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COTTAGE HILL
Editors Democrat: The winds of
March continue to blow, and old Boreas guides the helm. In the neighborhood of Cottage Hill I noticed that wheat was looking badly in some places and in company with O. A. Shaw made investigation finding the ground near the roots literally covered with small green bugs which subsist by sucking the sap from the wheat. Unless there is something to check the ravages of these pests very soon, some wheat fields will be planted in corn and cotton. The lesson of diversification has been learned well by our west Collin farmers and as a result prosperity is seen everywhere. Neat residences, large substantial barns, fat cows lazily browsing in the alfalfa pastures, thorough-bred swine with tails twirling in triumph over the sickly razor back of the moss back era and a couple of home raised mules that for beauty and general utility surpass those imported from Missouri, Kentucky and Tennessee, pulling with ease a cultivator astride of which sat an up-to-date farmer who pays no interest to a syndicate of money sharks for the privilege of living on this mundane sphere; owning the land he cultivates, blessed with a wife and perhaps a dozen or so of children, these, I say, are to be seen in every farm and the man so fortunate as to own a few acres in our own black land belt has a mind of wealth that will pay fabulous dividends in pure gold and whose resources are limited only to the amount of labor expended in cultivation. What an inspiration! but I must not forget the schools while "itinerating." Stopped for awhile at Cottage Hill and found Prof. W. H. Culwell a very busy teacher. This is his first school but he handles it with the ease of an old timer. Sixty-one have been enrolled and the attendance will average about 42. The bearings all run without friction and a good school is the result. Will close 30 of April. Lone Elm was on my route and I called on Prof. Joe A. Lee for a few items. I was received cordially and learned from him the following: School began Nov. 12, and 48 enrolled with an average daily attendance of 35. This gentleman is an experienced teacher having taught the young idea how to shoot for thirteen years in Rockwall county. Contd ON THE WING
Resuming operations where we had left off last Saturday in the Cottage Hill community, Monday noon found us again in the hospitable home of D. W. Bagwill, where another dinner, piping hot, awaited us. Early in the afternoon we renewed the battle begun the week before and the first victim was W. M. Pell, a native Missourian but for fifty years a resident of Collin county and owner of a splendid farm. M. Carter was in his bottom field planting cotton but when our trusty tomahawk was brandished a couple of times dangerously near his head, coughed up a dollar for the extraordinary privilege of reading the Weekly Democrat-Gazette one year. F. M. Perkins an old timer of our weekly was busy transplanting tomato slips when we called and our gory weapon was held in reserve until we encountered that old veteran of many battles and whose head is like cotton from winter's frosts have danced merrily upon his pate for nearly three score years, S. M. Francis. The first moon he saw creep above the horizon was in Mississippi and came to Texas twenty years ago made his first crop in Collin county on the farm of his neighbor, F. M. Morrill, afterward buying a farm in the Branch community, eight miles south of McKinney, but at the end of two years sold out there and bought his present farm of nearly two hundred acres near Cottage Hill, where he has since resided. Uniting with the M. E. Church, south, at the age of seven years he has been a consistent member of that denomination and superintendent of the Sunday school in his home church for twelve years. Five boys and two girls, three of the former married, and only one of the girls could be induced to forsake the parental roof, the oldest one, Miss Udona, still with her parents. For forty-one years a master Mason makes him the oldest in point of membership within many miles of his home lodge, Weston, No. 501. A few loud threats and a wave of the tomahawk had the desired effect and he was mighty glad to "shell out" and get on the band wagon of the Weekly Democrat-Gazette. A. W. Phillips is a young unmarried man but who, Madam Rumor says, is on the anxious seat, was relieved to the extent of a cart wheel to join the Weekly Democrat-Gazette list. Rev. J. P. Reneau is a good man as all Methodists are, and propose to grow wiser in knowledge as he gets stronger in grace, by reading the Weekly Democrat-Gazette. Ira Mixon didn't know that to seek information from your field man was a costly experiment; he knows now and will get wise by reading the Democrat-Gazette. Mrs. Eula Pafford, widow of the late M. W. Pafford, and who, before his death was a prominent and influential citizen of the community in which he lived, was indisposed and in bed when we called, but like our paper and we are pleased to add her name to our big growing list in that prosperous and moral community. Calling briefly at the home of Esquire J. F. Wester we found him absent and Mrs. Wester said that she felt as if she were a widow since her husband is a candidate for county treasurer shaking hands with men and kissing the babies. it must be awful to be a candidate. She finds consolation by reading the Democrat-Gazette. With twelve new pale face scalps dangling from our belt as our reward for besieging Cottage Hill, we next moved on. contd COTTAGE HILL IS CENTER IMPORTANT COLLIN COUNTY WELL IMPROVED AREA
In company with Mrs. E. B. Scott we recently visited in the home of Mr. and Mrs. John T. Darnall, a highly esteemed farm couple of the Cottage Hill community. Having just finished repapering several downstairs rooms of her home, the lady of the house was busily engaged in spring housecleaning and in painting or repainting the woodwork. However, she took time out from this work to extend the proverbial Southern hospitality to her two women visitors, and be it said, we were made welcome and glad that we had called. Visiting in the home at the time, Mrs. Robert Darnall, a recent bride, formerly Miss Eileen Jones of San Antonio. This fair young bride was visiting in the home of her husband’s parents, while her husband was absent in the Aviation Corps, stationed at Kelly Field, San Antonio. We were both happy to form the acquaintance of this young wife and daughter-in-law of Mr. and Mrs. Darnall as well as to renew acquaintances with the gracious queen of the home and mother-in-law. We found the Darnall home to be one of the very best improved country residences and farms in this entire section of Northwest Collin. In addition to a comfortable, convenient and well cared for family residence, Mr. Darnall has his farm in good condition - well provided with tools, implements, tractors, binders and other essential equipment to successful farming. Mr. Darnall is a believer in diversified crops, also in diversified livestock breeding. Included in his livestock, we noticed some excellent looking sheep and Herford, or white-faced cattle, besides other kinds of livestock usual to see on our Southern farms. Mrs. Darnall also gives intelligent attention to her poultry, with the result that she brings in a neat profit to help swell the farm income from her chickens and turkeys every year. The Darnall home has a Delco plant to generate adequate lighting convenience. In addition to the Delco plant, their home is located on the rural electric line coming across the country from Celina to a southeasterly direction to afford electricity for lighting and refrigerating and other useful purposes that electricity can be used for in farm homes and on farm premises. The home is heated with Butane gas with which the enterprising couple are well pleased. Mrs. Darnall says there is no intention going back to wood or coal for heating purposed in the Darnall home again. One of the most highly appreciated conveniences of this, or any other section, is the new all-weather pike road that has been built along in front of the Darnall home, extending from McKinney to Celina. Life in the rural sections would be dreary and drab indeed were it not for well-built, well-drained and maintained hard-topped roads that enable farmers and their families to go and come at will, regardless of the state of the weather. A hard-topped road enables the farmer to market his products, regardless of wet weather and mud and also enable the farmer and his family to visit his marketing center for the purpose of shopping, or selling, or amusement to be had from the picture shows, theaters, churches or other functions of a social or spiritual nature of community centers that crown modern country life, for both old and young with about all the advantages of town life as conditions were before the coming of good roads and autos. Mr. and Mrs. Darnall have reared a family of exceptionally fine girls and manly boys. One daughter, Genevive, is now Mrs. J. R. Bryant, who resides in McKinney. Miss Mary Kathleen Darnall is engaged in teaching school, at Sweeney, Brazoria County, Texas, which is a new oil town, whose claim to fame is strengthened by having one of the deepest oil wells in Texas. One son, Carl Darnall, and wife live in a pretty cottage on the farm of his parents. He assists his father in the cultivation of the place. Another son, Robert Darnall, as above stated, is with the Aviation Corps, United States Army, located at Kelly Field, near the city of San Antonio. A store and filling station, here at Cottage Hill, is owned and operated by Mr. and Mrs. John Blutcher Tucker. This place of business is located on the Celina pike, at the corner of Mrs. J. A. Marks’ farm and is quite a convenience for this large scope of surrounding farming country with its busy inhabitants. It saves them many a trip to Celina and McKinney, Rhea’s Mill or Weston when in need of gasoline, oil or grocery supplies and perhaps many other needs that come to any family, sometimes, unexpectedly. Mrs. Tucker is the daughter of Mrs. Marks. She clerks in the store and filling station while during the busy farming season, her husband is looking after his farm work, caring for stock and other duties incident to the calling of a farmer. Mr. and Mrs. Tucker are the parents of three children - two of them, Bryan and Laverne, are Celina High School students, while Frances is a pupil in the local Cottage Hill District School. Mrs. Tucker will henceforth represent the Daily Courier-Gazette and Weekly Democrat-Gazette as Cottage Hill Correspondent, and we are predicting that she will fill the job to the benefit of her community and the satisfaction of both young and old of this entire community, whose current news happenings and personals she will chronicle for these papers each week. We are glad to find that Mrs. J. A. Marks is enjoying much better health than formerly. She and her son, Lois, live in her modern new home, located a short distance from that of her daughter, Mrs. Tucker and family. We found Mrs. Marks busy and greatly interested in some baby chickens that she was caring for and starting off in a satisfactory way. Mrs. J. A. Marks is the daughter of the late William and Sarah Andrews, who came to Texas from the state of Tennessee, when she was a little child. She is a sister of Mrs. B. Frank Scott of McKinney and also a sister of Judge T. C. Andrews of McKinney, who, for the past several years, has been temporarily sojourning in our state capital city of Austin, while serving on the State Board of Pardons and Paroles. Mr. and Mrs. Marks reared a family of eight children who are: Mrs. Frank Perkins and Roy Marks, both living at Clovis, New Mexico; Fred Marks and Mrs. Claude Duvall, both of Celina; Mrs. Luther Francis of the Cottage Hill community, Mrs. W. H. Button, Abilene, Texas; Lois Marks, still at home with his mother, and Mrs. J. B. Tucker, who also lives in the Cottage Hill community. We took the opportunity of visiting the hospitable home of Esq. And Mrs. J. F. Wester, a veteran citizen of Cottage Hill. Esq. Wester at the time was out on his farm, overseeing some work, that was being done on the place. He ably served as Justice of the Peace of the Weston-Celina Precinct, in which he lives, for a period of forty years. He is getting along well into his "eighties" but is still quite active, both mentally and physically, for an octogenarian. He has a bright mind, is a great reader, public-spirited, fine old Christian gentleman, whose influence has long been felt for the good of mankind in this section of our county. Mrs. Wester with that true Southern sense of hospitality so characteristic in former years of the women of the Old South, bade us welcome and graciously received us in her hospitable home. This dear old wife and mother reached the eighty-third milestone on life’s journey on March 11 this year. However, she has the appearance of a woman many years younger. She is able to read without glasses and still retains her love and interest for her flowers and attractive home premises. She and her husband keep posted on current McKinney and county-wide news by reading the Daily Courier-Gazette, which has long been a regular visitor into their home. Mrs. Wester finds a most congenial companion in her home in person of Miss Bertha McDonald of Denton, who now lives with her and her husband. Their unmarried son, John Wester, is still living in the parental home with them. He is the efficient rural letter carrier on Celina, Route One. This dutiful son is a thrifty, intelligent citizen, devoted to the welfare and happiness of his dear old parents and enjoys the respect and esteem of his patrons and other acquaintances throughout the Weston, Cottage Hill and Celina sections of our county. At the present time, he is having the home of his parents attractively stuccoed and, when completed, it will be a credit to the civic appearance to this farming section of our county. He is also having concrete walls and stepping stones made in front and around the yard, which always add comfort and attractiveness to the appearance of any modern farm or city residence. A. Mr. Thomas of Celina is in charge of these improvements. Esq. J. F. Wester and wife have lived at their home in the Cottage Hill community for forty-six years. They reared a family of children, who are making creditable citizens in their respective localities, now since their maturity. These children are: Mrs. W. W. Thomason of the Franklin Schoolhouse community, Mrs. J. T. Darnall of Cottage Hill, Mrs. Lena Gladden of Denton, Ed Wester of McKinney and John Wester, at home. For forty years, Esq. Wester faithfully served his precinct in the important office of Justice of the Peace. Few, if any, Justices of the Peace, in the history of our county, have united more couples in the marriage relation that has Esq. J. F. Wester, who as above stated, is one of our county’s most widely known, influential and worthy Christian gentlemen. This writer and our papers are well wishers of this fine old Southern gentleman and his faithful helpmate through the long years for many more days of happiness, health and life before them.
This splendid and somewhat historic community of Cottage Hill has a two-teacher district school of which Prof. Denver L. Price is Principal and Mrs. Alvin Sexton is on her third consecutive year. These are capable teachers, so their patrons and pupils think and consequently a profitable term is under way. Cottage Hill is a standardized seven-grade school with more than fifty pupils enrolled. The school is provided with an ample campus one for the boys and one for the girls. Each sex has a team of its own, of which Prof. Price is coach. At the time of our visit the school was sponsoring a play, "A Wild Flower From the Hills" with the versatile principal in charge as director. The Cottage Hill boys' basketball team won in the grammar Precinct tournament recently held. The children are a fine body of pupils, both in the schoolroom and in the zest and enthusiasm with which they conduct themselves on the playground. They are a joyous, ambitious group of young Americans. The Board of Trustees is composed of three well-known, public-spirited citizens of the community - Luther Francis, Herman Johnson and Clell Perkins. Rev. Homer Forte of Weston is the consecrated pastor of the
Cottage Hill (Methodist) Church, this appointment being a part of the Weston
Circuit Methodism at Weston and in the Cottage Hill community was founded soon
after the organization of the county, which was affected in 1846. Some of the
best known pioneer ministers of that faith in North Texas have preached through
the years at these two points. For many years camp meetings were held during
every summer in this community to which hundreds of people come from over a wide
radius of territory to camp and worship morning, afternoon and night for two or
three weeks at a time. Arthur Phillips is the faithful superintendent of the
Sunday school at Cottage Hill. The school is held every Sunday morning with an
average attendance of fifty-five or more. Preaching services are held every
third Sunday morning in each month and also at night. On other Sunday nights of
the month the people of the community, old and young, assemble at the church to
engage in community singings that are inspiring to all who love sacred music and
who can attend. Both the spiritual and social sides of life here are of a high
order and creditable to any community. We made an interesting stop at the pretty country home of Mrs. C. D. Manning, whom we found to be quite busy at work in her garden plot. With her was "Bono", her loyal bodyguard - a vicious-looking bulldog that doesn't seem inclined to make friends with strangers too quickly unless his mistress first shows cordiality and proffered friendship. Mrs. Manning also has a flock of chickens, some cows and other things to engage her time and industry more or less every day in the year, not to mention her vegetable and flower gardens to which she is very devoted during their planting, growing and harvest seasons. Her home is located on the rural electric line that is being built across this part of the county. She is patiently waiting until the current is turned on to get its benefits in lighting up her home and premises wherever she may want to place a sparkling light bulb. This modern convenience of electric light and power is a boon to rural life and the Cottage Hill Community is proud to welcome its coming. Mrs. Manning is a school teacher of many years' successful experience, well educated and devoted to the profession. She taught at Bloomdale for a number of years and also other places in the county. She is held in the highest esteem by both patrons and pupils wherever she has taught. Mrs. Manning is the proud mother of two fine sons - Rex and Lloyd Manning. Both of these worthy boys and families are residents of Dallas, where they hold responsible positions and are making useful and estimable citizens. Mrs. Manning's late husband was one of the most substantial and influential citizens of Northeast Collin. He was a former Justice of the Peace a leading farmer, cattleman and stockman and a successful business man. At the time of his death some years ago, he was a director and officer of the bank in his part of the county. The Manning family were pioneer settlers of Northeast Collin, their landholdings being located between the towns of Blue Ridge and Pike. Mr. and Mrs. Leo J. Haker and four children are tenants on Mrs. Manning's farm. Their pretty little daughter with her brown curls, bright eyes and dimpled cheeks, Verta Jo Haker, spends the nights as company for Mrs. Manning. They are very congenial and devoted companions. Mr. Haker's mother, who lives at Pilot Point, had just concluded a visit with her son and family, here in the Cottage Hill community and returned home. This dear old mother is a native of Germany, who came to America when she was only thirteen years old. Misses Iva and Nannie Stambaugh live in the beautiful country home of their brother, Lee Stambaugh, located in this community. These ladies are the daughters of the late Mr. and Mrs. A. O. Stambaugh, a pioneer couple of settlers in this section of the county. Mr. and Mrs. A. O. Stambaugh left a large family of eleven fine children - three sons and eight daughters. All of these children have homes of their own now and are doing well financially. Prof. Lee Stambaugh is Superintendent of the San Juan Public School at Pharr, Texas, down in the Rio Grande Valley of South Texas. Mrs. Linnie Lillie, Route , Denison; Mrs. Clarence Yates, Route One, Anna; Mrs. J. Floyd Correl, Mesa, Arizona; Mrs. T. Z. Merritt, Route One, Celina; Mrs. J. B. Boynton, Lubbock, Texas; A. R. Stambaugh, Alpine, Texas; Mrs. V. E. Brovies, Rio Hondo, Texas' John Stambaugh, Route one, Celina; and Misses Nannie and Iva Stambaugh, living in the old family home. This is an unusually interesting family of brothers and sisters as well as in unusually large one. From such come the brawn, stability and rugged type of character that has distinguished our mighty nation from its earliest founding. R. L. Hays and good wife have been residents of the Cottage Hill community for the past twelve years. From the very beginning of their residence here they identified themselves with various community activities - school, church and home demonstration activities and work. At the time of our visit to them Mrs. Hays and her neighbor - Mrs. R. O. Melton, and the latter's pretty little baby daughter, Glenda Gail, were visiting the Franklin Home Demonstration Club in its regular session that afternoon. Mrs. Hay was reared at Ferris, Texas, before her marriage being Miss Stella Gullack of that part of Ellis County. Her husband was a son of Jesse Hays of that county. After the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Hays they moved up into Collin County, where, as stated, they are making useful and highly esteemed citizens. They are the parents of nine children as follows: Mrs. E. B. Scott of McKinney; Mrs. J. B. Thompson and R. L. Hays Jr., 134 West Ohio, Dallas, Texas; Mrs. L. R. Thompson, R-4, McKinney, Mrs. Clarence Phipps, Mrs. Allen Willard, both of Celina; Osburn Hays, who also lives here in the Cottage Hill community; Kenneth Hayes of the Bois d'Arc community and Dimple Hayes, still living at home. An infant child is deceased. Perhaps a number of our readers will recall the tragic death of their twenty-one-year-old son, Willie Hays, in an explosion that occurred while he was engaged in digging a well at the family home, here July 25, 1933. His sudden, tragic passing threw a pall of sadness over the entire community here where he was reared and so highly esteemed by everyone. The hospitable home of Mrs. And Mrs. George Darnall, occupies an ideal location for a country residence. Its grassy yard, beautiful shade trees, native grass pasture on which a flock of sheep were leisurely grazing. Together with the well kept premises, constituted a picture of restful beautiful pastoral life that would delight the heart and fancy of any nature lover. Our brief stop and visit interrupted spring cleaning that the good lady of the house was carrying on at the time of our call. Fresh paint was being applied to help brighten up things about the home and make the place all the more restful cheerful and attractive to the eyes of its home family and all who visit within its hospitable precincts. Mrs. George Darnall was the former Miss Exa Holmes, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. E. B. Holmes, highly esteemed old settlers of Aubrey, Denton County. She is a sister of the late Rev. Eugene Holmes, a beloved Christian minister, who dies a few years ago and whose widow and daughter are now residents of McKinney, his widow being a daughter of the late Eld. R. C. Horn, beloved and widely known Collin County minister and historian. George Darnall was the son of the late Eld. J. R. Darnall and wife. They were natives of Kentucky, who came and settled in this community, nearly seventy-five years ago. The father, Eld. R. R. Darnall, was a college graduate, a teacher of success, a preacher of unusual ability, who in his early life, was an associate and pupil of Alexander Campbell, founder of the Christian denomination. To the happy union of Eld. and Mrs. J. R. Darnall were born seven children - five sons and two daughters. There children are: Dr. Carl Darnall, Brigadier General, Medical Corp., United States Army, Washington D. C.; Dr. M. Hubbard Darnall, a practicing physician also living at the national capital, Washington, D. C.; Rev. W Darnall, a Christian minister of Hugston, Kansas; John T. Darnall and G. Darnall, both prominent and highly esteemed farmers of the Cottage Hill community, where they were born and reared; Mrs. Maggie Brown, talented wife of John George P. Brown of McKinney and a teacher in the McKinney public schools for a number years. The youngest sister, Miss Henrietta Darnall, helped at the home in McKinney only about a year ago. Mr. and Mrs. George Darnall are the parents of three lovely daughters - Miss J. Darnall, teacher at Mustang, Denton County; Mrs. Mary Frances Clark, Route 2, Celina; and Miss Charlotte Darnall, a student in the North Texas Teachers College at Denton. During our brief sojourn in the George Darnall home, we were shown some artistic paintings executed by the late Miss Henrietta Darnall. One of these that especially appealed to our admiration was a copy of the McKinney Democrat of date, February 9. 1905. This was a little more than a year before the McKinney Democrat consolidated with the McKinney Weekly Gazette and became the Weekly Democrat Gazette as it is now published, the exact consolidation of the papers by their owners, Mr. Tom W. Perkins and Postmaster Walter H. Wilson was effected July 15, 1906. The picture of the thirty-three year old cover of the McKinney democrat was faithfully executed with a deft hand and also showed five delicious looking apples resting on the paper. The picture was so apt and faithfully executed that one can easily read the headlines and advertisements shown on the first page. The picture is now the proud possession of Miss Charlotte, whom it was given by her late aunt, who was an art lover and whose paintings are admired by all who see them.
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