to Van Zandt County "Post Offices, Cities, Towns and People" by Kitty Wheeler of Grand Saline, TX Kitty Wheeler of Grand Saline spent several years researching the post offices, cities, towns and people of Van Zandt County. A portion of her work was published by the Van Zandt County Genealogical Society in "Histories and Biographies of Van Zandt County, Vol. II," which is still in print and available for purchase by sending a check or money order for $60 to the Van Zandt County Genealogical Society, P.O. Box 1388, Canton, TX 75103. This volume contains a portion of her post office research plus over 500 biographies of Van Zandt County citizens. Kitty Wheeler has generously given us exclusive permission to use all or part of her 500 page original manuscript. We are beginning with only part of her entire amazing work but we will complete this site as quickly as possible.
Orio Post Office Orio Post Office was established 25 Jun 1902. The following is a list of the postmasters and their appointment dates: Jefferson B. Price,25 Jun 1902, John White, 20 Nov 1902, and George S.R. Hester, 15 Sep 1904; discontinued 14 Feb 1905, and moved to Stone Point.
Though the post office was known as Orio this village and later the community has always been known as Whitton, located four miles west of State Hwy. 198 on Fm. Rd. 1651.
On the 1900, Van Zandt Co. Census is dwelling number 274, there is a family listed with the postmaster Jefferson B. Price as head of the household. Jefferson was born in September 1861, in Arkansas, and his wife, Emma, born July, 1866, in Texas. They had five children living with them, all born in Texas: Lillie born February 1850; May born May, 1893; John, born January, 1895; Barbara born May, 1897; and Pinkie born April 1899.
Five houses away in dwelling number 279 lived the second postmaster, John White born Jan, 1851, in Texas, and his wife Partheney M. born July, 1854, in Texas. There were seven children in the household, all born in Texas: Sherrod born July, 1882; Ellen born October 1884; Allen born June 1887; James born January 1890; Neal born August 1892; Lissie born May, 1895; and Ethel born June 1899.
The last postmaster, George S.R. Hester, was listed on the census as a partner of the head of the household of dwelling number 266, William Dixon born December 1856, in Louisiana. George was born February 1862, in Louisiana.
The Whitton Community was named for an early settler of the community, Elizah, born 26 Apr 1825, in Alabama. This family is listed on the 1870, VZC Census with Elijah's second wife, Mary J. Pugh Cox born 1836, in Indiana. There are three children listed in the household with that surname. The oldest, Sarah, born 1860, in Illinois, and the other two born in Texas, Samuel born 1861, and Louisa born 1863. Mrs. Cox might have been one of the many women that were left widows after the Civil War. The first five children in the household were by Elijah's first marriage to Malvina Payne, born 1833, in Ala. The sixth child is a five month old son born to Elijah and Mary Jane.
Elijah and Malvina lived in Mississippi until the year 1857. They left MS, and moved to Texas. The story that has been handed down in the family is that there were twenty-six families consisting of Whittons and Paynes who traveled from Mississippi to Texas together, in their ox drawn covered wagons. They arrived in Nacogdoches County, where most of them stopped, but some journeyed on to other counties. Elijah came on to Kaufman Co., along with a few of his brothers and at least two Payne families. He purchased 220 acres of land in the Prairieville area of Kaufman Co. in November 1858. He moved to Van Zandt Co. in March 1864, (still using his oxen and covered wagon). he built a log cabin for his family near a "spring" on the 268 acres he later purchased in 1870. This was the establishment of Whitton Community.
Malvina Whitton died 25 Mar 1864, just after their move, and only two and one-half months after the birth of William Elijah.
Elijah Whitton was a farmer. He raised cattle, horses, sheep and hogs. He let his hogs run loose in what was known as "the south woods", to fatten up on the acorns.
On 17 Nov 1866, in Henderson Co., Elijah married Mary Cox, widow of Joseph Cox.
William Elijah Whitton, born 13 Jan 1864, the last child born to Elijah and Malvina, was only two months old when he moved to Van Zandt. He lived in the Whitton Community the rest of his life. His first marriage was to Erlena Ernestine Sullivan on 26 Oct 1886. Seven children were born to this union. After the death of Erlena on 10 May 1907, William Elijah married his second wife, Mrs. Rachel Evangel Sanders Smith and they had two children. Rachel passed away 11 Nov 1918, and William married his third wife, Mrs. Bertie Lou Woodruff McLemore. Bertie Lou, called "Bert", was known in the community as the one to call on in time of need such as births, illnesses and deaths. She would go and stay as long as she was needed William and Bertie had one child. Bertie Lou died 1 Oct 1959.
William Elijah was of average build approximately five feet, ten and one-half inches tall. His eyes were soft brown in color and he had black curly hair as a young man. In later years, it turned gray but was still thick and curly until his death at the age of ninety, on 22 Apr 1954. He only had a third grade eduction, but could read a little and could write and was great at doing arithmetic in his "head". He enjoyed walking around his place, in his later years especially. He walked with his hands clasped behind his back. Later he had to use a cane, but still he walked.
After the old wood stove was replaced with a kerosene cook stove, he always kept a glass jar under the "drip" on the kerosene barrel. This was used for his "cure-all". Cuts, scrapes, insect bites and stings. One and all got the "kerosene treatment", and no one was any worse off because of this, even if they did "smell" for awhile. They all lived through it. On rare occasions this treatment was even used to mop a sore throat.
The Whitton home was located next to the road, one mile east of the center of the Whitton Community. It had four rooms on the east end and two rooms on the west end with a big wide hall running all the way through dividing them. This hallway was known to many as a dog run. A front porch standing high off the ground, ran the entire length of the house. The back porch was only the length of the east rooms and hallway; but the cistern" was on the back porch. The porch was built around it. In those days this was considered a luxury since you didn't have to trudge several yards from a well carrying one or two buckets of water.
Through the years, the people of Whitton had general merchandising stores to shop in, a blacksmith shop to take care of their needs, a saw mill and a gin.
At one time, there were two churches at Whitton, the Church of Christ and the Missionary Baptist. Both of these denominations used the old school building alternately, for their services.
The earliest records available on the Whitton school show that as of September 1887, the Whitton School, number 49, was apportioned $93.05. For the session from April to September 1889, the school was taught by N.B. Campbell. On October 1899, the Whitton school was listed as number 105, having 37 pupils and was apportioned $185. For the year 1905-1906, again listed as number 105 the school received $291.50.
In 1974, concerned residents and former residents banded together to restore the old school building. They donated money, time, and their skills. By 1978, they had managed to complete their work. Through this labor of love, now stands a beautiful community center, complete with an auditorium, kitchen, meeting room, and a Memorial Room for photos, etc. of the ancestors of the residents of the community to honor their memory. Through the dedication of these people the memory of Orio, i.e., Whitton will live on.Back to Post Offices Index Page Back to the Genealogical Research Group's Home Page You are the person to visit this page since June 7, 2006
This page last updated 26 August 2006Van Zandt County Genealogical Research Group Website
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Sibyl Creasey
