First
Crossed Red River into State in Year 1843
UNCLE ALFRED CHANDLER
Took Oath of Allegiance to Republic of
Texas—Now Resides 3 Miles West
Democrat
McKinney
Pioneer Magazine.
February 25, 1904
Alfred Chandler is one of
the oldest living Collin county pioneers. Nearly 51 years ago he crossed the
Red river into Texas to take his place among the hardy vanguard of pioneer
settlers whose early vicissitudes sacrifices and industry resulted in
carving out from wild prairie and brush land a county destined to become
celebrated as the richest in agricultural productions of the whole United
States.
He was born in Arkansas,
July 13, 1821, being therefore in his 83rd year. His parents were en route
from Kentucky to another portion of Arkansas at the time of his birth. His
childhood and youth were passed in Washington county, that state, from which
other estimable families of our county also came. When a child, Mr. Chandler
vividly remembers riding horseback behind his sister to the wedding of Mr.
And Mrs. Charles Heard, parents of our fellow townsmen, J. S., S. D., and
Charles Heard and Mesdames W. A. Rhea and Arthur E. Smith. Their marriage
took place in the thirties within about two miles of the present town of
Evansville, Ark.
In February, 1842, he
crossed Red river the first time at Coffee's Bend, now called Preston, in
company with a young man named Isaac Babb. They crossed in a canoe, behind
which they swam their horses. Reece P. Murray, who conducted the ferry, also
sold whiskey and tobacco on the T4xas side of the river. Murray kept a
constant lookout for marauding Indians, who were attracted by the incentive
of "fire-water" for which they possessed an ungovernable appetite. Mr.
Chandler says there was no evidence of a fort or its ruins at Preston in
1842 and he does not believe, as it is sometimes claimed, that there ever
was a fort at that point. They remained at Coffee Bend for three weeks,
waiting for a large company of movers, who were coming on in that direction
en route to the Three Forks of Trinity river. This period of waiting was
very pleasantly spent.
The population of
Coffee's Bend in 1842 while he was there, consisted of forty en and one
lady, Mrs. Coffee, a very beautiful woman. Most of the company, like
himself, were temporarily adjourning there. He remembers Col. Coffee, Maj.
Murphy and Capt. Ritten, all half brothers. When the band of movers came
along they preceded with them, their guide being a mark across the prairie
made by the end of a pole which was dragged along under the axle of the hind
wheels of some previous traveler's wagon.
They pitched their camp
about three miles above the present site of Dallas, later known as Cedar
Springs, where a few nights afterwards Indians stole twenty head of horses
from them-all they possessed except two poor old mares owned by a fellow
whose corral happened to be some little distance apart from the balance of
the horses.
Mr. Chandler remained
four weeks at Cedar Springs. Game was plentiful. Deer and turkey were found
in abundance. Wildcats infested the county, some of them being bold and
vicious. "This was the only place I ever found before or since," he
declares, "where I could catch fish (big blue cat) as fast as I could throw
them out with my line." Myraids of prairie chicken were scattered unmolested
over the country. Wolves were plentiful. There were some panthers, but he
never saw any, although the sight of a bear was no infrequent thing. Col.
Bryant lived at Cedar Springs, but this lone permanent settler and family
enjoyed life immensely. They had plenty of "pound-cake" all the time, which
they obtained by beating corn up into meal.
From Cedar Springs Mr.
Chandler went to Pinbrook, Lamar county, which frontier village afterwards
changed its name to Paris. He remained at Paris most of the time till 843. A
portion of the time he was deputy county clerk. Later he purchased a remnant
stock of general merchandise and engaged in selling goods, but burdensome
taxes consumed all his profits in business and he closed out his stock. At
an auction sale of town lots during his stay in Paris, uncle Alf bid in two
of the best ones on the public square for about $100-the same property is
now valued at many thousands.
He made two trips back to
Arkansas and then started to Mexico with the intention of joining Gen.
"Rough-and-Ready" Taylor's American army in the invasion of that country
during the Mexican war, just then breaking out. When he reached a point near
what is now known as Bloomdale, near Vineland, this county, he joined Capt.
Andrew Stapp's company of Texas Rangers. Stapp was later succeeded by Col.
Bill Fitzhugh. In both of the latter's two companies of rangers Mr. Chandler
was made Second Lieutenant. For three years they ranged over North Texas,
protecting the early settlers from Indian depredation or other danger. Their
company was divided a good portion of the time - a detachment under Lieut.
Chandler being in camp or with headquarters on Hickory Creek, one mile north
of Pilot Knob, in Denton county. While camped there Judge John T. Mills held
two courts and Judge Bennett H. Martin one - being perhaps the first justice
to hold court in this section of the state. Justice was dispensed in a
vigorous manner. Petty crimes were punished by so many lashes on the bare
back. Uncle Alf vividly remembers the whipping of two men at his camp - one
for stealing six pounded of old iron and the other a pair of wooden frames.
He recalls many very thrilling incidents occurring during his ranger
service. While they never had a pitched battle with the Indians, the
prowling savages were frequently chased. While camped on Hickory Creek,
Indians lurked about their quarters one time for ten successive nights,
trying to steal their horses or inflict injury to their dreaded foe, the
Texas Ranger. One redskin paid the penalty with his life and another was
known to have been wounded. While camped there a big slept fell in the early
part of the year of 1849 and lay on the ground for six weeks. It was one of
the longest and most bitter cold spells he ever experienced in Texas.
On February 2nd 1849, he
was mustered out of the ranger service at Connor's Station, on Chambers
Creek, about 100 miles southwest of here. Josiah Nichols is the only
surviving member, besides himself, of Captain Stapp's original company. His
brother, Albert Chandler, an honored citizen of Chambersville, was a ranger
with im in Col. Fitzhugh's second company. After being mustered out of the
rangers, these brother returned to Arkansas remaining there fromMay to
September, 1849. This was his last trip back there for 35 years. He returned
to Collin county in 1849 and boarded with James Herndon, an early settler
living just west of McKinney. Uncle Alf and the late Dr. G. A. Foote were
staunch friends. The latter purchased his license from him to wed Miss Mary
Ellen Magner, December 17, 1849. The license was purchased at McKinney, then
a village scarcely one year old. It was issued by Joel F. Stewart, first
county clerk of Collin county. Esq. Alfred Johnson officiated at the
marriage which took place at the house of Dr. Jas. M. Feland.
In the spring of 1850 he
purchased 275 acres of land three miles west of town from Capt. Jack
McGarrah and settled on the same. For over 53 years he has continuously
resided on it. He paid $1 for the prairie land and $1.25 for the timber
land, opening up one of the finest farms in the Bois D'arc community, which
would now easily bring from $50 to $75 per acre if placed on the market. His
first home was a little elm log house that stood on the spot occupied by his
present residence. A stately pecan tree stands before the door. Uncle Wash
ford, another old pioneer living near Allen, took his turn many a night
watching from its lofty boughs the stock that grazed about to keep Indians
from stealing their horses. Uncle Alf relates many amusing incidents of
those early days - one especially about George McGarrah's old water mill. It
was customary to beat meal for corn bread by hand. Mr. McGarrah, who was ?
Ouned of darkness, built a crude water mill on the ? which was like ? lazy.
It only struck two or three times a minute. One morning upon going for meal,
he found an o'possum and her entire brood pounded up together with the meal.
The mourning in the family circle at breakfast was very apparent, and it is
needless to add that the mourning was not for the old mother ‘possum and
brood, either."
‘Uncle Alf" learned
enough of the Cherokee language to converse with members of that tribe. The
Kickapoos also roamed over this section of Texas. They were most treacherous
that the Cherokee.
While living at Paris
Uncle Alf took the oath of Allegiance to the Republic of Texas in order to
have a vote in the election on the proposition of Texas applying for
admission into the union. He says a number of voters opposed the question,
which carried, however, overwhelmingly.
During the civil war he
served in the state troops in the quartermaster's department.
At the close of the war
he served as county commissioner for precinct No. 1 being among the
officials removed from office by Governor H. J. Davis. He never sought
office nor public honors, preferring rather the enjoyment of his family,
serving them in the less exciting walks of quiet farm life.
To the Pioneer Magazine
representative who spent several hours with him at his home, Uncle Alf told
many interesting incidents concerning events and persons of early days in
Collin county. Some of them we recorded and follow in this article:
The first murder in
McKinney took place in 1854 on the sidewalk in front of what is now the
McKinney Drug company's store, on the northwest corner of the square. Alf
Johnson, who was the first justice of the peace at McKinney, and who had
officiated at the wedding of Mr. Chandler, killed Joe Peak. The slayer
jumped on his horse and rode out to Mr. Chandler's that evening and stayed
all night. He was later tried and acquitted.
In 1850 he bought the lot
on the west side of the public square, where Jesse Shain's office is now
located, for $50. He bought it from Jonathan Allen. The property now is
worth several thousand dollars. Mr. Chandler and Joshua Dillingham intended
to open up a store on the spot, but the latter died in New Orleans soon
afterwards, where he had gone to purchase their stock. He then sold to lot
to Ed Whitely, who conducted a saloon and who later sold out to Uncle Burl
Stiff.
Mrs. Chandler, then Miss
Mary Magner and Joshua Dillingham were attendants at the wedding of Dr. G.
A. Foote and Miss Jane McGarrah. Uncle Alf was one of the invited guests and
loaned Mr. Dillingham, the best man, his coat to "stand up" in during the
ceremony.
Mr. Chandler thinks that
King S. Custer was the first sheriff of Collin county after the county's
organization, but Bill Brown held the office prior to that event.
"Mustang Flats" was the
name of that portion of West Collin now known as "The Flats," it being so
named by the rangers on account of the vast numbers of wild mustang ponies
that roamed over it. Later the word "Mustang" was dropped, and it has since
borne the name of "The Flats" only.
He thinks the "hog
wallows," so common in this section, were made by buffalo. Great herds of
this almost extinct animal once roamed unmolested over our prairies, but few
were to be seen after 1843. When Chandler first fenced his farm he used
buffalo skulls under fully half of his fence corners. Speaking of the
characteristics of the American bison, Mr. Chandler said they only bred
every other year. In times of threatened danger the male buffalo would form
a circle with the cows and calves inside for protection.
Mr. Chandler still has an
old bureau which he paid $30 for in the fifties in New Orleans for his young
bride. It cost him $12 to have it hauled from Jefferson to McKinney. It has
a secret drawer that even Mrs. Chandler did not discover for several weeks
after receiving it.
Uncle Alf is stiff
enjoying splendid health, with every prospect of adding several more years
to his already long and upright life. He is an devoted member of the M. E.
church South. Mrs. Chandler died in 1884. Four children, A. G. Chandler,
prominent McKinney dry goods merchant; Mrs. John C. Coleman, J. T. and Miss
Kate Chandler are living. J. T. (Tog) runs the farm, while his sister, Miss
Kate, remains in the old home and cares for their honored father, who is
serenely passing the evening of life amid scenes sacred to his heart on the
old farm, which, in the flush and vigor of his young manhood, he settled for
a homestead more than half a century ago.
Surname Index
Recommended Citation:
"An Old Texas Ranger, Alfred Chandler,
EARLY SETTLERS OF COLLIN COUNTY." Collin County, Texas History
and Genealogy Webpage by Genealogy Friends of Plano Libraries, Inc., <http://www.geocities/genfriendsghl>
[Accessed Fri February 13, 2004 ].
