COLLIN'S OLDEST CITIZEN
DIES AT HOME HERE
[Mrs. T. M. Scott]
Courier
May 19, 1922
At the extreme
old age of 94 years 9 months and 16 days, Mrs. T. M. Scott Sr., relict of
the late Col. T. M. Scott and, perhaps the oldest resident of Collin county,
gently passed away at 6:30 o'clock Friday morning, May 19, at the home of
her son, S. O. Scott, on North College street. Her passing was not
unexpected. While she had retained good health to a very remarkable degree
through old age, yet, she was weak in her latter years and for the past few
days her condition was considered to be serious. Most of her children, grand
children and great grandchildren were with her in her passing.
Miss Elizabeth
Matilda Shirley was born at Louisville, Ky., August 13, 1827, and therefore
at her passing lacked only about five years of rounding out a full century
of life.
She was the
daughter of Louis and Elizabeth (Broadus) Shirley. Her mother died in
Kentucky when the daughter was only about one year old Her father, Louis
Shirley, came to Texas and settled at Melissa in 1852. He spent the
remainder of life in that vicinity and is buried there. The deceased was
happily married in Kentucky May 22, 1851, to T. M. Scott, a gallant young
officer of the Mexican War and who later served four years as an officer in
the Confederacy. Col. T. M. Scott and wife settled about ten miles northeast
of McKinney on what they called "Belmont Farm." This fine big farm,
consisting of several hundred acres of highly improved land, has been owned
by Col. and Mrs. Scott and their family for seventy years. Its present owner
being their grand son, Dan Scott, who with his wife and little daughter, are
now living on it.
50 Years On
Farm.
The deceased and
her husband made their home on the Belmont Farm for about fifty years on
which they reared their family of four children who are all still living as
follows: L. A. Scott, president of the Collin County National Bank of
McKinney; S. O. Scott, prominent in railroad, telephone and business
circles, McKinney; Gen. W. S. Scott, distinguished general in the World War
on overseas duty, who is now retired from the army and is engaged in the
banking business at San Antonio, and one daughter, Mrs. J. H. Coffman, of
Brownwood, Texas. Her husband, Col. T. M. Scott, died March 6, 1911. She is
survived by nine grand children and eight great grandchildren. She is also
survived by one sister, Mrs. Anna Graves of McKinney, and by two brothers,
A. L. (Jack) Shirley of Melissa, and T. E. Shirley of Hereford, Texas. The
mother of Fred and Andrew Shirley of Anna was also a sister of the deceased.
The deceased also had three other brothers, Alex, Tom and Will Shirley, who
all died in Texas.
Member Church 82
Years.
The deceased
joined the Christian church when only thirteen years old and lived a most
beautiful Christian life of nearly 82 years. She made the confession and
united with the Christian church under the ministry of Rev. Alexander
Campbell in Kentucky. She lived true to the faith and was a consistent,
active Christian worker in her modest, queenly way throughout the remainder
of life. She was especially interested in Sunday school work and continued
to teach classes in the Bible school until the infirmities of age rendered
her incapable on account of defective hearing and growing feebleness. She
was a most refined, cultured lady, possessing all the graces peculiar to the
true old antebellum Southern lady. She taught school before and after her
marriage for several years.
Once Taught
Private School.
After moving to
Texas and before the advent of public free schools she taught a private
neighborhood school in a little log house on the Belmont Farm for the
benefit of her own children and those of that section of the county. The
influence of this noble woman exerted in the school room and in Bible school
circles of her church during her active life had a marked effect in the
education of the children of the pioneer days of our county, both
religiously and intellectually. The extent of it can only be disclosed by
eternity itself. She moved her church membership from Kentucky to old Mantua
in North Collin, where she held it until the nearby town of Melissa was
established and she became a charter member of the
Melissa
Christian church. After the death of her distinguished husband, who was not
only prominent in the Mexican and Civil Wars, but also was one of the
founders and trustees of the Texas A. & M. College and Texas Christian
University, the deceased resided with her daughter, Mrs. J. H. Coffman until
four years ago when she came to McKinney to make her home with her son S. O.
Scott and wife.
Last Settler of
Melissa.
"Grandma" Scott,
as she was familiarly known to every one of her acquaintances retained all
of her faculties to the last in remarkable degree except her hearing and
sight. She retained a lively interest in current affairs and in the progress
of her church and church affairs. She always greeted the visits of her
friends, young and old, in the sweetest and most cordial spirit, and
continued to enjoy the association of her loved ones and friends to the very
last. Her death marks the passing perhaps of the last surviving original
settler of the Melissa section of our county.
Funeral services
will be conducted at the residence of S. O. Scott, No. 401, North College
street, at 1:30 o'clock Saturday afternoon, May 20, by Rev. C. S. Weaver,
assisted by Elder R. C. Horn. Interment will follow in the Melissa cemetery
where her old and tired body will be laid to rest by the side of the grave
of her husband.
The active
pallbearers will be her grandsons and grandsons-in-law: A. M. Scott, T. M.
Scott, Dan Scott, H. A. Abernathy, R. H. Foster, and J. Lynn Hunter. The
honorary pallbearers will be: J. N. Sanstrom, Anna; W. M. Osburn, Melissa;
J. W. Douglas, Melissa; Dr. W. S. Wysong, Dr. W. E. Rucker, Dr. E. B.
Fincher, Capt. R. M. Board, S. Weisman, McKinney; R. C. Merritt and Chas. L.
Martin of Dallas.
Surname Index
Recommended Citation:
"Mrs. T. M. Scott Dies,
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 ].
