CHAPTER VII.

Pioneers, Continued. - Jesse Caraway and Isaac Cowan.

A few miles above Paluxieville is situated "The Rock Church," erected at an early date for the triple uses of Masonic hall, school and church services for the community. Among the leading spirits of the early days in this vicinity were Jesse Caraway and Isaac Cowan, both North Carolinians by birth, from whence in their young manhood they emigrated to Gibson county, Tenn., where they remained for a short time, and thence came to Texas and settled respectively on the Paluxy and Richardson creeks, about the year 1859. They were closely related by marriage, and because of their prominence in the affairs of their time and locality are entitled to mention here. Caraway had married in Tennessee, Miss Elizabeth Keathley, who still survives and resides at the long-cherished home near the Rock Church, which was won by them through many years of faithful labor, watching and suffering during the period of and following the civil war, when the Indian depredations were frequent and cruel. During these trying times, and up to the date of his death in 1893, Jesse Caraway was always noted as an excellent citizen, good practical farmer, and useful to his community as a builder up of those institutions which promote civilization and dispense charities. He was known as the father of the Masonic Lodge, which has so long flourished at the place. He was engaged in several Indians pursuits and fights, and in one of these, upon his party overtaking a party of Indians, his swift horse carried him quite into the midst of the savages and he received a severe arrow wound. His children consisted of six sons, L.J., Bryant, Adam, Archie, John and William-all except two, I believe, still living-and four daughters: Mrs. Jno. R. Jones, Mrs. McDermott, Mrs. Roberts and the first wife of Joel Counts. Those living are all exemplary citizens of Hood and neighboring counties. The contributions from this family to the service of the Confederacy were, including a nephew residing with them, three gallant soldiers. Lieutenant Luke J. Caraway and his brother, Bryant, were captured at Arkansaw Post while serving under Gen. Churchill, and after being in prison awhile were again in service, and Bryant was wounded at the battle of Missionary Ridge. The nephew distinguished himself under Gen. McCulloch in his first battle by charging upon an Indian foe and hacking one to death with his hunter's knife, which gallantry was properly recognized by the General in the promotion of young Caraway. But why should I expand my story to such broad realms? Only but to show the Hood county furnished her quota of heroes to the lost cause.

Aside from what I have already said of Luke J. Caraway, I noted further that he was born on that fertile and patriotic spot known as the old Davy Crockett farm in Gibson county, Tennessee, hence his standing as farmer and democrat seems not to be without foundation from his very beginning. Let me here observe, by the way, that Texas might afford to buy that old Tennessee farm and go into the husbandry of raising citizens, such as it has furnished her in the past. Luke Caraway, when a young man, studied and practiced law for a time, but subsequently proved to be a better farmer than lawyer, and lately has aspired to legislative honors of which he has been deferred till fortune may smile more favorably upon his suit.

Of Ike Cowan, I would say, that though a citizen of Erath county, he has always exerted a potent influence in the affairs of Hood county, and rendered many valuable services on the frontier during the stirring period of the civil war and afterward. He with Jesse Caraway, Wm. Graves and Mr. Simpson made an expedition noted for its peril and suffering, to bring back Capt. John C. Low of the Ranger service, who had been taken sick at Fort Chadborne and was in peril. The party encountered a severe norther on the plains and suffered intensely, several dying from its effects.

Isaac Cowan, Col. Buck Barry, of Bosque county, and a gentleman form [sic] Johnson county (whose name the writer has not been able to obtain) acted under the appointment of County Judge Landers and his associates as a sort of extraordinary commission of arbitration to settle the location of the county site after the people at several elections had failed to do so in a manner satisfactory to the authorities. And no doubt the diplomatic skill of Ike Cowan was instrumental largely in fixing the site of the city of Granbury, where it still remains, and now seems by the lapse of time to be firmly settled, though for many years this action was the subject of much murmuring and discontent in several quarters. Isaac Cowan, in his younger days, was fond of hunting, and enjoyed keeping a pack of fine hounds. He has been a man of strong affirmative character and has prospered, a democrat of the "heart of oak" type, has raised several sons, and a daughter, all valuable citizens of Erath county, except one recently moved to the Panhandle country. Prior to coming to Texas, Mr. Cowan enjoyed a personal friendship with Andrew Jackson and was always such an admirer of that great democrat that Luke Caraway says he is still voting for Jackson.

There are a number of other people of the Paluxy section who might appropriately be mentioned as frontiersmen of the period of which I now write, but to sketch them all would fill many books. There are also many incidents which it would be very interesting to relate were I sufficiently informed of the facts. I therefore earnestly request all in possession of facts of importance to note them and forward or hand to me, that I may include them in proper order of time. I acknowledge thankfully many favors of this kind already received.