By
Norman Lowell McCarver, Sr. & Norman Lowell McCarver, Jr. Used with permission of Norman Lowell McCarver, Jr. These electronic pages may not be reproduced in any format by other organizations or individuals. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material must obtain the written consent of McCarver family relatives or contact William Kent Brunette, Robertson County TXGenWeb coordinator.
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Biographical Sketches - W
WALLACE, HUGH HENRY,
son of William Jackson Wallace and Olivia Bell
LeFevere Wallace, was born in Alexander community in Brazos County, Texas,
November 16, 1895. He attended school at Alexander and Wheelock.
During his boyhood, he lived on the family farm and farmed with his father.
In 1917, he moved
to Hearne, Texas and was employed by the Wells Fargo Express Company. In
1919 he worked for the H. & T. C. Railroad Company in the repair shops in
Hearne. He returned to Wheelock in 1920 and farmed until 1926. In
1926, he accepted employment as manager of the market department of the Red &
White Grocery in Hearne and worked for this firm for six years. In 1932,
he became manager of the market department of the Brady Brother's IGA Store and
worked for this company until 1952. On July 21, 1952, he went into the
feed store business on North Magnolia Street in Hearne.
Hugh Henry
Wallace married Verta Christine McNair, daughter of John Roderick McNair and
Emma Katherine Melton McNair of Wheelock, Texas, April 22, 1917. The
marriage was performed at Wheelock by Reverend John Garrett who later lived in
Hearne.
The following
children were born to Hugh Henry Wallace and Verta Christine McNair Wallace:
Zane Grey Wallace, who married Mary Helen Kummer of Junction City, Kansas;
Martha Nell Wallace, who married William Clarence Youngblood of Jefferson,
Texas; Hugh Arnold Wallace, who married Madeline Matthews of Charleston, South
Carolina; Billy John Wallace, who married Emma Lane Barker of Gause, Texas; and
Wayne Lovell Wallace, who died at an early age.
The following
grandchildren were born: Zane Edward Wallace, Helen Elaine Wallace, Olivia
Ann Youngblood, Sharon Gwynn Wallace, Hugh Arnold Wallace Jr., and Lynda Lane
Wallace.
Hugh Henry
Wallace and Verta Christine Wallace are members of Grace Methodist Church of
Hearne.
WALLACE, OLEN JAMES,
was born in Wheelock, Texas, May
5, 1908, the son of William Jackson Wallace and Bell Olivia LeFevere Wallace.
He attended grade school in the Wheelock rural school.
The Wallace family moved to
Hearne, November 3, 1918 and Olen James Wallace entered the Hearne public
school. During his years at Hearne High School he was one of the most
outstanding fullbacks in the history of the Hearne High School. He won football
letters four consecutive years and he was also an outstanding member of the
basketball and track teams of Hearne High School.
On May 1, 1926 he became employed
with the Southern Pacific Railroad Company at Hearne as a call boy while he was
still in school. Later he was promoted to yard clerk and finally as Chief IBM
Clerk in the Transportation Department.
He entered military service
October 29, 1942 during World War II, and served for fifteen months with the U.
S. Navy Construction Battalion and transferred to the regular U. S. Navy where
he served for fifteen months. After his discharge from the regular U. S. Navy
he transferred to the U. S. Navy Air Stand By Reserve Station, U.S. N.A.S. Wing
Staff 70, Division I at Dallas, Texas. He received his military discharge
September 30, 1945.
On July 3, 19'35 he was married to
joy Louise White, daughter of William David White and Fannie Etta Grace White.
The marriage took place at the Austin Avenue Methodist Church in Waco, Texas.
Mrs. Wallace was born in Franklin, Texas and attended the Franklin schools but
later moved to Hearne where she was graduated from Hearne High School with the
Class of 1928. Mr. and Mrs. Olen James Wallace are members of Grace Methodist
Church and he is a member of the Brotherhood of Railway & Steamship Clerks.
Mrs. Wallace has followed a business career in Hearne and is associated with a
local insurance agency. She is also noted for the fine flowers and plants she
grows in her home flower garden.
WALSTON,
JOHN THOMAS
was born April 24, 1880 at Branchville in Milam County, Texas.
His parents were John Thomas Walston Sr. and Mary Harris McDonald Walston.
His father was a native of North Carolina and his mother was a native of
Alabama.
During his early childhood, John
Thomas Walston lived on a farm near Branchville and later moved to Cameron,
Texas with his parents in order that he might have school advantages.
His parents later bought a plantation near "Sugar Loaf"
Mountain in Milam County and Mr. Walston was assigned some acreage for his own
farming interests and he supervised the farming of the remaining acreage for his
father.
On December 28, 1902, he was
married to Miss Carrie Eugenia Lastor of Calvert, Texas.
During their married life, Mr. and Mrs. Walston lived in Cameron for one
year, Calvert for 12 years, and Hearne for 37 years.
Two children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Walston: a daughter, Mabel Walston
who was married to Julius Plagens, and a son, Seth Tommie Walston who married
Miss Elizabeth Henderson of Calvert Texas.
Mr.
Walston was engaged in farming during the year of 1903-04 and in 1904 he moved
to Calvert where he was employed as manager of the Calvert Ice & Utilities
Company. In 1912 he went into
business for himself in Calvert and operated this business until 1915 when he
opened a merchandise business in Hearne. From
1919 through 1921 he was employed as manager of the Moreland Plantation in the
Brazos Bottom near Hearne and from 1921 through 1923 he was manager of the Woods
Glass Farm also in the Brazos Bottom.
From 1924 until the time of his
death, Mr. Walston was in the retail grocery business in Hearne with his son,
Seth Tommie Walston, as co-owner. This
father and son combination also operated farm and ranch interests in Robertson
County.
Mr. Walston was a resident of Hearne
for 37 years, and during this time he served the public in the office of City
Alderman for several terms and was chairman of the Street & Bridge
Committee.
He was one of Hearne's oldest
business men at the time of his passing and was the type of citizen that had
befriended many. He was a staunch
Democrat and kept himself well informed on political and economic affairs.
He was a rabid sports fan and he enjoyed football and baseball, having
traveled many a mile following the home teams.
John Thomas Walston died April 5,
1952.
WALTMON,
JOHN CALVIN
was born at Jewett, Texas, October 30, 1884.
He came to Hearne in 1904 at the age of 20 years and his first job was
working in the E. Fisher General Merchandise Store.
In 1907, he was employed by the
Travis Oil Mill in Hearne, this company later changing its name to the South
Texas Cotton Oil Company. Later, he
became manager of this oil mill and served 37 years before his retirement.
He was married to Miss Floy Larkin,
daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Augustus M. Larkin, June 30, 1927.
Mr. Waltmon was active in the
civic and business life of Hearne for a period of 40 years; serving as a member
of the Hearne School Board for 9 years, a member of the Hearne Rotary Club, and
President of the Hearne Chamber of Commerce.
John
Calvin Waltmon died November 18, 1944.
WALTMON,
DR. WILLIAM KNIGHT,
son of Mr. and Mrs. J. W. Waltmon, was born in Hearne, Texas, March 11, 1895.
He
attended the Hearne public schools and was graduated from Hearne High School
with the Class of 1912. He enrolled
at Baylor Dental College and received his D.D.S. Degree in 1915 and opened his
practice of dentistry in Hearne.
At the outbreak of World War I in
1917, he was commissioned a First Lieutenant in the Dental Corps and served
overseas until his discharge in July 1919.
He then returned to Hearne to resume his practice of dentistry.
He was married to Miss Dorthea Kiehn,
September 6, 1921 and their son James Robert Waltmon was born November 25, 1931.
Dr. Waltmon has been very active in
the business and civic life of Hearne, serving as President of the Hearne
Chamber of Commerce in 1922-23. He
is a member of Grace Methodist Church and served as Sunday School teacher,
Superintendent of the Sunday School from 1926 through 1936 and also served as
Chairman of the Board of Stewards from 1931 to 1944.
In 1922 he was elected to the Board
of Directors of the Hearne Building & Loan Association and has served as
President of that organization since 1944.
He received Fellowship in The American College of Dentists in September
1942.
Dr. Waltmon is a charter member of
the Hearne Rotary Club which was organized in 1925 and served that organization
as secretary from 1925 to 1927 when he was chosen as President of the Rotary
Club. He is now serving as
Treasurer for the Rotary Club. He
has always been interested in the progress of Hearne and is extremely proud of
the part the Hearne Building & Loan Association has played in the growth of
the city. Both he and Mrs. Waltmon
are excellent musicians and like to entertain their friends with their music.
Dr. Waltmon plays the violin and Mrs. Waltmon performs at the piano and
organ and is well known as a vocalist.
William Knight Waltmon has long been
a leader in Hearne and many are those that have to come to him for advice on
personal matters as well as public matters.
Dr. Waltmon was President of
the Brazos Valley District Dental Society in 1935 and Vice-President of the
Texas Dental Association in 1949.
WATT,
WILLIAM TILLETT
was born June 6, 1845 in North Carolina and was the son of John Watt and Nancy
Stevenson Watt.
After
serving in the Confederate Army at the close of the Civil War he moved to Texas
and settled in the Bastrop area and was employed in the leather business.
Later
he moved to Port Sullivan on the Brazos River west of Hearne. Here he met and married Miss Augusta Ferguson, formerly of
Selma, Alabama and a sister of Wesley Platt Ferguson a prominent Hearne
businessman and banker. His wife,
Augusta Ferguson was born June 12, 1854.
In 1874 Mr. Watt moved to Hearne and
established his own mercantile business on the corner of Third and Magnolia
Streets. He operated this business
until 1890, selling out to R. A. Allen & Son who continued to operate this
business at the same location. The
building that housed the W. T. Watt Store burned and was rebuilt on the same
location in 1891.
Mr. Watt's mercantile business was
one of the largest in Robertson County, and in addition to this business he
owned and operated large cotton plantations in both Milam and Robertson
Counties.
Three children were born to Mr. and
Mrs. Watt; Mary Frances Watt who married Congressman 0. H. Cross of Waco, Anne
Hale Watt who married Judge James W. McClendon of Austin, and a son Charles
Plattenburg Watt who remained unmarried. Charles
Plattenburg Watt was born in 1878 and died in 1939, Mary Watt Cross died in
1953, she was born in 1875. William
Tillett Watt died in 1921 and Augusta Ferguson Watt died in 1886.
WEEKS, ALLEN RHODES,
son of James Francis Weeks and Tabitha Weeks, was born September 24, 1888 at
Durant, Mississippi. He attended the public schools of West, Mississippi and
later attended special school for a year in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
In July 1912 he moved to Hearne,
Texas where he accepted employment in the office of the H. & T. C. Railroad
Company. Prior to having moved to Hearne he held similar employment with this
railroad in Bryan and Calvert, Texas.
In 1917 he enlisted in the U. S.
Navy and served for two years during World War I. He was married to Mary Ellen
(Blanche) Snell, daughter of William Alexander Snell and Frances Moore Langan
Snell, April 20, 1918. The marriage was performed at Portsmouth, Virginia.
Mary Ellen (Blanche) Snell Weeks was born at Hearne, Texas. She attended the
Hearne public schools and later attended St. Mary's Hall, an Episcopal girls
preparatory college in San Antonio, Texas, for two years. While Allen Rhodes
Weeks was stationed at Panama in the Canal Zone during World War I, his wife,
Mary Ellen (Blanche) Snell Weeks, was employed in the Canal Zone Auditor's
Office for two years. Her grandfather, Colonel John L. Langan, was one of the
early newspaper editors in Hearne in the late 1870's.
Two children were born to Allen
Rhodes Weeks and Mary Ellen (Blanche) Snell Weeks: Mary Ellen Weeks and Alice
Allen Weeks.
Mary Ellen Weeks married Don
George Ikard and the following children were born to them: George Ikard, Allan
Ikard, Kay Ikard, and Brian Weeks Ikard.
Alice Allen Weeks married Robert
Lee Bruce and the following children were born to them: Mary Alice Bruce,
Margaret Bruce, and Robert Lee Bruce Jr.
Allen Rhodes Weeks was a member of
the First Baptist Church where he has served as a member of the Board of Deacons
and Church Treasurer. He was a member of the Golden Rule Masonic Lodge of
Hearne; a member of the Royal Arch Masons; a member of the Knights Templar; a
member of the Karem Shrine Temple of Waco; and a Director of the Hearne Building
& Loan Association. Allen Rhodes Weeks died July 23, 1958.
Mary Ellen (Blanche) Weeks is a
communicant of St. Philips Episcopal Church; a member of the Women's Auxiliary
of St. Philips Church; a member of the Hearne Garden Club; and has been a member
of the Hearne Shakespeare Club since 1913.
WELBORN, THOMAS WEBBER, son of Harry Caldwell Welborn and Candice Windham Welborn, was born April 13, 1915,
In December 1935, he moved
to Hearne, Texas and was employed by the Sinclair Refining Company. Later,
he went to work for the Southern Pacific Railroad Company in Hearne.
Thomas Webber
Welborn married Lenna Maw Thomas, daughter of Charlie Edgar Thomas and Mary Ida
Young Thomas of Mount Pleaasant, Texas, August 27, 1939. The marriage was
performed at Winfield, Texas. Lenna Mae Thomas Welborn attended school at
Winfield, Texas. She was graduated from Mount Pleasant High School and
attended East Texs State Teacher's College where she received her B. S. and M.
S. Degrees. She taught school in the Ripley School in Titus County for
three years; two years in the Daphney School in Franklin, County, two years in
the Winfield School in Titus County'; Forrestgrove School one year; Bogata, Red
River County, Eureka, Franklin, Post, and Hearne. She has taught in Hearne
since 1936. She is a member of the Texas State Teachers' Association; a
member of the Robertson County Teachers' Association, a member of the
International Reading Association, ; and a member of the Hearne Garden Club.
Thomas Webb Welborn is a member of the First
Baptist Church. He is a member of the Brotherhood of Railroad Clerks.
WELCH,
CHARLES PINKNEY,
son of William W. Welch and Eliza Rhea Welch, was born September 7, 1859.
He was married to Mary Louise Montgomery in 1892 and six children were
born to Mr. and Mrs. Welch, three of whom died in infancy and one at the age of
seven years. The two remaining
children are Lillian Welch Collier and Lucille Welch Martin. Mrs. Welch was born February 9, 1862 and died December 6,
1948, at the age of 86 years.
In his early manhood, Mr. Welch was
a clerk for Easterwood Mercantile Company and later went into business for
himself when he opened a wholesale flour and feed business.
This firm was located on the corner of Magnolia and Fifth Streets.
He organized the Baptist Sunday
School and was active in the church throughout his life.
Mrs. Welch was organist in the church in her early life and also was
active in other church work.
Mr. Welch died October 7,
1937.
WELCH,
JOHN T.
was born at Hearne, Texas, October 5, 1877, the son of William W. Welch and
Eliza Rhea Welch.
He
attended schools in Hearne taught by Miss Penuel and Mrs. Fannie Reese Pugh,
later attending the public high school. The
first school that he attended was located in the block back of Grace Methodist
Church and in the same block of his home on First Street.
Mr. Welch demonstrated his business
ability in early boyhood by operating a laundry agency and selling newspapers.
His early employment in young manhood was with the oil mill and the H.
& T. C. Railroad Company. In
1898 he went to work for the I. & G. N. Railroad Company, this company later
being taken over by the Missouri Pacific Railroad.
On March 20, 1898, he was married to
Miss Josie Smith, daughter of Mrs. Amelia Smith, who had moved to Hearne from
Mexia, Texas with the other members of her family in 1895. (On April 3, 1895,
Mrs. Welch and her sister, Miss Pearl Smith, organized the Misses Smith Store, a
ladies ready-to-wear and millinery store in Hearne, Mrs. Welch being active in
this business until February 1926 when she retired on account of her health.
This firm is still in operation in 1958 and is the oldest continuously
operated retail store in Hearne).
Mr. Welch retired from his duties as
Agent for the Missouri Pacific Railroad Company in 1938 on account of ill-health
after 40 years of faithful and efficient service to this company.
Letters of commendation were received by Mr. Welch from officials of the
Missouri Pacific Railroad Company upon his retirement.
During his more active years, Mr.
Welch took a great interest in Boy Scout work and served as chairman of the
Finance Committee of this organization. He
was the recipient of official recognition of his untiring efforts in the work
with Boy Scouts of this area.
Mr. and Mrs. Welch are both
members of long standing of Grace Methodist Church.
Throughout their many years as citizens of Hearne, they have been
actively interested in the civic, religious, and social life of Hearne.
Now
that they have passed the golden milestone, this interest remains as keen as
when it was first incited in their younger days of citizenship. They are one of Hearne's most beloved couples, and are
affectionately referred to as "Uncle John" and "Aunt Josie" by their host of
friends.
WENCK,
KARL FREDERICK CHRISTIAN
was born in Baden, Germany, January 27, 1864.
He spent his early boyhood in Germany where he attended school for two
years in the elementary grades. He
also worked as an apprentice shoemaker during his early boyhood and young
manhood.
The skill and craftsmanship of the
European worker is a sacred trust. His
art has been handed down from father to son, and to grandson; since the middle
ages. These craftsmen were
originally bonded together in craftsmen's guilds and were honor bound to
maintain the standards and reputation of their craft.
From such background and experience Karl Frederick Chistian Wenck came to
Ameica in 1886, landing at Galveston, Texas.
He then went to New Baden, Texas in Robertson County and worked in
Franklin, Texas as a shoemaker. During
these times all shoes were hand made and shoemaking was a very profitable
business.
During the year of 1895 he was
married to Miss Margareth Reusch of New Baden and during this same year Mr. and
Mrs. Wenck moved to Hearne to make their home.
Mr. Wenck continued his profession of shoemaking and Mrs. Wenck was
employed for many years as a housekeeper in the H. K. Davis home.
Mrs. Wenck was born in Louisville, Kentucky, November 15, 1876, the
daughter of German immigrants who came to America in the early 1800's.
Mr. Wenck was a shoemaker in Hearne
until 1915 when the cost of shop built shoes and boots became prohibitive due to
the fact that ready-made shoes and boots could now be bought.
However, he continued to be a shoe repairman for many years in Hearne.
He accumulated a number of friends in Hearne due to his pleasing
personality and his quick wit. Mr.
and Mrs. Wenck were members of the Lutheran Church and Mr. Wenck held membership
in the Sons of Herman Lodge in Bryan.
The following children were born to
Mr. and Mrs. Wenck: Joe Wenck, Carrie Wenck Hill, Karl Wenck Jr., August Wenck,
johnie Wenck, and Paley A. Wenck. Four
other children of Mr. and Mrs. Wenck died in infancy.
This fine old German couple
were typical of the early German immigrants that settled in Hearne during the
early years. Mr. Wenck passed away
February 23, 1935 and Mrs. Wenck died November 10, 1944.
WESTBROOK,
TITUS CARR, born at West Point, Mississippi, October 1, 1842 of a
well-to-do and highly respected family, repre. sentatives of the fine old
Southern aristocracy of the halcyon days before the Civil War, had the advantage
in youth of careful trainino, and thorough education, graduating with the rank
of Captain from Military Institute, at Frankfort, Kentucky, when 17 years of
age, and soon after came to Texas with his step-father, Lewis Whitfield Carr,
who located with his family on the rich alluvial lands of the Brazos River
Bottom near Hearne.
He
entered the Confederate Army in the spring of 1862 as a soldier in Company B,
enlisting for three years, or so long as the war might last, and was stationed
with his command first on Galveston Island, then at Virginia Point, and then at
Camp Speight, Texas, where the Fifteenth Texas Infantry was organized, with J.
W. Speight as its Colonel, M. D. Herring as Captain, and T. C. Westbrook as
Lieutenant of Company B. He was later promoted to Captain and saw action in the
battles of Fordash, Bayou Bordeau, Mansfield, Pleasant Hill, Marksville, Yellow
Bayou and other skirmishes and smaller engagements. Captain Westbrook was slightly wounded at the Battle of
Mansfiield.
When mustered out of the service at
Houston, Texas, after final surrender of the Confederate forces he was acting
Adjutant of his regiment. A friend,
speaking of his bearing as a soldier, said: "In camp he was modest and
unobtrusive, kind and jovial; in the thickest and hottest of the raging battle,
cooler than most men on dress parade, prompt to act and utterly fearless.
He enjoyed the respect and confidence of his men and superior officers.
Knowing him as I did, I can truthfully say that he was as true and tried
as tempered Damascus steel; as a soldier -and patriot, as brave and devoted as
any man who wore the gray."
Returning
to his home in the Brazos Bottom he continued to engage in farming.
His possessions increased from year to year until he took rank as one of
the wealthiest planters in Texas. He
was an ideal practical farmer, one of the most successful in the state, and his
large Brazos Bottom plantations near Hearne, on which he continued to reside
until his death, showed at all times the perfection of good management.
He spared no expense in securing and enjoying the good things of life.
He and his beloved wife, Jeannie Carr Randle, daughter of Allen Carr, to
whom he was married December 4, 1878, dispensed a generous and wholesale
hospitality at their palatial home to their many friends and the chance
"stranger" within their gates. It
was his custom, assisted by his wife, to see that everyone on his plantation,
black or white, received suitable Christmas presents.
He lived in the half patriarchal, half princely style of his ancestors
and was a noble survivor of the high-souled, warm hearted and chivalric
gentleman of a bygone day. While
exact in his business methods, his hand dispensed liberally to others of what it
gathered.
It
was chiefly through his influence and exertions that the Hearne & Brazos
Valley Railroad was constructed and put into operation.
He was elected President of the company upon its organization and served
in that capacity up to the time of his death.
He was a life-long Democrat and an
ardent advocate of clean, wholesome measures and always interested himself in
helping elect good men to public office. He
was a delegate to numerous State and County conventions and was solicited to run
for political offices, but having no desire for political honors he declined.
He much preferred the quiet and peaceful home life to which he was
accustomed.
In July 1893, he suffered a severe
illness from which he never fully recovered and sought restoration to his health
by travel in old Mexico and other places. He
died September 17, 1893 and was buried in Norwood Cemetery in Hearne.
WESTON,
DIXON CUNY,
son of Robert Dixon Weston and Phillippa Cuny Weston, was born September 9, 1879
at Sunnyside, Texas.
His
early boyhood was spent in Waller County, Texas where he received his grade
school and high school education. He
later attended Texas A&M College.
In
his early manhood, he went to work for the Southern Pacific Railroad Company at
Hempstead, Texas. With his family
he moved to Hearne in 1919 where he served as Yardmaster for the Southern
Pacific. During his career with the
railroad, his duties also took him to Mexia, Texas during the oil boom years of
1923-24. He also worked in El Paso,
Dallas, Ennis and Sherman.
He
was a member of the Robertson County A. & M. Club; a member of the Hempstead
Masonic Lodge; and a member of the Houston Chapter Rose Croix of Scottish Rite.
He
was married to Miss Margery Taylor and Mr. and Mrs. Weston had three children:
Robert Dixon Weston, Mary Lee Weston Powell, and Margery Weston Tomlinson.
Mrs. Weston was born in Louisiana, January 18, 1881 and died March 31,
1958.
WHITE,
J. T.,
son of John Harvey White and Jane Stewart White, was born in Calvert, Texas,
October 4, 1899. His father was
born April 12, 1864 and his mother was born February 11, 1870.
His mother and father were both born in Milamo, Texas.
He
attended school at Gause, Cameron, and Caldwell.
During World War I, he enlisted in the U. S. Army and served overseas for
eighteen months and was on duty in the U. S. for one year, serving with the 20th
Field Artillery 5th Division.
After
completing his military service he began a ranching career, his ranch lands
being located six miles east of Hearne.
He
was married to Miss Emma Kate Rhodes, daughter of Robert Johnson Rhodes and Erma
Wakefield Rhodes of Midway, Texas, July 19, 1925.
Mrs. White was born July 22, 1906. Her
father was born June 13, 1876 and her mother's birth date was July 4, 1879.
Mrs. white attended public school in Midway, Texas and also attended Sam
Houston State Teachers College in Huntsville, Texas.
During
1936 Mr. and Mrs. White entered the business of raising purebred Brahman cattle
at their ranch and their stock is nationally and internationally known as
shipments of their purebreds have been made to all parts of the United States
and South America.
Mr.
White has membership in the American Brahman Breeder's Association; The Texas
& Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association, Director of the American Brahman
Breeder's Association from 1952 to 1955; President of the American Brahman
Breeder's Association from 1955 to 1958 and will be a Director for life; and a
Director of Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association since 1956.
He is also Field Inspector for the Bryan Production Credit Association, a
position he has held since 1934; Director of Robertson County Rural Electric
Cooperative Inc. since 1947 and President of the Robertson County REA since
1951.
Both
Mr. and Mrs. White are active members of the Hearne Church of Christ and Mr.
White is a member of the Golden Rule Masonic Lodge of Hearne; Ben Hur Temple;
Austin Consistory No. 4 of Austin, Texas; and the American Legion.
He is Past Master of the Golden Rule Lodge of Hearne and Past Commander
of the Miles Scriviner American Legion Post No. 454 of Hearne.
WILKERSON,
ALBERT WADSWORTH,
son of Jonathan Gideon Wilkerson and Sarah Wadsworth Wilkerson, was born in
Hearne at the family home on Market Street, September 28, 1870. He is said to have been the first white child to be born in
Hearne.
He attended Miss Penuel's private
school in Hearne and later attended Sewanee Preparatory School and was graduated
from the University of the South at Sewanee, Tennessee where he was a member of
Kappa Alpha Fraternity.
Living in Hearne until he reached
manhood, he was associated with his brother, Warren A. Wilkerson, in the lumber
and hardware business. Later, he moved to Bryan where he served as cashier of the
City National Bank from 1902 to 1918, and later he became an officer in the
Alamo Bank of San Antonio, Texas. In
1919 he became President of the State Bank in Austin and served in that capacity
until 1927 when he moved to Houston to assume the presidency of the Marine Bank
& Trust Company which later merged with the National Bank of Commerce in
that city.
He was examiner of the Regional
Agricultural Credit Corporation in 1932 and at one time was a member of the
executive council of the American Banker's Association.
He was married to Miss Mary Clare
Weeden of Hearne and the following children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Wilkerson:
John Wadsworth Wilkerson, Dr. Edward Albert Wilkerson, and Aubrey Clare
Wilkerson Smith.
Albert
Wadsworth Wilkerson died at Houston, Texas, May 30, 1941 and is buried in
Norwood Cemetery in Hearne.
WILKERSON,
JOHNATHAN GIDEON
was born in New Orleans, Louisiana in 1847 and in his early boyhood at about the
age of 14 years enlisted in the Army of the Confederacy and served as a Bugle
Boy.
After
the Civil War was over, he came to Matagorda, Texas in the company of the
Wadsworth boys, Ned and William, to make his home.
Here he met Miss Sarah Hollon Wadsworth, sister of Ned and William
Wadsworth, and was married to her on December 20, 1869.
Immediately following their
marriage, the couple moved to Hearne to make their home.
In Hearne he formed a partnership with Greenwood Brown and established
the firm of Brown & Wilkerson General Merchandise.
This firm was located in old Hearne on the east corner of the
intersection of Market and Barton Streets.
The entire business section of Hearne was located in the south end of
town at that time. Johnathan Gideon Wilkerson and Sarah Wadsworth
Wilkerson had two children; Albert Wadsworth Wilkerson, the first white child to
be born in Hearne after the incorporation of the city in 1871, and Warren Aubrey
Wilkerson, Hearne's first city manager.
Johnathan Gideon Wilkerson
helped Dr. Horace Bishop to organize the Methodist Church in Hearne in 1870. He was known to his many friends as "Gid" Wilkerson
and was one of Hearne's progressive pioneer citizens. He died December 31, 1873.
WILKERSON,
SARAH WADSWORTH
was born in Matagorda, Texas July 11, 1846, the daughter of Judge and Mrs.
Albert Wadsworth.
She
was married to Jonathan Gideon Wilkerson, December 24, 1869 and this couple came
to Hearne in that same year to make their home, Hearne at that time being just a
small village, the terminus of the Houston & Texas Central Railroad.
Her
husband died in 1873 leaving her with two small sons to rear, these sons being
Albert W. Wilkerson who was born September 28, 1870 and Warren A. Wilkerson who
was born May 15, 1873. She was very active in the work of the Episcopal Church,
especially with the children of the church.
She also served as postmaster for Hearne in the early days.
WILKERSON,
WARREN AUBREY
was born in Hearne, Texas, May 15, 1873, the son of Jonathan Gideon Wilkerson
and Sarah Wadsworth Wilkerson.
He
received his primary and early education in the small private school of Miss
Laura G. Penuel, and only three months in the struggling and unsatisfactory
public school system.
As
a lad he was employed in the Joe Montgomery Gin and Grist Mill on off school
days at a wage of $.25 per day and a peck of meal.
At
the age of 14 he enrolled in the preparatory department of the University of the
South at Sewanee, Tennessee, working up to the senior department of the
university at the age of 18 years. He
was forced to forego further education by the needs of an ill and dependent
family. From 1891 to 1895 he worked
as a bookkeeper for the firm of R. A. Allen & Son, this firm later being
operated under the name of Allen Hardware Company.
In 1895 he formed and became manager of the Brazos Valley Lumber Company,
located on the corner of Market & Fourth Streets.
In 1899 this firm was consolidated with the Junction City Lumber Company.
Mr. Wilkerson retired from this organization and with his brother, Albert
Wadsworth Wilkerson, purchased the Adams Hardware & Implement Company,
changing the name of this firm to Wilkerson Brothers.
In September 1898, Mr. Wilkerson was
married to Miss Clemmie Drake in Mexico City, and the following children were
born to Mr. and Mrs. Wilkerson: William Wadsworth Wilkerson and Sarah Frances
Wilkerson.
In 1904 Wilkerson Brothers took over
the Junction City Lumber Company and operated jointly the hardware and lumber
interests under the name of Wilkerson Brothers.
In 1923 they sold their lumber interest to Farrar Lumber Company.
During the active years of Mr.
Wilkerson's life, he found time for much civic and public welfare work in
Hearne. He served as a member of
the Hearne School Board for several years and as a member of the Hearne City
Council intermittently from 1901 through 1920.
Under a special road law enacted for
Robertson County in 1912 and with two large bond issues in 1912 and 1920, Mr.
Wilkerson was the managing member of the road board in planning and
construction. The locations of the
present road system were laid out during the period of his service to this
board.
He was Worshipful Master of the
Hearne Masonic Lodge for a number of years and was awarded the 50-year pin by
the Grand Lodge of Texas. He had a life membership in the local Masonic Lodge.
A 20-year pin attested Mr.
Wilkerson's long membership in the Hearne Rotary Club of which he was one of the
organizers and the club's first president.
He also helped to organize the Hearne Chamber of Commerce in 1914.
As Robertson County Chairman for the
American Red Cross, Mr. Wilkerson carried the organization through much of the
first World War, through two Brazos River floods, and was a hold-over chairman
of this organization for several years.
Active management of the City of
Hearne and its municipal utilities was one of his greatest contributions to his
native town. From 1924 to 1939 he
served as City Secretary, and from 1939 to April 9, 1943 he served as City
Manager. Through his management of
the city's affairs Hearne met the many problems of a growing town including the
change over from an obsolete steam power plant to a modern plant with diesel
equipment, and the developing of an adequate public water supply.
In the last two years of his services to the city, the Municipal Park was
planned and constructed.
On April 9, 1943, Mr. Wilkerson
retired from the office of City Manager, and to put into his own words,
"Sat on his porch near the side of the road and watched the world go
by."
Warren Aubrey Wilkerson died
February 20, 1955, and his wife who was born April 18, 1875 died October 27,
1954.
WILLIAMS,
ELSEY LEMAN,
son of George M. Williams and Anna Laura Kendall Williams, was born in Hearne,
Texas, December 25, 1891.
His
early boyhood was spent in Hearne and his first employment in boyhood was in a
bakery shop owned and operated by D. G. Boyd.
He attended the Hearne Public Schools and graduated from Hearne High
School. After graduating from high
school, he went to work for the Houston & Texas Central Railroad as a call boy
and locomotive fireman. His
employment with the railroad continued until 1910.
In December 1910 he went to work for the Allen Hardware Company in Hearne
as a clerk and bookkeeper and continued in this position until August 1914 at
which time he was employed by the Industrial Cotton Oil Company of Hearne where
he worked until December 1918 at which date he was again employed by Allen
Hardware Company and has continued his employment with that firm as manager.
In
1915, Elsey Leman Williams was married to Miss Grace Wilson, daughter of Mr. and
Mrs. J. H. Wilson of Hearne. In
1922, twin sons, Wendall and Kendall Williams were born to Mr. and Mrs.
Williams. Both graduated from
Hearne High School.
Both Mr. and Mrs. Williams are
members of the First Baptist Church, both being very active in church work; Mr.
Williams having taught in the Sunday School and Mrs. Williams being very active
as a member of the church choir. Mr.
Williams has been a very active citizen of Hearne having served several terms as
a member of the Board of Education of the Hearne Independent School District as
Secretary; has served on the Board of Tax Equalization of the School District
and the City of Hearne; served as a Director for the Hearne Chamber of Commerce;
and is a member of the Golden Rule Lodge of Hearne.
He is a former member of the Hearne Rotary Club.
Elsey Leman Williams has long been
connected with the business and civic affairs of Hearne and is one of the most
highly respected citizens of this area.
WILLIAMS, SAMUEL ROSS, son of Samuel Preston
Williams and Alma Evelyn Pool Williams, was born December 18, 1905 at Epley, Mississippi. He attended school at Hopewell, Mississippi; Oakdale,
Louisiana; Georgetown, Louisiana; and Millican, Texas.
In 1918, he moved to Millican, Texas
with his parents. His father was an employee of the railroad.
After finishing his schooling,
Samuel Ross Williams went to work with the H. & T. C. Railroad Company as a
section laborer in January 1923 at Millican, Texas. On July 23, 1923, he
transferred to the Communications Department of this railroad and continued his
employment in this department in 1958. He moved to Hearne, Texas August 8,
1953 as Assistant General Foreman. When Hearne was selected as the logical
location for the headquarters of a Communication Supervisor, Samuel Ross
Williams assumed this position for his company.
Samuel Ross Williams married Jessie
Sylvia Meredith, daughter of Samuel William Meredith and Jessie John Meredith of
Dickinson, Texas, June 28, 1949. The marriage was performed at Dickinson,
Texas. Jessie Sylvia Meredith Williams was born at Chapel Hill, Texas.
She attended public school at Galveston, Bryan, and Millican, Texas.
Later, she attended Sam Houston State College and the University of Texas.
She taught in the rural schools of Grimes County, Texas from 1926 to 1928; in
the rural schools of Brazos County, Texas in 1928 through 1930; the League City,
Texas school from 1931 to 1940; the Dickinson, Texas public school from 1940 to
1953; the Mumford, Texas school from January through May 1955; and has taught in
the Hearne public schools since September 1955.
Samuel Ross Williams and Jessie
Sylvia Meredith Williams are members of Grace Methodist Church of Hearne.
He is a member of the Masonic Lodge and Roy Arch Masonic Bodies. Jesse
Sylvia Meredith Williams is a member of the Hearne Parent-Teacher's Association;
a member of the Order of the Eastern Star; a member of the Texas State Teachers'
Association; and a member of the Hearne Shakespeare Club.
WILSON,
JAMES LEON,
son of T. Lynn Wilson and Jessie Kent Wilson, was born March 3, 1926 in
Madisonville, Texas.
He
attended public school in Madisonville and was graduated from high school in
that city with the Class of 1943.
Upon
completing his high school education he enlisted in the U. S. Army and served in
the European area during World War II. After
being discharged from military service, he enrolled at the University of Texas
and was graduated in 1949 with a degree in Pharmacy.
At the University of Texas he was a member of Rho Chi Honorary
Pharmaceutical Fraternity.
He
moved to Hearne in 1949 and operated the Prescription Pharmacy at the Hearne
Hospital located on Third Street and owned by Drs. Boyd and Guynes. In 1953 in partnership with Joe D. Wilson he purchased the
Prescription Pharmacy and later the same year this partnership purchased the
Maris-Carson Drug Company. In 1955
when the Hearne General Hospital was constructed, the Prescription Pharmacy was
moved to this new location also.
He
was married in Houston to Miss Mary Batson, daughter of Luther J. Batson and
Mary Bledsoe Batson of Madisonville, Texas, September 16, 1944. Mr. and Mrs. Wilson have three children: Joe Wilson, John
Wilson, and Jane Wilson.
He
has been active in the business and civic life of Hearne and is a member of the
Hearne Chamber of Commerce; a member of the Hearne City Council where he also
serves as Mayor Protem; and a member of the Miles Scriviner Post of the American
Legion. He was very active in
organizing and constructing the Hearne Public Library.
WILSON,
JOE D.,
son of Jessie S. Wilson and Edna Dotson Wilson, was born in Hearne, June 3,
1919.
He
attended the Hearne public schools and was graduated from Hearne High School in
1936. Upon graduation from high
school he was employed by Duffey Drug Company until 1938 when he continued his
connection with R. M. Duffey in the electric appliance business.
This employment continued until 1940 when he enlisted in the U. S. Air
Force where served as Captain for five years, his overseas duty being in the
Pacific area during World War II.
On
November 5, 1942 he was married to Miss Sue Willis, daughter of Hubert Willis
and Sebie Grant Willis of Franklin, Texas.
His marriage took place in Midland, Texas while he was serving in the U.
S. Air Force.
Upon
being discharged from military service, he entered the University of Texas where
he was graduated in 1948 with a B. S. Degree in Pharmacy.
After graduating, he accepted a position as pharmacist with the Sterling
Drug Store of Port Lavaca, Texas. In
1949 he was a salesman for the Abbott Laboratories selling drug and pharmacy
supplies.
In
1953 he formed a partnership with Leon Wilson in the Prescription Pharmacy
located in the Hearne Hospital on Third Street.
Later in 1953 this partnership purchased the Maris-Carson Drug Store in
Hearne. After the Hearne General
Hospital was constructed in 1955, the Prescription Pharmacy was moved to the new
hospital.
Three
children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Wilson: Sara Sue, Peggy Jo, and Cathy.
Mr. Wilson is a member of the Masonic Lodge, the Hearne Lions Club, the
American Legion, and the Hearne Chamber of Commerce.
WOOD, CHARLES GLOVER
was born in Grimes County, Texas in 1859 but later moved to Hearne and engaged
in farming in the Brazos Bottom. By
industry and great business ability he became one of the wealthiest and most
successful men of Robertson County. He
served as a Director for the First National Bank of Hearne, and was connected
with many other enterprises in Hearne and elsewhere. He owned several plantations in the Brazos Bottom near
Hearne.
Mr. Wood was a man whose wealth
contained no tainted dollars. To
gain it, he oppressed no one, he deprived no one, however humble or ignorant or
helpless, of his just dues. His
wealth came purely as the product of a great and constructive brain and diligent
and careful atention to his affairs; and to hold it, he never closed his hand
against the worthy person or the worthy cause in need of his assistance.
He was a man of the very highest integrity, exceedingly generous in
helping those less fortunate than himself, a Christian gentleman, a loyal
friend, and as a citizen took an active part in local affairs and was always
found fighting in the foremost ranks in every endeavor of the people for good
government.
He was married to Miss Aurie Adkins
and the following children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Wood: Myrtle Wood Hatch,
Hazel Wood Miller, Ivy Wood, Vivian Wood, Fred L. Wood, and Charles Glover Wood
Jr.
Mr. Wood, who was affectionately
known to his friends as "Big Charley," died in 1914 and is buried in
Norwood Cemetery in Hearne.
WOOD,
FRED L.
was born at Anderson in Grimes County, Texas, April 11, 1884, the son of Charles
Glover Wood and Aurie Adkins Wood.
He
was reared on a cotton plantation and while he was still a young boy he moved to
the Brazos Bottom near Hearne with his parents, attending school at Mumford,
Hearne, and Llano. In his later
boyhood, he attended Texas Military Institute at San Antonio, Texas and Fort
Worth University.
Mr. Wood was a cotton
planter, his career in this business having its beginning in the Hearne Brazos
Bottom in 1896. He also had a
business connection in Hearne in the firm of Wood & Hervey, and later had
farm interests in partnership in the firm of Wood & Adkisson.
On
October 15, 1908, he was married to Miss Mary Dell Baldridge of Ennis, Texas.
Two children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Wood: Locke Aurilia Wood Moss and
Mary Dell Wood. Mr. and Mrs. Wood
have a grandson; John Frederick Moss.
Mr. Wood was a member of the Masonic
Lodge, Elks Lodge, and was active in the Brazos-Robertson Soil Conservation
District.
He served for 15 years on the School
Board of the Hearne Independent School District and worked hard and diligently
to secure the present football stadium of Hearne High School which was named
Wood Field in his honor. He also served as Tax Assessor-Collector for Robertson
County.
The career of Fred Wood is typical
of the many men of this area who have been in the cotton planting and ranching
business.
One of the most interesting and
important events that Mr. Wood witnessed during his lifetime in Hearne was the
completion of the Hearne & Brazos Valley Railroad that ran from Hearne to
Stone City in the Brazos Bottom. This
railroad was most important to the plantations as road conditions in the early
days made the moving of cotton crops from the fields to a shipping point very
difficult. He saw the Brazos River
during flood stage when the entire Brazos Bottom farming area was completely
flooded causing great damage and financial loss to the planters and land owners.
However, he lived to see great flood control dams constructed along this
river that have prevented this costly loss to the cotton farmers of the Brazos
Bottoms.
Fred L. Wood died June 24, 1958.
WOODYARD,
BONNIE,
was born April 11, 1901 six miles north of Bryan, Texas at Campbell's Ranch in
Brazos County. His father was Jim
Woodyard, a native of Italy and his mother was Lucille Covernaro Woodyard.
He
attended school at the Alexander Rural School in Brazos County.
In 1929 he moved to the Hearne Brazos Bottom where he acquired a large
cotton farm and engaged extensively in cotton raising and the cattle business.
He continued his farming and ranching business in the Brazos Bottom until
1944 when he moved to Hearne and established the Hearne Electric & Appliance
Company on the corner of Fourth and Cedar Streets.
On
November 22, 1924 he was married at the Campbell's Ranch home to Miss Lena Cash,
daughter of Lee Cash and Vance Cuttitta Cash prominent Brazos Bottom pioneers.
Both
Mr. and Mrs. Woodyard are communicants of St. Mary's Catholic Church.
He was a member of the Hearne Chamber of Commerce and was very active in
the business and civic activities of Hearne.
Bonnie Woodyard died May 20, 1958.