch.  Down the ditch the water could now flow until it blocked up again, and their Dad, the Ditch Rider, would get there to untangle the debris so the water could flow again.  

Backtracking the ditch on their way home, the boys wondered what they would eat for supper. Supper was meager, but the beans and cornbread filled them up and the cool breeze of spring fluttering the worn curtains in the small house found them in bed not long after sun down. Rising early, the two boys started off to school.  Somewhat reluctant about going on this bright morning, Willard, admitted to MD that he wasn't all that keen on schooling today.  "Mrs. Brandenburg has promised me a paddling first thing every morning." he told his brother as they walked down the dusty road.  

"Why's she whipping you before school even starts, and you haven't done nothin yet"?  MD wondered aloud.

  "Well, she seems to think I'll be in her office sometime during the day for licks anyhow, so she thought it'd be a good idea to just get it over with early," Willard said as he threw rocks into the ditch as they crossed over. 

 "I'll fool her one day, and not do a single thing to get sent to the office for licks.  Think I could manage that"?, he quizzed MD.  

"Nah, I doubt it." MD said shaking his brown curly head and his laugh showing in his brown eyes.

~This true story based on recollections of Oldtimers who knew Willard, MD and their Ditch Rider Dad.  The Old timer story teller's prediction of my Dad, Willard, becoming a horseman came true.    The insert photo next to Willard's Headstone is of my Dad, his brother MD in Army Uniform and my Grandfather.  Willard and MD rest in peace just a few Tracks from each other in Tamarisk Cemetery located down a dusty road not far from 'The Irrigation Ditch' their Ditch Rider Dad rode.

~Photo of Willard on horse taken at this homestead on the same Dusty Road he and MD made Tracks

~Photo of two boys wrestling is Willard and MD. (re-photographed from early 1940's picture)

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All photos by Sue McPeak ©reserved

'S' Sherwood...In Texas...Not Nottingham

 The Courthouse

'Off The Beaten Path'

That's where I found Sherwood, Texas and it's Historical Courthouse.  A mere hop, skip and jump from San Angelo, and of course, a backroad with opportunities for a photo shoot.  Surrounded by a chain link fence, the courthouse and it's grounds were obviously under renovation.

The open gate and a parked pickup was the first clue that someone was there.  The first step on the stone steps that led to the huge double doors, was like stepping back in time.  

Imagine the hustle and bustle this magnificent building must have had back in the day.  To my surprise and delight the heavy double doors were unlocked and opened to a grand entrance room.

There was the judge cowboy holding court standing on a ladder with a gavel paintbrush.  Back to reality!!!  

After introductions, I asked permission to walkabout and take pictures.  "You betcha", said Cowboy painter, who was in the process of restoring the still Rock Solid building to it's former glory for the citizens of Sherwood and surrounding area to use as a Community Center, Wedding Venue and Event Center.

More about Sherwood, Texas and it's history.

Sherwood, Texas, on Texas Escapes.com

Sherwood, Texas, Ghost Town

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All photos by Sue McPeak ©reserved

'Q & R' Quirky Texas Rusted Relics

 Rust In Peace Ye Old Relics

There is something about old buildings that beckons photographers, artists and Texas history buffs. When you fit all three, it's a photo shoot, a future painting and a blog post...like this one.  The painting may come later. Roaming Texas' backroads and following signs that promise a small town off the beaten path nearly always pays off.  Like this once thriving Home Lumber Co.

Like this front yard where the house held a family, 

the grass was mowed and the trucks parked in drive way.

The Quirky Things Texans Leave To Rust!

Thank goodness!!!

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All photos by Sue McPeak ©reserved

'P' Palmyra

The Person...Not An Ancient City

Palmyra was an ancient city in Syria.  In the age of antiquity, it was an important city of central Syria located in an oasis Northeast of Damascus and Southwest of the Euphrates.  It had been a vital caravan city for travelers crossing the Syrian desert and was known as the 'Bride of the Desert'.

Palmyra the person was one of 25 or so photos in my Great Grandmother Carroll's album from the late 1890's through about 1910.  The Album was passed down through my Father's maternal family.  It came to me as the Family Historian in 1991...20 years after her death at age 94.

The Album had not been in her possession since the early 1950's, hence the lack of knowledge of the 'Who, What and Where's of the photos and scraps of memorabilia.

After establishing my Family Tree and many hours of research on Ancestry.com, Palmyra's photo and her relationship to my Great Grandmother Carroll and me was determined.

Female lines in Family Trees can be complicated and sorting out the branches is often difficult to convey without a 'Tree' diagram.  So here goes with a short branch to get to why the only 8x10 photo with Palmyra's name penciled on the back was in my Great Grandmother's Album.

Relationship to my Great Grandfather... Aunt...sister of Mother

Relationship to my Great Grandmother...Aunt by marriage

Relationship to me...2xGrand Aunt...sister of my 2xGreat Grandmother who was Mother of my Great Grandfather.

Knowing who Palmyra was opened a 'Tree Branch' that led to an Ancestor Line I didn't know existed.  Thanks to my Great Grandmother's Album and her close relationship to her husbands Aunt Palmyra, several more album photos were identified and names added to my Ancestry Tree.

Want to know more about Ancient City of Palmyra?  I sure did, but mostly wondered why my 2xGreat Grandmother named her daughter Palmyra.  Could it have been from reading the ancient Hebrew Bible story of how King Solomon of Israel built/fortified the city of Palmyra?  Afterall, 2XGreat Grandmother's father's name was Solomon...not a name for a girl, but how about Palmyra! 

HERE is Ancient City of Palmyra's wikipedia link.

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All photos by Sue McPeak ©reserved

'O' Oil Boom

 Oil and Gas Industry In Pecos County

Located in the Petroleum rich Permian Basin, Pecos is one of the most prolific Oil and Gas Producing Counties in Texas.  The petroleum business here began about 1900 with the drilling of the Turney Well near an ancient 'seep', a traditional local source of oil for lubricating and medicinal purposes.

 

A short lived BOOM in 1921 caused by the discovery of the 'Miracle Well' heralded the arrival of the fabulous Yates Oil Field 1926, indicating the area's great potential oil wealth.  Since that year over 710 million barrels of oil have been produced from the Yates, Fort Stockton and other county fields.

The presence of Natural Gas, known for years, was slow to be exploited because gas was considered an undesirable By-Product of the oil business.  The first commercial use of gas here was inspired after it was found by workers drilling a water well, in 1925.  The discovery, about 1948, of Santa Rosa Field spurred exploration that brought in the Puckett Field in 1952.  Subsequent deep drilling tapped many extensive pools, including in 1963 the prolific Gomez Field, which had produced over 478 billion cubic feet of gas as of 1970.  Today petroleum is the single most important economic asset of Pecos County.  Texas Historical Marker 1973

The Oil Boom is Back in West Texas and in my home towns.  It's come a long way since the discovery of that 'undesirable by product' back in 1926.  In the last 87 years technology and the demand of oil and gas world wide has brought the OIL BOOM back to Texas...Twenty-first Century Style with...

  Clipboards and Walkie Talkies to Laptops and Cell phones. 

Tent Towns to Trailer Towns

They say it's 'Here to Stay'... for how long 'They Cannot Say'!

Ah, History....you will 'Repeat One Day'...with

BOOM to BUST!

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All photos by Sue McPeak ©reserved

'N' Night Before Christmas In Texas

 Texas Christmas Cards

'Twas the night before Christmas, in Texas, you know.
Way out on the prairie, without any snow.
Asleep in their cabin, were Buddy and Sue, A dreamin' of Christmas, like me and you. Not stockings, but boots, at the foot of their bed, For this was Texas, what more need be said,

When all of a sudden, from out of the still night,
There came such a ruckus, it gave me a fright.
And I saw 'cross the prairie, like a shot from a gun,
A loaded up buckboard, come on at a run,

The driver was "Geein" and "Hawin", with a will,
The horses (not reindeer) he drove with such skill.
"Come on there Buck, Poncho, & Prince, to the right,
There'll be plenty of travelin' for you all tonight."

The driver in Levi's and a shirt that was red, Had a ten-gallon Stetson on top of his head.
As he stepped from the buckboard, he was really a sight, With his beard and moustache, so curly and white.

As he burst in the cabin, the children awoke,And were so astonished, that neither one spoke. And he filled up their boots with such presents galore, That neither could think of a single thing more. 

When Buddy recovered the use of his jaws, He asked in a whisper, 

"Are you really Santa Claus?"
"Am I the real Santa? Well, what do you think?" 

And he smiled as he gave a mysterious wink.
Then he leaped in his buckboard, and called back in his drawl,
"To all the children in Texas, Merry Christmas, YA'LL"!

When you are from Texas, friends and relatives from out of state recognize that Texas postmark, the Lone Star Stamp and YeeeHah on the return address label.  At least mine do!!!

It's Christmas!
The loveliest time of the year,
The season of love, goodwill
and good cheer
MERRY CHRISTMAS

Over the years, shopping for Texas themed Christmas cards was like looking for a Longhorn with a wreath around it's neck.  Now days with online market places...Texas cards are a fence post click away.  

Give Texas Christmas Cards a Google and you will see!!!

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~card images & poems from my Texas Christmas card collection~

'M' Marathon

The Place...Not The Race 

Welcome to Marathon, Texas.

Long considered the 'Gateway to the Big Bend,'

Marathon is situated in the center of an ancient seabed, surrounded by spectacular mountains and fascinating geology. 

Located 58 miles south of Fort Stockton, Texas. Centrally located to points of interest in the Big Bend area, Marathon is about 150 miles, or 2.5 hours, from Midland-Odessa; 350 miles, or 6 hours from Central Texas; and 250 miles, or 4 hours from El Paso, Texas.You know you are in Texas when you measure distance by minutes and hours.

The Town of Marathon was founded and named in 1881 by Albion Shepard, an old sea captain, who settled in the area. The surrounding plains and mountains reminded him of Marathon, Greece. 

In Recent years, Marathon has become a center of attention due to its central location in the Big Bend and friendly, casual lifestyle. 

In addition, at over 4000' elevation, it boasts a delightful climate, a diversity of outdoor activities, shopping, dining, and art galleries...as well as the perfect place for artists to set up an easel and paint. Specifically, this artists' watercolor Yucca Blooms Below Marathon Mesas.

So Adios from Marathon, Texas and The Big Bend!

Land of Spectacular Sunsets!

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All photos by Sue McPeak ©reserved

'L' Longhorns

Ones With Horns...Not Helmets

Texas Longhorns are a breed of cattle known for their characteristic horns, which can extend to 7 feet  tip to tip for steers and exceptional cows, and 36 to 80 inches tip to tip for bulls. Horns can have a slight upward turn at their tips or even triple twist.

The Texas Longhorn Breeders Association of America and the International Texas Longhorn Association serve as the recognized registries for the breed. Early Texas settlers obtained feral Mexican cattle from the borderland and mixed them with their own eastern cattle.  

The leaner longhorn beef was not as attractive in an era where tallow was highly prized, and the longhorn's ability to survive on often poor vegetation of the open range was no longer as much of an issue. 

Other breeds demonstrated traits more highly valued by the modern rancher, such as the ability to put on weight quickly. The Texas longhorn stock slowly dwindled, until in 1927 the breed was saved from almost certain extinction by enthusiasts from the United States Forest Service.

 A few years later, J. Frank Dobie and others gathered small herds to keep in Texas state parks. One such Park is the San Angelo State Park here in San Angelo, Texas.

In other parts of North America this breed is used for much more. Longhorn cattle have a strong survival instinct and can find food and shelter during times of rough weather.

 Longhorn calves are very tough and can stand up sooner after birth than other breeds.

Longhorn cattle can breed for a long time, well into their teens. There have been cows that have bred for up to thirty years. Some ranchers keep Longhorns for their easy calving. A Longhorn cow will often go off on her own to a safe place to have the calf then bring it home. They are also known to hide their calves in safe places to avoid predators.  Many Texas ranchers keep herds purely because of their link to Texas history.  History of the Longhorns - Wikipedia Website

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'K' Kitchen at Old Fort Davis

An Army Wife's Cookbook 

The Commander's wife's kitchen was separated from the main living quarters.  Mrs. Alice Kirk Grierson's kitchen has been well documented in the history of Old Fort Davis.  Authentically restored, the building sits on the Fort grounds surrounded by the rugged landscape as it was in the late 1800's.

Alice's kitchen was staffed with several servants.  Meals were prepared in the kitchen and served in the Commanders quarters dining room.

*Mrs. Grierson copied recipes from her personal cookbook for the kitchen staff.  Her original cookbook rarely was used in the frontier kitchen.

*Her handwritten recipes were in a bound book which also contained household hints.  Other recipes clipped from newspapers and collected from friends and family were included. 

My copy of An Army Wife's Cookbook was purchased at Old Fort Davis' Visitors Center.  *The original cookbook had over six hundred recipes, many of which were duplicates.  Over half of the recipes were for desserts and few were for main dishes or vegetables. 

*In 1968, Mrs. Grierson's cookbook was donated to the National Park Services at Fort Davis National Historic Site.  

*Some of the culinary adventures described by other officers' wives have been included to give readers a glimpse into the kitchen of a frontier army wife.

Frontier Fort and Commander Benjamin Grierson's wife Alice K. Grierson

On the Web History:

Wife of Union General Benjamin Grierson

Texas State Historical Association

Benjamin Grierson

*Paraphrased text from cookbook/*italics quoted text. 

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