TXGenWeb - NOLAN COUNTY

BOOKS of INTEREST in NOLAN Co., TX Research

Ultimate Museum Musings: by Travis Monday

Contains the complete collection of 62 articles with photos previously published by the author in the Sweetwater Reporter in Sweetwater , Texas , about the history of Nolan County, Texas, and the surrounding area. Includes an index and additional articles and chronologies designed especially for researchers and family historians.

Topics include: Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP), Royal Air Force (RAF), Double Heart Ranch and Rodeo, Harley Sadler, Lew Jenkins, Elvis Presley, Sweetwater Fire Department, Law Enforcement Stories (Lawmen & Outlaws), Cowboys and Indians, Frank Hamer, Drive In Theaters, Pan Zareta, Coca-Cola, Hospitals and Courthouses of Nolan County, Grogan Wells, Santa Fe Roundhouse, C-47 Airplane Crash, S. D. Myres, Salty Pups Football Team (Sweetwater Mustangs), Dorothy Scarborough (The Wind), Mulberry Mansion,Otto Carter, P-47, gliders, and more.

The book is available from Lulu Press at http://lulu.com/moonlight.

Pages From Our Past - The Most Comprehensive Research Ever Performed for Reason Bell

By: Teri Lee Bell Hooper

Pages From Our Past includes the story of the migration of Reason Bell and his family. The story begins in South Carolina as Reason Bell, born in 1817, grows up the hills of Northern Georgia among the people of the Cherokee Nation. By 1837, Reason takes a Cherokee bride and moves his family to Gilmer County, Georgia. The story follows Reason to Alabama by 1860 and describes his children's lives in Calhoun County. It then follows the John T. Bell family from Alabama to Lee County, Texas where John Bell dies. His children are followed to Howard County in Texas and on to Nolan County where several of John's siblings live out their lives with their families, neighbors and friends, becoming pioneers in Nolan County.

Following the migration story of the Bell family is a Descendant Narrative for Reason Bell, listing each family branch. There is also a handsome Photo Gallery included in Pages From Our Past. The book totals 197 pages.

Names of interest mentioned in Pages From Our Past from Nolan County are Baker, Bell, Boyett, Gailbrath, Lackey, Levrets, Masters, Moore, Newman, Nunley, Pate, and more.

Pages From Our Past, by Teri Lee Bell Hooper, is available online at Big Spring History and Genealogy Research Center. That address is http://bigspringhistory.tripod.com

Copies can also be ordered by email by sending an email to Teri Lee Bell Hooper at bigspringhistory@yahoo.com or lesliewhooper@suddenlink.net

You can send money order or check to

Teri Bell Hooper

2006 E 11th Place

Big Spring, Texas 79720-5004

Price of the book is $29.95 plus shipping $6.50 = $36.45

The book is 8 1/2 X 11, plastic coil binding.

Also available is a nice companion cookbook called My Grandmother's Apron. This cookbook includes recipes collected from the Bell family from as far back as the middle 1870s. There are over 150 original family recipes in this book. The price of My Grandmother's Apron is $19.95, shipped free when you purchase both books.

First 100 Years: Nolan County, Texas.

Nolan County Historical Commission, 1985. Printed by Taylor Publishing Co., Dallas, TX. Hardback with 558 large pages with small print, including a detailed index. Most of the content consists of family history material. Early portion of book includes general history of the county and some original artwork. Many photographs included. This is unquestionably the best Nolan County resource available. Unfortunately it is no longer available for sale. The local library has a copy and the Pioneer City-County Museum has a copy.

Supplement to First 100 Years:

Nolan County, Texas. Nolan County Historical Commission, 1985. This follow up volume is only 96 pages and contains no index. It contains information that was "left out of the first one," and it also contains many photographs. It is still available for sale from the Pioneer City-County Museum of Sweetwater.

History of Nolan County, Texas.

Compiled and written by E. L. Yeats and Hooper Shelton in collaboration with the Nolan County Historical Society ("Society" was later changed to "Commission."). Shelton Press, Sweetwater, TX, 1975. Hardback with 256 pages. No index but lots of useful information. Also includes good collection of county-history-related photographs.

Pioneer City-County Museum of Sweetwater still has copies available. Copies also available for research in Sweetwater library.

The Lost Last Class of Avenger Field.

Paperback book of approximately 100 pages (unnumbered). Compiled by J. T. McCreey, whose mother, was a member of the WASPs (Women's Airforce Service Pilots) of World War 2. Printed in 1996.

The Pioneer City-County Museum has some copies still available.

Our Community: Organization and Development of Nolan County.

Hardback book of 87 pages written by Lelia Jeanette Wade in 1960. Printed by Watson-Foct Company, Sweetwater, TX. No Index. Available only at the Sweetwater library, where there are about 8 copies available for research. Can be checked out. Not very useful for genealogy but does mention some individuals who were early pioneers in Nolan County.

Wings Over Sweetwater:

The History of Avenger Field, Texas. Hardback book of 159 pages written by Major Bennet R. Monde of Sweetwater in 1995, who once served as the commander of Avenger Field. Includes limited index. This book was developed from an earlier Master Thesis for Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene, TX, on the topic of Avenger Field near Sweetwater. Later Major Monde expanded the thesis into a history of aviation in Sweetwater and Nolan County. Major Monde taught history for many years and is an excellent historian. The book is well-written and well-documented and contains some excellent photographs. Of special interest to those researching the Womens Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs) of World War 2.

Images: A Pictorial History of Nolan County.

Hardback book published by Sweetwater Reporter in 1994. No Index. Consists mostly of photographs. Both the local museum and library have copies on hand but not for sale. The book may be purchased from the Sweetwater Reporter.

Marriages of Nolan County TX 1881-1920.

Softback book of 112 pages compiled by Vivian Boyd Goodman. There is an index by groom and an index by bride. The book is for sale through the Montgomery County Genealogical and Historical Society, P O Box 867, Conroe, TX 77305-0867.

Index to Nolan County TX Probate Records 1881-1939.

Softback book of 85 pages compiled by the WPA. Fully indexed to include all names entered. The book is for sale through the Montgomery County Genealogical and Historical Society, P O Box 867, Conroe, TX 77305-0867.

Marks and Brands of Nolan County TX 1881-1900.

Softback book compiled by Vivian Boyd Goodman. The book begins with the first brands registered after the county was formed in June of 1881. The book is for sale through the Montgomery County Genealogical and Historical Society, P O Box 867, Conroe, TX 77305-0867.