SMITH-SCOTT FAMILIES HOLD
BIG REUNION
Courier
August 20, 1925
(R. C. Horn, Reporter.)
The Annual
Reunion of the descendants and relatives of Esqr. John W. smith and Senator
James Preston Scott was held in Finch Park on the 16th last, in honor of the
75th birthday of Mrs. Sarah Ann Lindsay of Sherman, Texas, the only
surviving child of John w. Smith. She is a sister of the late J. M. (Mack)
Smith and Fox Smith, who were well known citizens of Collin during their
lives. John W. Smith held the office of Justice of the Peace for several
years. His old home place is about two miles west of Walnut Grove church. He
came to Texas at an early age and settled there where he passed away in
1864.
Besides the sons
mentioned above, I remember the following daughters besides the honoree of
this occasion:
Mrs. Martha Ann
Duncan, mother of Ike Duncan of Rhea Mills and Bob Duncan of Sanger.
Mrs. Margaret
Scott, mother of John P. Scott, of Duncan Okla.
Mrs. L. D.
Franklin of Bloomdale.
Mrs. F. M. Neely
of Jacksboro.
Mrs. J. P. Hays,
of Collin.
Mrs. Mattie
Appleby, deceased.
Mrs. Jane
Chaeffer, mother of Fred Chaeffer of Sherman, was another daughter of Esqr.
Smith.
The other branch
of the family starts with James Preston Scott and his wife Jennie Carruth
Scott.
James Preston
Scott and family came from Middle Tennessee to Texas in about 1852 (I think)
and purchased land about seven miles northwest from McKinney. In 1858 while
serving Texas as a Senator, he was taken sick and was brought to McKinney
where he died, March 28, 1858. Senator Scott's wife and my grandfather were
own cousins. The first generation of this family were the following.
Mrs. A. J.
Taylor, mother of Miss Jennie and her brothers, well known here.
Mrs. B. H.
Foster, mother of Joe Foster, Mrs. John Dowdy of this city, Mrs. Della
Baxter of Bloomdale, Robert Foster of the Franklin community and Sam Foster
of Grayson county; W. E. Foster and Tom H. Foster, other sons deceased.
Another daughter
of J. P. Scott was Mrs. Martha Doak, the wife of an early sheriff of Collin
county. There were three sons all deceased; Andrew J., Thos. B. and Tobe.
Thos. B. was the
father of Ray Scott of McKinney and Mrs. J. J. Smith of Dallas. The
descendants of these families number hundreds of worthy people.
The program
carried out on this occasion was as follows:
11 to noon
getting acquainted. At noon the writer read by memory the 23rd and the 19th
Psalms, then invoked Divine blessings upon all. By request he gave a short
talk on the value of such reunions. J. P. Scott of Duncan Okla. In a short
talk stated that the reunions were to honor the life of his aunt, Annie
Lindsay, and as long as she remained in this life and he lived, would be
held each year on the Sunday nearest her birthday. The ladies then arranged
the dinner on the long tables in the shade of the beautiful pecan trees.
When we say that
the ladies spread a dinner it is unnecessary to say that it was ample and
first class in quality and preparation.
After dinner the
birthday cake was set before the honoree and the writer, by request, offered
a short prayer for the dear woman whose anniversary we were honoring. The
cake was cut and each who desired it ate a piece. Cones of ice cream were
distributed to all who were not too full to use them. After spending much of
the afternoon in social chat and amusements the time came for good-byes and
the crowd separated.
The names below,
with few exceptions, are of people related to one or both of these pioneer
families, either by blood or marriage. I think as great a number was absent.
Everyone present of mature age, seemed glad to claim relationship with
either or both of these noted pioneer families.
Those present
and registered are the following:
G. L. McClendon
and daughters, May, Fay, Alena and Ruby of Sanger; Mr. and Mrs. E. H. Bates
and daughter of Sanger; Mr. and Mrs. Dick Taylor of Sherman; Mr. and Mrs.
John Hendon and daughter, Flora Hendon, of Sherman; Mr. and Mrs. C. D. Neely
and sons, Moray and T. D., McKinney; Mr. and Mrs. E. W. Horn; Mr. and Mrs.
J. A. Taylor; Rev. R. C. Horn; Mr. and Mrs. J. P. Scott and three sons, Joe,
Dow and James, of Duncan Okla.; Mr. and Mrs. L. D. Franklin and daughter,
Lora Maybell; Mr and Mrs. W. E. McClendon and daughters, Bertha and Irene of
Gainesville; Mr. and Mrs. Walter Hedgcoxe and son and daughter; Mr. and Mrs.
R. P. Hayes; Mr. and Mrs. W. R. Lindsay, Dallas; Mr. and Mrs. Arthur
Lindsay, Dallas; Mrs. Cyrus P. Smith and two sons, Bell, California; Mr. And
Mrs. G. C. Clodbetter, Gainesville; Joe Foster, McKinney; Erwin Neely,
Jacksboro; Mrs. Lillian
McCann, Tulsa,
Okla; Mr. and Mrs. James L. Dugger, Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Briggs, Dallas; Mrs.
Retia Horn, McKinney; Mr. and Mrs. J. P. Hayes and children, Mittie and
Verba; Mr. and Mrs. Cecil Jeams and son; Miss Jennie Taylor; Mr. and Mrs.
Kirby Howard and three sons, Leon, Eugene and Monroe; Henry Taylor of
Corsicana; Mr. and Mrs. H. I. Duncan; Mr. and Mrs. John C. Sears and
daughters; Mrs. Frank Crim; Mrs. Wiley Bearden; Mr. Whit Kerr;
Mr. Lindsay
Jolliff, Dallas; Mrs. John Dowdy; Mr. and Mrs. Will Talkington and
daughters, Misses Maggie and Myrtle; Mrs. Eddie Francis and son, H. M. of
Celina; Norma Sears; Mr. and Mrs. Rhea Scott and daughter; Mrs. Myrtle
Bonhana; Mr. and Mrs. Frank Scott and daughter, Lila May; Mr. and Mrs. Clint
Lewis; Mr. and Mrs. Ollie Foster.
Surname Index
Recommended Citation:
"Smith-Scott Reunion,
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 ].
