CHAPTER XLIII.

The Town Builders-Hannaford-Farr Cooper-Duke-Williams-Morris-Blake-Gordon-Allen and Others.

The year 1871-2 brought to our county many men who have subsequently been prominent and influential in public affairs, political or educational. Very early in 1871, E.A. Hannaford, after having traveled over a considerable part of the state in quest of a location suitable to his purposes, settled at Granbury and bought several choice business lots, upon one of which he at once began the erection of a neat store room for his drug business, which was finished and equipped in a style well befitting a town of much larger facilities than then belonged to this frontier village. Hannaford at once became, and through all the succeeding years remained one of the most popular and successful druggists in this part of the state. And he has been among the foremost in the educational enterprises here; was one of the principal projectors and supporters of Granbury High School and College, for many years upon its board of trustees. He has so largely contributed to this and other educational institutions as to entitle him to be considered among the foremost patrons of education in our county. A man of superior business qualifications, of exemplary character, and industrious habits, he has attained such competency as to enable him to broaden out into stock raising, in which he takes delight without in the least diminishing his attention to his drug store. Dr. Hannaford has also been identified with perhaps every public enterprise of importance which has ever been inaugurated at Granbury. He was one of those gallant soldiers, who laid down his arms at the conclusion of the war, to engage with equal devotion in the attainment of those material things which conduce to the prosperity, civilization and peace of the country.

The legal fraternity, so closely identified with the administration of the laws, received accessions in the coming of several men in 1871-2, who have come to some local prominence. Among them were J.J. Farr, N.L. Cooper, T.J. Duke and B.F. Williams. The first two soon formed a partnership, and so remained a strong firm till Farr removed to Glen Rose, where he for years engaged in successful practice, while Col. Cooper has remained steadily engaged here in his practice, giving his talents principally to the criminal law, in which he has been greatly successful, having been District Attorney for one term. Mr. Cooper is a man of strong personality and of a logical turn of mind, which has greatly conduced to his successes.

B.F. Williams succeeded J.B. Sears as Justice of the Peace, and as such for several years presided over the Police Court. He was a man of intellectual qualifications, sober and pious habits, frail in body, and suffered lassitude to such an extent as seemed to give him an aversion to statute law and made him a devotee of equity, frequently knocking at its door. He was one of the chief promoters of Granbury High School, and a member of its first board of trustees. After serving two terms as Presiding Justice, he removed to Young county and was subsequently appointed Judge of the District, holding this office for several terms then by election.

Col. T.J. Duke was a remarkable man; portly and clumsy in appearance, he possessed an active mind, friendly disposition and sensitive nature, with laudable ambitions leading him ever to the front place in the affairs of his locality. He entered into partnership in 1872 with T.T. Ewell, and this firm continued in the practice of law at Granbury till his candidacy for the office of County Judge in 1876 rendered its dissolution expedient. Subsequently he and his brother, Maj. W.A. Duke, went into the practice as partners. Col. Duke served two terms from 1880 as County Judge of Hood county, and shortly after the expiration of his last term, died greatly lamented by his many friends. He was then in the prime of life and had high hopes ahead for a life of distinction, as he was a man of the people, having worked his way up from the position of striker at the anvil, a poor uneducated orphan boy, through school, where he delighted in classical studies and rapidly advanced to such proficiency as to enable him to adopt the learned profession of law, but through all his career he adhered to the simple habits and customs of the common people.

Among other business men who settled in Granbury at this period, now recalled, were Capt. J.R. Morris, Maj. C.H. Blake & Son, Thos. R. Blake, Capt. Wm. Allen, and J.A. Stephenson, A.P. Gordon, and a year or two later, F.C. Bush. Capt. Morris still remains one of our reliable merchants. He was connected with the High School at its inception, being a member of its board of trustees, and is now Vice-President of the borrd [sic] for Granbury College. He was elected Clerk of the County Court in 1876 and held this office one term, and subsequently was elected Sheriff, which office, however, was resigned by him for the more satisfactory life of farming and merchandising, in which he has respectively engaged with assiduity for many years. Capt. Morris did service as a Confederate soldier, and has ever been esteemed for his high qualities of honor and courage as a soldier, public servant and citizen.

Maj. C.H. Blake belonged to the old Virginia class of gentleman of hospitable and benevolent character. He was a well educated and informed man; and began his career here as a school teacher, but soon quit this to engage with his sons, S.D. and T.R. Blake, in merchandising, their mercantile firm lasted under several changes for a number of years and prospering under the direction of its members, who were all men of broad business views and great energy. Maj. Blake delighted in politics, though never offered here for political office. He was elected County Judge in 1876, after a spirited contest, over questions of local politics. After serving one term, again turned his attention to mercantile business, and a few years later removed from the county, residing at Dallas and several other places since. He died in 1895 at Quanah, at an advanced age. He was a man of strong and decided views, had many friends, and possessed such fluent conversational powers as to readily overcome opposition to his views, which he pressed to the attention of all, with an earnestness of purpose, denoting sincerity and patriotism. He, too, was a gallant soldier, of the "lost cause," having volunteered from Kentucky, where he then resided.

Capt. Wm. Allen did not remain long in business, but after a few years secured a farm, which he improved and for a number of years was among Hood county's most intelligent farmers. Subsequently removing to Somervell county, where he still lives and carries on his farming operations. Capt. Allen has frequently served in both Hood and Somervell counties upon the grand juries, and though he never held office, yet his prominence and character in all his affiliations and connections with his fellow citizens, growing out of his extensive information and high integrity, entitle him to mention here as a factor in our history. Stephenson, who was a business partner and brother-in-law of Allen's, though a good citizen in all respects, did not remain with us sufficiently long to make marked impressions here.

A.P. Gordon came to Hood county in 1871, and like others of that time, engaged in school teaching till he acquired sufficient means to enable him to follow the more profitable employment of merchandising; his first experience in which was damp groceries, then so much more in demand than other kinds of merchandise. Gordon, however, by close economy and attention to business, soon began to grow out into larger business and to deal in more necessary articles of merchandise, till he discontinued liquors entirely. He has ever since remained steadily engaged in merchandising, and so prospered as to be among the foremost of merchants in the county. He has not held office, except as school superintendent in early times. He possesses a cool, calculating, undisturbed temperament, which has enabled him to baffle all difficulties and face all dangers and adversities presenting themselves, and which would have overcome most other men in his station. At the same time he has by the same characteristic of temper maintained himself in friendly relationship with his fellows in all the conditions through which our society has developed from the turbid times in our history to the present. During our early days, when game was plentiful, Gordon was fond of hunting, and with other noted hunters made several expeditions to the mountainous regions to our northwest, where bear, deer and turkey abounded. On one of these occasions, when he was accompanied by those old hunters, W.J.W. Powell, John Aston, A.S. McCamant and James Prestidge, they slaughtered, during a 10 days hunt, 13 bear and a great number of turkeys, Gordon killing over 100. This occurred in 1873.

F.C. Bush has been a most reliable merchant, but a man of eccentric manners. He died in 1894, much lamented by his many friends.

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